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That Brain Shrinker Called "Multi-tasking”

Ryan Chute
Ryan Chute
October 4, 2022
That Brain Shrinker Called "Multi-tasking”

Can the brain multi-task? That's an interesting thought, especially as we’re coursing through a highly busy and preoccupied world. Everyone’s multi-tasking nowadays, and people have seemingly succumbed more to the movement during the smartphone age. Therefore, the more interesting question to ask is: "are people made for multi-tasking?" Science suggests that multi-tasking and the brain have an inverse relationship. We only cultivate productivity when we create momentum. One of the harsh effects of multitasking is we impede this momentum when bouncing from one task to another. That's the reason Joe Kraus believes that we live in a culture of distraction. Before smartphones took over the world, we used the internet 5 times a day on average. Now, that number blew up to more than 500 percent, at 27 times a day. This distracted multi-tasking culture became a cause for worry for Joe Kraus. Who's Joe Kraus, you say? Well, he founded excite.com, JotSpot, and DigitalConsumer.org. He was a partner at Google Ventures, has investments on Linkedin, and is the current President of Lime. In other words, a heckuva' successful entrepreneur, yet he despises all of this connectivity. This culture of multi-tasking meant people are becoming busier and more distracted, but not in any way more productive. That poses problems, especially for businesses, and we’ll tell you why. Here, we'll look into multi-tasking and the brain, and more importantly, how this culture of distraction affects marketing and advertising. Keep reading.

Our Brain vs the Internet

Our Brain vs the Internet

I’m sure you’ve realized by now that the human brain is far less advanced in processing information than computers…Unlike rigs boasting powerful 8-core chipsets that can handle 16 simultaneous processes at once, our brains can only handle one. Neuropsychologists stress that [humans are hard-wired to be monotaskers](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/science-clear-multitasking-doesnt-work/#:~:text=One study found that just, once aren't actually that.). It's how our brain gets things done. When people say they're engaged in a multi-tasking sesh, they are simply doing different actions in quick succession. You know, like 15 minutes of work here, another 5 to talk to colleagues, and 30 scrolling through social media. In other words, people are simply task-switching. You'll notice it even in today's era. How many people within your Realm of Association are active on social media during supposedly work hours? Exactly. DataReportal revealed that social media's share of total online time jumped from 26.3 percent to 35.2 percent in 9 years. Mobile devices' share of total internet time also grew from 27.3 percent in 2013 to 53.5 percent in 2021. Brain multi-tasking is not a real thing. It's a lie we tell ourselves to mask how distracted we really are. At least computers can maintain and switch through an abundant amount of tabs without crashing. Still, even computers stutter when handling data beyond their capacity, how much more do our brains? That said, does multitasking damage your brain? The answer is even more concerning because UK brain research on multi-tasking showed that it makes people mentally unbalanced. Multi-tasking reduces a person’s mental capacity by an average of 10 points on IQ tests. So, yes. Multi-tasking is cognitively damaging and worse, businesses will suffer from this emerging culture of distraction. You want advertising that captivates your audience’s distracted thoughts to help get your message across. Not all marketers can do that, but Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® can. Book a call.

The Culture of Distraction (Multi-tasking)

A single Google search reveals the many articles on multi-tasking boasting both the positives and negatives of it. One of the most interesting I've read is the column by Inc. on multi-tasking. They said the effect of multitasking on the brain is like missing a night's sleep. While, for the men, they described it as affecting the brain 3 times more than the effect of smoking weed. That results in 40 percent less efficiency with our daily tasks. Still, there's a special group of people who can execute multi-tasking more effectively than the rest of us. According to APA PsycNet, only 2.5 percent of people can multitask (Plot twist: They're androids). The point is that: there's only a fraction of individuals who can cope with the culture of distraction. Everyone else will inevitably suffer the ramifications of our poor choices. Here's the interesting bit. The more people dwell on the delusion that we're capable of multitasking, the worse they get at it.

