The difference between run-of-the-mill advertising and advertising that engages the reader, listener or viewer begins with vision: the ability to see the product or the product’s user in a way no one has observed previously. It is critical that you become a skilled observer.
Think about the advertising you have seen for cruise lines. What comes to mind? Hundreds of cruise guests standing at a ship’s railing as their friends and relatives see them off? A crowded dance floor peopled by couples in formal dress? Groaning tables of sumptuous food accompanied by exotic ice sculptures?
The copywriters at US agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, the then-advertising agency of record for Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), looked more deeply into the potential market for cruises. They saw beyond older couples at leisure, having a good time. They saw that the advertising’s target audience could also in- dude hardworking 30-something couples who were looking to be recharged; looking for the peace and quiet that comes with getting away for seven days from computers, faxes, phones and the 358 days of relentless responsibility these hard-driving professionals endure most of the year; and gave them permission to do so.
The result of their observations was a campaign that saw directly into the psyche of the prospect. Instead of hyping fun, fun, fun, it spoke softly:
There is no law that says you can’t make love at four in the afternoon on a Tuesday.
There is no law that says you shall not study a sunset or train butterflies.
There is no law that says you must pack worry along with your luggage.
There is no law that says you must contribute to the GNP every day of your life.
It’s different out here.
The copywriters working on NCL saw something that hadn’t been seen before. What triggered their observations? Was it creative inspiration? Was it research? Was it digging deeper to find out more about cruises: who, what, when, where and why people take them? Most likely it was a combination of all three.
In order to be able to see a product or service differently, you must “see” it from as many different perspectives as you can identify. Look at it from a historic perspective: how did the product come into being? If you were to examine Ivory Soap, for example, you’d discover that the product was a mistake: a 19th century workman, called to lunch by the factory whistle, left machinery running that pumped extra air into the process, creating a product that floated.
Check out early Ivory advertising, and you’ll observe that it was often a work of art: fine artists of the day, like Maud Humphrey, the mother of actor Humphrey Bogart, and Jessie Willcox Smith, a student of Eakins and classmate of Wyeth designed or painted the illustrations for early 20th century ads. Check out 19th century homes, and you’ll find Ivory was a family staple.
Look at your product from a marketing perspective: how is it doing in the marketplace? Check its sales history with some secondary research (internet sourcing, business publications like the Wall Street Journal and Fortune magazine). Walk into your local supermarket and do a store check. Check the facings (number of product units lined up left to right on a shelf). How many packages of Ivory Soap can you count? Is Ivory all on one shelf? Two? More? How many different sizes of package are there? How is the product priced: more/less than the competition? Who is the competition? What other brands do you see in the bar soap section? Count how many different brands there are and how many facings for each? Observe package graphics (the typography and its arrangement on the package, use of color, etc.). Which soap bar has its name in the largest- size type font? Which soap product did you see first?
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