MarketingRX: Snowden’s Jewelers

Published

17 years ago

July 2, 2007

David Squires

Our expert cures your ads

[h2][b]Patient History [/b][/h2]
Snowden’s Jewelers has been in business for over 17 years, and according to its website, Chris Snowden has been in the business “his entire life.” It’s located in Wilmington, NC, and exclusively sells the Original Wilmington Destination Bracelet at the store. This color ad appears in the coastal and tourist magazines in the store’s area.

[h2][b]Diagnosis [/b][/h2]
I love the notion of something exclusively designed and sold at a store especially if the location is in a heavy tourist area. According to Chris, the ad was originated by Montesino (the bracelet designer that sells these bracelets to jewelers across the country) — and enhanced by his own graphic designer. The ad is no more than a one-column by 4-inch ad, so I have but one thing to say: Chris, have you ever heard the saying “less is more?” How much copy can you fit into this tiny ad? I actually had to change my reading glasses from a 2.00 magnification to 2.50 just to see what you had to say!

[h2][b]Remedy [/b][/h2]
Pop for the extra inch or two. If it’s really worth selling, let’s not try to make your prospective customers go cross-eyed trying to see it. And it’s OK to leave something for your salespeople to talk about when customers come to your store. And by the way, I don’t notice your website in the ad — where you really have the space to talk about the bracelet. But don’t make me scroll, Chris. After all, as William Shakespeare once wrote, “Brevity is the soul of wit.”

Retiring? Let Wilkerson Do the Heavy Lifting

Retirement can be a great part of life. As Nanji Singadia puts it, “I want to retire and enjoy my life. I’m 78 now and I just want to take a break.” That said, Nanji decided that the best way to move ahead was to contact the experts at Wilkerson. He chose them because he knew that closing a store is a heavy lift. To maximize sales and move on to the next, best chapter of his life, he called Wilkerson—but not before asking his industry friends for their opinion. He found that Wilkerson was the company most recommended and says their professionalism, experience and the homework they did before the launch all helped to make his going out of business sale a success. “Wilkerson were working on the sale a month it took place,” he says. “They did a great job.”