Thursday, October 2, 2008

Relational vs Transactional Advertising

One of the hardest things to do in this business is determine whether or not a client has the patience to "build a brand".

I recently purchased a series of web videos by Roy H. Williams that clearly listed the difference between the Transactional SHOPPER as compared to the Relational SHOPPER.  (Shopper is emphasized because which shopper you want to attract is the determinant for what time of advertising you do.)

Transactional Shopper:
Thinks short term
Cares only about today's transaction
Enjoys the process of shopping and negotiating
Fears only "Paying too much"
Is willing to spend lots of time investigating
Considers him or herself to be the expert
Hinges every transaction on price

Relational Shopper:
Thinks long term
Considers today's transaction to be one in a series of many
Does not enjoy comparison shopping or negotiating
Fears only "making a poor choice; buying the wrong one."
Hopes to find an expert they can trust
Considers their time spent shopping to be part of the purchase price.
Is likely to become a repeat customer.

While it is true that most clients love to have the relational customer walk through the door, when it comes to advertising... most want transactional traffic and they want it now (otherwise they feel the advertising was a waste of money.) 

More on this as I get through more of the series.

David Pippenger

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