That senior executive claims that in such a world, effective advertising can make or break the businesses of suppliers. I fully agree with the senior executive’s view on this topic, though I felt if taken literally, that view is still too simplistic to ensure the continued survival of businesses. Advertising can make or break a business, and the key really is effectiveness. My firm believe is that effective advertising is what makes or breaks a business. I term it “EFFECTISING.”

Effective advertising – EFFECTISING – starts at the very beginning. It starts way before the line – way before the show gets onto the stage – if you know what I mean. Before the line activities should take up around 60%-80% of the effort needed to achieve EFFECTICING. As the Chinese saying goes, “Three minutes of excellent performance on the stage requires ten years of training off stage.”

Before the line activities, a crucial component of EFFECTISING, is all about defining the right objective – the goal.