When you practice distraction, which is what multi-tasking really is, you’re training your brain to pay attention to distracting things." — Roy H. Williams

Once distraction becomes a lifestyle, which is what's happening today, people will struggle to focus on more important tasks. You get less done. You throw away money. You waste a non-renewable resource, which is time. In the context of business advertising, this is a huge issue. You want eyes focused on your business but distractions keep pulling them away. If you can't hold people’s attention, how can you get your message across? How will you be able to sell anything? The answer is, you won't and there's nothing we could do to alter our customers' habits. What we could do is cope with reality and find ways to make our message clear to a distracted audience. We'll teach you how below.

What Does our Culture of Distraction Mean to Marketers_

What Does our Culture of Distraction Mean to Marketers?

What multi-tasking did to the brain produced a strong ripple effect that has bred a generation of easily distracted individuals. Wherever you go, you'll see people lost in a trance as they scroll through their feeds. This culture of distraction has transcended the realms of business, and this affects marketers in 5 ways:

1. Getting attention is one thing. Holding it is another.

The multitasking brain is less able to focus. This has made it harder for marketers to get people's attention in the first place. In a world where we're bombarded with 4 thousand -10 thousand marketing messages a day, is problematic. It's become increasingly harder for businesses to cut through the noise and reach their target audience. You want to make your advertising as attractive as possible. Make sure you're producing content that's irresistible and hard to look away from. Do you know what advertisements are hardest to resist? Those that tell a story. Wizard of Ads® can craft those for you if you book a call.

2. The volume of information gushing toward your customer is like a fire hose aimed at a teacup.

Every business venture and each solution you're selling is composed of tons of valuable information. It can be tempting to bombard your audiences with information-dense advertising to make them see the incredible value you offer. We get it. But that's not how advertising works, especially today. Nitpick the best value from your solutions and transform them into bite-sized, easily digestible messages. Fill their teacup to the brim.

3. Advertising must embrace a Big Idea or it will be ignored.

David Ogilvy once said that the most creative, innovative, revolutionary ideas (big ideas) come when we unhook our deductive reasoning. Ads made from big ideas captivate people’s attention and linger in their memories longer. That said, keep stuffing your unconscious mind with facts. Then unplug from all rationality as you immerse in creative activities. See the floodgates of your right brain open and big ideas flow through.

"Big Ideas don’t arise from normalcy. Big Ideas are products of audacity. The unmitigated gall of a big idea requires that you be a bit of an outsider. Otherwise, you will never walk the path where it can be found." — Roy H. Williams

4. Attention can be held only by moving rapidly from Big Idea to Big Idea to Big Idea.

Big ideas are the key to capturing and holding your audience's attention. A barrage of advertising forged from big ideas is the secret to keeping your market's eyes on you. Through big ideas, you unmake the culture of distraction that multi-tasking instilled in society.

5. Never in history have we crammed bigger thoughts into fewer words.

It's no secret that people's attention spans have been on the down low in recent years. People are looking to digest information in the quickest and most non-intrusive way possible. That could be a problem. For instance, feature a 60-second ad and see your audience itching to skip the video. Alternatively, create a quick 5-second ad and it goes over your market's head. The best ads strike the perfect balance between word count and ad length. Choosing the right words is also essential.

Big Ideas

Big Ideas

Big ideas come from the unconscious. This is true in art, in science, and in advertising. But your unconscious has to be well informed, or your idea will be irrelevant. Stuff your conscious mind with information, then unhook your rational thought process.” — David Ogilvy

You want your brain to be an endless supply of big ideas. That’s the only way to counteract the culture of distractions we’ve all helped create. Stuff your brain with information and then unhook deductive reasoning. You’ll see the facts and figures take an artistic form. Big ideas = great advertising. If you want your advertising to be filled with big ideas, choose the marketers that don’t multitask. We happen to be those people. We’ll relentlessly pursue your business success and won’t stop until we achieve it. Interested? Book a call.

(Online)
(Offline)
(Multi Tasking)
(Get Noticed)
Ryan Chute
Ryan Chute

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, And they're like, it's better than yours, Damn right it's better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to charge." -Kelis Yeah. This is what I do for Home Service Companies.

