Hit Or Myth? Learning to distinguish facts from fables for your marketing campaign.

There are many marketing myths that ought to be tucked awaywhere you keep the collected works of the Brothers Grimm and MotherGoose. They may be fun to read, but they're disastrous to anymarketing campaign. Here are 10 of them:

1. Myth: It's good to have a lot of white space inadvertisements, brochures and other printed material.

Truth: Your prospects and customers care more aboutinformation than blank space. White space usually substitutes forpowerful ideas, a list of benefits and a fertile imagination. Yes,white space is aesthetically pleasing, but profits are even moredelightful.

2. Myth: Use short copy because people just won'tread long copy.

Truth: People read long books, long articles and longletters. They'll read whatever interests them, and the morethey're interested, the more they'll read.

3. Myth: It is costly to purchase television time.

Truth: This myth was once true, but cable television hasobliterated it. Better still, cable lets you cherry-pick thecommunities where your commercials will run. You can advertise onCNN, MTV, ESPN, A&E--any satellite-delivered programming.

4. Myth: Sell the sizzle, not the steak.

Truth: Sell the solution, not the sizzle. The easiest wayto sell anything is to position it as the solution to a problem. Ifyou look for the sizzle and not the problem, you're looking inthe wrong direction. Your prospects might appreciate the sizzle,but they'll write a check for the solution.

5. Myth: Truly great marketing works instantly.

Truth: Sales and limited-time offers work instantly.These will attract customers--but they won't be loyal. Greatmarketing means creating a desire for your product or service inqualified prospects' minds, then peppering your offers withsales and limited-time offers. The best marketing efforts take along time to establish themselves. Just ask the Green Giant or thatlonely Maytag repairman.

6. Myth: Marketing should entertain and amuse.

Truth: Show business should entertain and amuse, butmarketing should sell your offering. Alas, the marketing communitynurtures this myth by presenting awards based on glitz and glitter,humor and originality, special effects and killer jingles. Awardsshould be given for profit increases alone. The only thing thatshould glitter should be your bottom line.

7. Myth: Marketing should be changed regularly to keep itfresh.

Truth: The longer marketing promotes a product orservice, the better. Guerrillas create plans that can guide theirefforts for five or 10 years, even longer. How long have peoplebeen in good hands with Allstate? How long have Rice Krispiessnapped, crackled and popped? Would these marketers be moresuccessful if they kept changing the marketing? I think not.

8. Myth: Marketing is successful if it is memorable.

Truth: Marketing is successful if it moves your productor service at a profit.

9. Myth: Bad publicity is better than no publicity.

Truth: Bad publicity is bad for your business. Nopublicity is a lot healthier. People love to gossip, especiallyabout businesses that have done something so awful, the mediaexposes it. Guerrillas avoid bad publicity because they know itspreads faster than wildfire.

10. Myth: All that counts is earning an honestprofit.

Truth: Good taste and sensitivity also count. Marketing,as part of mass communications, is part of the evolutionaryprocess. It educates, enlightens and influences human behavior.Therefore, it has an obligation to offend nobody, to present itsmaterial honestly and to benefit customers. If it does that andalso earns profits, it is true guerrilla marketing.

Jay Conrad Levinson is author of the internationallyacclaimed Guerrilla Marketing series of books and co-founderof Guerrilla Marketing International. For information on theGuerrilla Marketing Newsletter and other products and services,write to P.O. Box 1336, Mill Valley, CA 94942; call (800) 748-6444;or visit the Web site at http://www.gmarketing.com