Does Your Advertising Have a Call to Action?

When you visit the website, Preventable.ca, you're met with the following statement:

Preventable injuries are the #1 killer of British Columbians between the ages of 1 and 44.

These injuries are preventable because they're often the direct result our attitudes and behaviours. They don't "happen" to us. They're caused by us, however inadvertently. We take unnecessary risks and don't even realize it, because we get away with them. But if we need to start asking ourselves, what if, one time, we don't.

Powerful message, right? It clearly gets the point across once you get to the website. But how do you get to the website?



Check out these promotional towels. The imprint reads (disturbingly): "You're Probably Not Expecting to Drown Today" followed by a link to their website.

They're absolutely right. Whoever saw that towel is probably not expecting to drown, but it puts the idea in their heads. And seeing something as unique as that is most definitely a call to action. When I saw this towel, I had no idea what the site was all about, so I checked out. And that's what they wanted. That was the point. Bottom line: promotional products work, even if you're only seeing a picture of them online.

So it begs the question: does your advertising have a call to action?