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Who does the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors work with?

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors work with healthy and growing Residential Home Service Contractors hungry to grow by multiples, like you.

You are ready, willing, and able to grow your business. You are open to change and are seeking a distinctive angle of approach to gain the time and attention of a too-busy public.

You know that lasting relationships take time, patience, and good energy to nurture and cultivate. We carefully enter into every arrangement with the intention of working with you for as long as you own your business. You prefer lasting partnerships.

You are already a solid operator. You have successfully grown your business and appreciate the impact the right brand story will have to get to the next level in your operation. You know a strong relational message takes time to gain momentum, but it’s worth the one-time short-term discomfort for the long-term gains.

Marketing cannot fix a failing business.

We accelerate what’s already happening in a business. If your business is on the rocks, marketing will only speed up the inevitable.  

You’re focused on lasting change that leads to exponential, profitable growth, not just sales at any cost. Intuitively, you know that communication that enhances every element of your customer's experience and your employee's culture is the key to your success.

How does the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors charge?

Traditional marketing agencies are designed to capture the greatest amount of revenue from a client, regardless of results. Every last item is billed and expensed to the client. Typical agency fees can represent a whopping 55% of the entire advertising budget. That means a $5 million dollar advertising budget, you would spend $2.75 million on agency fees.

Think of Wizard of Ads® for Contractors as the Anti-Agency.

Our income is not tied to your advertising budget. Our income is exclusively tied to your growth. Our goal is to maximize your advertising impact with the lowest reasonable spend. This allows you to spend only what is necessary or to put extra horsepower into aggressively growing in your market.

The genius of this model is that it perfectly aligns our motivations as true partners for exponential profitable growth without the pain of being unaffordable. Ultimately, we are confident in taking the risk of being underpaid in the first few years because we know the results always speak for themselves.

Next, we do not accept commissions, referral fees, kickbacks, or other compensation from any service providers we recommend or engage for production work. Most agencies do. This includes the 15% agency commission for media buying. This approach is considerably different from the compensation plan employed by most advertising agencies, as it eliminates any potential conflicts of interest and allows us to focus our entire attention on helping you grow your business profitably as a true partner. For example, a $500,000 annual media buy would involve a $75,000 commission that we would have removed directly from your media providers' invoices.

This is the perfect pricing model for Residential Home Services.

By tying ourselves to gross revenue, we only have one motivation. Your motivation. We have no motivation to convince you to spend more money on marketing than what is necessary, and since we are a variable expense to sales, we NEVER become too expensive to have us on your team.

In almost every case, we end up lowering the amount of money you spend. We will stay within your planned marketing budget, including your media spend, production, and our Annual Fee. Add on the fact that you get any and all commissions back for media buys and various services provided by outside providers, and you will actually save money having us on your team.

Don’t forget, we have the largest buying power in North America for media buying, meaning for every dollar you spend buying media, we only spend 27 cents on average. This stretches your reach, impact, and frequency in a way no other agency (or yourself) can achieve on your own, saving you hundreds of thousands of dollars, eventually millions, every single year.

Clients who heed our advice and embrace our Marketing Strategy quickly add $1 million in incremental revenue to their business, making your investment a smart bet and a bit of a no-brainer.  

There is no longer any guesswork, hope, or fear that our marketing strategies are going to work. If our client’s are able to abandon any limiting beliefs about marketing, deliver operational excellence, and play the long game, our marketing strategy will accelerate their profitable growth.

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors pricing model is based solely on the topline revenue of your company. It consists of an Upfront Fee and an Annual Fee. These fees are inclusive of scheduled travel, services, and all other expenditures as outlined in the Consulting Agreement.

The Upfront Fee covers the intensive Uncovery Process, the first year’s Media Buy, the Creative Process, and the Market Research while the Annual Fee goes toward implementation, ongoing creative and consulting, and next year's media buy. You get a team of 3.5 people, with direct access to a top tier Creative Lead and Media Buyer, and on-demand access to me as your Master Strategist. You will also have a full-time Account Manager keeping everything on track.

