THE GURU'S LECTURE: In 1066 AD, the Four Fiddlers of Retail were famous horse salesmen. Today these Four Fiddlers play together, and their music sells cars, furniture, jewelery, restaurants, hospitals, health clubs and a dozen other highly competitive retail categories.

The Four Fiddlers give us a great format for constructing a message in a highly competitive retail category.

Let's demonstrate this Rule using car dealers as an example, but the Four Fiddlers will apply to any other business which competes using lots of advertising in local media.

Today we will discuss Rule 9: The Four Fiddlers of Retail

"Let's come clean. The first step toward healing is to admit the truth. Car dealers drive us crazy. Yet in every market, car dealers are the big boys of spending, and we want their money.

To help car dealers sell vehicles, we need to guide them on an advertising path which will establish a unique identity and deliver measurable results."

"Car dealership advertising is so frustrating. They all say the same things. It's the same blah, blah, blah.' It's impossible to create a unique identity for any one local dealer."
"Seldom do we agree, but she is right. One minute they think my ads are manna from heaven, and the next minute I'm facing cancellation. They're all crazy."
"Indeed, dealership owners live day to day. Our challenge is to establish some rhyme and reason to their ads so a consistent message is delivered. We must consult the Four Fiddlers."
"They are always looking for the magic bullet. They want a bigger Rolex on their wrists, and they want it yesterday. They have no patience."
"I cannot control my dealers. They blow with the wind, and I go from being a sacrificial goat to being a god in a snap of their fingers."

"Your only hope is to guide them to a consistent
style of advertising so their ads are instantly recognizable in a crowded field. That is why the Four Fiddlers are successful.

Stay with me, and you'll see I am right! Move on to the next page for proof."