As we get closer and closer to the last quarter of the year, I wanted to motivate people with advertising. Whether traditional (print, TV, radio) or social (internet), the components of a great ad remain the same. I originally came across an article from The James Group that talked about 4 Types of Ad Campaigns That Sell for quite some time and I’ve improved it a bit based on experiences in traditional advertising.
5 components of a great ad:
1. Single post. Although you may have many products or offer a variety of services, promote 1. Think Diet Pepsi ads. They promote Diet Pepsi and not Aquafina or any other Pepsi product.
2. Catchy word/song/tune. Growing up in NJ, the NY Lotto slogan “Hey Ya Never Know” stands out. The song that comes to mind is the Monday Night Football theme. No matter where you hear it, you think of MNF.
3. Memorable character. Orkin cockroach. Although creepy, it gets the message across and we identify with cockroaches and indeed all insects and associate it with food.
4. Consistent design elements. Colors, logo placement, typography, etc. These elements are very important for consumers to recognize you with a glance. Absolute vodka. The same blue font on the transparent bottle.
5. Repeated theme. Similar to the unique message and consistent design element, but think Corona and the focus on the beer bottle. You know they are on the beach but you never see their faces or much more than the table, the bottle, the sand and the beach. Creating an emotional response to relaxing with a beer. No matter what the voice says, you know it’s Corona.
Traditional advertising is not dead. It has gone into the background due to budgets. You still need to be heard. Social networks linked to traditional advertising give a stronger voice. Traditional and social advertising differ but are still similar in the sense that you have to know where your target market is. People still watch TV, listen to the radio, and are on the Internet.