While the upfront does have an initial pinch, it is easy to amortize the investment over the many years we will be working together to grow your business. Wizard of Ads® retain clients for 10 years, on average. The sale of the business is the number one reason for termination. We actively terminate the bottom 1% of clients who are unwilling or unable to follow our strategies.

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors believes that all rewards should be directly correlated to the success of our clients. This means that the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors only receives a raise when the company achieves growth. For example, if your gross sales for the year have increased by 25%, the Annual Fee you pay us in the following year will also be increased by 25%. Likewise, if your gross sales decrease, our Annual Fee will decrease by the same percentage during the following year.

This is an exceptionally easy and fair way to track and reward success. This model was developed by Wizard of Ads® over 35 years ago and has served us well because it serves our clients well.

As a rule of thumb, we take the risk of working for considerably less than our actual value in the first few years as we help accelerate growth. This means you need to be willing to pay us exceptionally well when you start doing even better.

When should I engage The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors?

There are four key revenue stages for engagement with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors.

  1. Under $3.6 million in revenue
  2. Between $3.6 and $10 million in revenue
  3. Between $10 and $20 million in revenue
  4. Over $20 million in revenue

Under $3.6 million in revenue is an investment in your brand. This will serve you well in establishing your brand story early on and help you with your name, logo, and truck wrap design. It's easier to create pictures from a story than it is to make a story based on pre-drawn pictures. You'll be glad you did. Everyone on a fast path to growth is.

Most clients start with Wizard of Ads® for Contractors between $3.6 and $10 million in revenue. They have often seen a natural ceiling with their leads for demand service and are looking for ways to push past the ceiling. This can only be done with a properly executed brand strategy, specifically in mass media with a sticky story.

Between $10 and $20 million in revenue, Wizard of Ads® for Contractors has some natural economies of scale. This is a sweet spot where Wizard of Ads® for Contractors can offer some added value in getting the ball rolling.

Over $20 million in revenue is actually the lowest cost point of entry as a percentage of revenue, but not the cheapest time to start with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors. Leveraging all economies of scale aside, we have been left out of the upside along the way, so engaging when over $20 million in revenue means we have to mend a lot of fences damaged along the way. This is also where clients see significant savings in their media buys and production costs.

There are also three market sizes to consider.

  • Primary Markets are the top 50 cities in America.
  • Secondary Markets are the smaller cities in America.
  • Tertiary Markets are the more rural trade areas in America.

When considering an engagement with The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors, consider what size market you are in. For example, a $3.6 million company in a Primary Market will struggle to get the necessary reach needed to make a splash. You either have to be more patient than a larger company or spend more money to accelerate your reach.

Alternatively, a $5 million company in a Secondary Market will look like a pretty darn big fish in a medium-sized pond.

A $20 Million company in a Primary Market will feel like a $50 million company using our strategies to potential customers.

The key to remember is that the earlier you start with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors, the lower the investment to get started. As they say, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

Are production costs included in your fees?

The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors Creative Lead will create the ad copy, cast the voice actors, source the production house, direct the performance, pick the music bed, manage all the edits, and provide you with the completed ad for final approval before sending to air on your behalf. This is included in our fees.

You pay for the production house, actors, royalty-free music, and jingles directly to avoid any potential for markups, commissions, or management fees.

We have many friends in the industry that give our clients good deals due to the large volume of work we provide them. We will introduce you to them.

How long before a brand-forward strategy starts working?

In approximately three months of activation, we’ll just be getting live on air. In six months (3 months on air), you’ll be getting anecdotal feedback from people that you are being heard, but there will be no direct line to revenue.

After 6 months on the air, you’ll think you made the biggest mistake of your life signing up for this branding nonsense. After 9 months on the air (12 months in) you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel.

At 12 full months on the air, you’ll know why you did this branding thing. Two years from now, we'll be clinking champagne flutes as you wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.

How long before we’re live?

The general guideline is 70-120 days, depending on the level of production needed and if there is a name change to your business.

