Have you ever watched a really entertaining commercial, the kind that must have cost hundreds of thousands to produce, and then realized you didn't know what product it was a commercial for? A lot of the time people put such an effort into making their promotions or websites slick and professional, that they forget what they were aiming to do in the first place.
So, I try, during every project, to step back from time to time and ask myself the basic questions. If it's a website, I ask, "Ideally, what sort of person do I want to reach, and how do I want them to respond?" You can copy what everyone else is doing, you can even buy a template for your whole site that looks very professional, but will it draw the kind of inquiries or orders that you're looking for?
In advertising, you have to consider the target market. Who is your prospective customer, what kind of magazines or papers does he read? On the Internet, what type of site does he or she visit? Will that prospect be turned on by a conservative or a wild design? Sometimes the aim is not to get an immediate order but to build name recognition and a reputation for your company. Is your name out there, or is it hidden in the small print? You've got to get back to the basics.
I'm no great expert on advertising, but I certainly see a lot of promotions that miss their mark. As a small businessman, I can't afford to waste my advertising dollars, I need to see results! Sometimes it pays not to be so clever; look at Jim Mackingvale and Gallery Furniture. People laughed at his commercials, and how amateur they were, but he knew what message he wanted to get across - sticking to the point made him a wealthy man.