This includes an onsite visit, a deep dive into research, and getting things created, negotiated, approved, produced, and live on the air.

  • Uncovery - 15-30 days based on travel. 1-2 days onsite.
  • Research - 30-60 days based on the scope of work.
  • Creative and Media Buy Process - 45 to 60 days
  • Offline Production - 15 days for radio. 30 - 60 days for television.
  • Online Production (if switching) - 60 days

This means planning for roughly 90 to 120 days in the proper development and production of a completely unique Marketing Strategy before anything hits the airwaves.

Are you exclusive?

Creatively, yes. During the term of this Agreement, all Creative Partners assigned to your Account shall not engage, directly or indirectly, as an employee, officer, manager, partner, consultant, agent, owner, or in any other capacity, in any competition of the client, including any company engaged in marketing consulting.

For clarity, the Creative Partner is defined as the individual Wizard of Ads® Partners who is responsible for creating your creative strategy and ongoing creative copy. Competition is defined as companies that engage in the same industry and business units (e.g., HVAC, Plumbing, etc.) as you. The market area is defined as the area where the marketing message naturally reaches through DMA or 60 miles from the city center of the client's service area(s).

Naturally, we exclude any potential future competition in markets where you are not currently active at the date of signing.

We do not limit Media Buyers in any market. Media Buyers get better deals for larger volumes, making it beneficial for the client to have the Media Buyer available to do as many buys as possible to secure the best deals on the client’s behalf.

Do you do digital marketing?

In rare circumstances, Wizard of Ads® for Contractors will provide specific digital marketing solutions. Wizard of Ads® has very specific Partners that provide digital services that serve Residential Home Services effectively. Under no circumstances will digital marketing services be offered without Wizard of Ads® for Contractors' core solution.

It is most likely that Wizard of Ads® for Contractors will work with your existing digital partners and suppliers. If you do not have a reliable digital provider, we would be happy to introduce you to a number of great providers that play nice with Wizards.

Do you do jingles?

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors can assist you in getting a jingle for your business. Like any other tactical element of a marketing strategy, we do not produce a jingle for the sake of a jingle.

If you do not have a story or a strategic reason to have a jingle...or an ad campaign to tie it to, do not waste your hard-earned money on a jingle. You are wasting your time and money.

When you do build a single unified marketing strategy that incorporates a jingle for a specific (often scientific) reason, we have a Jingle Wizard who has studied the art and science of jingle design.

He will score you an original, royalty-free jingle, including professional singers, musicians, and producers. He will not knock off a generic jingle from a publicly available music bed that sounds like everyone else's jingle.

Your jingle will serve a very specific reason and produce a very specific result. Have you guessed how much we love jingles yet?

Who owns the copyrights?

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors owns your copyright for two very specific reasons. We also provide a fair use clause in all contracts to ensure you are in no way limited to the access of your creative works, whether you are working with us or not.

The first reason we own your copyright is to ensure that we do not have to go up against our own creative works in other markets we serve. This means you are not allowed to lend, give, borrow, tweak, rent, lease, or sell your creative works to any other company at any time.

The second reason we own your copyright is that we can establish a one-time value for your creative works in the event that someone steals the content. Upon selling you the copyrights, you can go after the perpetrator for theft and make a considerable bounty in a slam dunk case.

Here is how Wizard of Ads® word the fair use of your copyright for as long as your business is in operation:

All writing and/or marketing materials we create for you are not works-for-hire. Wizard of Ads® for Contractors hereby irrevocably grants you, and your successors in interest, the non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable, and worldwide right to use the Works in connection with the marketing of your business pursuant to the Marketing Strategy for so long as your business is operational.
How do I measure brand results?

There are a number of interesting ways to measure results. Some people like to get unique identifying telephone numbers, or create branded URLs that redirect to landing pages or the website. However, much of this is a waste of time and energy as it never tells the true story of the brand journey and how it affected the decision-making process.

Other indicators of brand effectiveness include tracking new customers, reactivated customers, or running a brand equity survey to get a sense of your share of mind. Digitally you will see direct search increase, which cannot be affected by anything digital, as well as branded keyword inquiries increase. You’ll, of course, need to get your digital people to add these to your campaigns if you hope to see an increase in conversions.

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors tracks the simplest of indicators. Top line revenue. When your branding takes effect, and the company responds in kind from the phone call or form fill-on, top-line revenue will increase. Efficacy is plotted on a T12, and total lead volume from all sources is tracked.

12 things you should know before signing up.
  1. Quality relationships take time. Branding is a long-term strategy. That’s why most contractors do it wrong, or not at all. There is always a lag between the start of the new campaign and the time it takes your customers to connect the dots. You MUST BE READY, WILLING, AND ABLE to endure this lag period. In our experience, the lag is typically 6 to 9 months, depending on how competitive the marketplace is, your company’s reputation, your budget in relation to reach, and the eight uncontrollable environmental factors. During this time, we will be helping you implement a transition plan to ease the pain. The good news is that this lag only happens once.
  2. Decisions by Committee. We completely reject the notion of decisions by committee. We work with a single, courageous decision-maker. We welcome decision influencers, but we only look to the Owner for the final decision. All decision-makers and influencers must be involved in the Uncovery and Marketing Strategy Presentation if they want to offer input in the future. It is critical that we have a 100% fully approved plan that can be defended and championed by all leaders in the organization.  
  3. Proven Strategy. That means we are not the low-cost provider. With nearly 200 home service clients and a book of strategic devices, tools, and tactics, this isn’t a guessing game for us. We know what to do to make your externally triggered grudge purchase appealing to your potential buyers. If you can deliver the goods, we can continue building relationships. If you are uncomfortable with the idea that you are paying us less now so that you can pay us considerably more once revenues allow, please do not commit. We intend to be your true partners, in sickness and in health...so long as you own your business.
  4. Automatic Payments. Everything is on automatic payments. If you struggle with managing cash flow, figure that out in your business first. We accept all major credit cards and ACH payments.
  5. We Cause Problems. If you don’t have a capacity issue now, I promise you will in about 9 months. Let’s deal with recruitment out of the gate as part of your comprehensive marketing strategy.
  6. We Own the Copyrights. All writing and/or marketing materials we create for you are not works-for-hire. We irrevocably grant you, and your successors in interest, the non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable, and worldwide right to use the Works in connection with the marketing of your business pursuant to the Marketing Strategy for so long as your business is operational.
  7. Brand Building. We will be steering you to limit the use of discounts, rebates, coupons, and sales to attract clients. We know this feels counterintuitive to many, and we will clarify our reasoning. Rest assured, we have considerable experience in creating similar offers that are not damaging to your profitability, your brand’s integrity, and your preferable long-term client relations.
  8. Creative Authority. We must have creative authority over the words. You can accept copy as written or reject it outright, but you cannot modify the words yourself. If you do not like something as written, we are happy to discuss it and make the necessary change to maintain the integrity and intention of the words chosen. Alternatively, we will scrap the concept and create new copy that you are happy to get behind 100%.
  9. Proprietary Algorithm. The media buy must be structured in a very specific way, including running a full 52-week schedule. It is based on brain chemistry, not P&Ls. Once we have committed to the buy, it’s important to avoid adjustments unless they are calculated additions.
  10. Knucklehead Factor. You should expect knuckleheads. For example, when you start running ads that are certain to get attention, you need the courage to continue running those ads, even when you receive complaints. We celebrate complaints. It means we’ve made people feel.
  11. Digital Weasels. In about three months from the time your advertising campaign hits the airways, your digital marketers will show you a marked increase in direct and organic traffic. Some Digital Marketers will mistakenly claim this success as their own. Done properly, you can continue to spend less and less on digital lead generation by increasing your branded keyword online presence.
  12. Annual Marketing Meetings. Travel permitting, we prefer to hold Annual Marketing Meetings (AMMs) outside your city. Years of experience have taught us that we get better results when decision-makers are outside their sphere of influence, away from the day-to-day distractions of the office.

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