The function of advertising is to arouse interest in specific readers and to encourage them to take the next step (to visit you, phone you, or buy your product). With most advertising you are trying to target the message at the person who can make the buying decision. It is therefore essential to choose the best medium for your message. To target your advertising, look back at your market research to help you ascertain who your customers are, where they live or work, what they like, what makes them different. This might help you to form a picture of the places and publications in which they are likely to notice advertising.

Your advertising needs to be part of a campaign. People tend to forget most single advertisements almost as soon as they have seen them, unless they happen to have a need for the product or service at the time they see the advertisement. A successful advertising campaign requires regular advertising. You need not take large advertisements, in fact a little and often is likely to give a better result.

As with any endeavour that will take time, money, and effort, you need to formulate a plan. This should set simple goals (such as an increase in sales of ten per cent within six months), a budget, likely timescales, and a means of monitoring the success of the plan. The clearer you are about your goals at the outset, the more likely you are to be able to measure your success and improve upon your campaign in the future.

In this school of thought, advertising is considered an incentive for companies to be innovative and compete vigorously. Many new products introduced in the past 10 years have succeeded, in part, because advertising was used to increase consumer awareness of their existence, which in turn increased demand. Examples include personal computers, satellite television, computer online services, and new cars and trucks such as minivans or sport utility vehicles.

As you can see, the distinctions between the two models reflect somewhat negative or positive views on advertising’s role in society, respectively. Under the market power model, advertising is helping to shape society by raising the cost of goods and services. Because consumers are less price sensitive, that allows companies to charge more for what they are selling. In contrast, the information model tends to view advertising’s role in society more positively, seeing it as a relatively benign influence that merely offers information to consumers. In doing so, advertising is really reflecting the value of brands and allowing consumers to make their own decisions, which will encourage greater competition in the marketplace and keep prices in check. The difficulty with either approach—and with assessing advertising’s economic impact in general—is that it is very hard to measure accurately. Because advertising is usually just one of many variables that impact a consumer’s decision over which brand to buy, it is almost impossible to determine advertising’s precise role in that process.

The media contend that without such subsidies, the cost to consumers would be considerably higher. Indeed in Germany, where until recently there was almost no commercial time on television, viewers pay an annual fee of about $360 to watch television. And in this country, magazines that do not accept advertising, such as Ms or Consumer Reports, are priced two to three times higher than those that do.

Moreover, the audience may well enjoy seeing the advertising, or indeed choose a media type in part because of the ads within it. If you are planning to buy a new computer, you are likely to pick up a copy of PC Week or Macworld not only to read about the different machines available but also to scour the ads in those issues for further information.

Although advertisers’ influence on the media is usually indirect, they can still have a serious impact. One might wonder whether the so-called “trash TV” talk shows could exist without advertiser support. As the situation in “Consumer Insight: When Talk Leads to Murder” shows, the media’s desperate efforts to keep audience sizes large enough to be attractive to advertisers can sometimes have fatal consequences.

In looking at the institution of advertising, you realize that critics focus more on its social role, while defenders present economic arguments. The debate continues because advertising is so pervasive that it is impossible to be immune from its impact, either harmful or beneficial. Increasingly, we are exposed to advertising messages wherever we turn, from television to train stations, magazines to malls, and billboards to book covers. Not only is our exposure more widespread, it is also more frequent. We are likely to see the same advertising message over and over again in an effort to help us remember the brand name.

1. Fast Food, Food for Thought, Finger Food, Food Bytes/Bites.
2. Bite the Hand that Feeds You, Mega-Bites, Big Bite, Little Bite, Bite your Tongue, Overbite, Underbite, Bite Down.
3. Party Animal, Party Faithful, Life of the Party, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Independent Party, Party till you Drop.
4. Club Sandwich, Ham Sandwich, Chutney Sandwich, Hot Sandwich, Hero Sandwich, _Sandwich it in, Sandwich, Massachusetts.
5. Fresh Fruit, Fruitful Endeavor, Fruit Cocktail, Juicy Fruit.
6. Just Desserts, We’ll Dessert (Desert) You, Dessert (Desert) Storm.
7. Happy Meal, Meal-to-Go, Meal Deal.
8. On the Outs, Out to Lunch, Go Out of your Way, All Outdoors.
9. Eat Your Heart Out, Eat Hearty, Eat Somebody’s Lunch.
10. Chew on This, Chew Your Cud, Bite off More than You Can Chew, Chew-Chew (Choo-Choo), Here’s Something to Chew On.
11. Gobble Down, Gobble Up.
12. Sip a Straw, First Sip, Last Sip.
13. Easy to Swallow, Hard to Swallow.

A total of 57 phrases in all.

You ask the participants which phrases they think may be acceptable as headlines for the flyer. They select:

HAPPY MEAL MEGA-BITES CHEW ON THIS CHEW-CHEW

EAT OUR LUNCH

The first decision is to decide on one. You are looking for a headline with an alternate meaning, to intrigue readership. EAT OUR LUNCH fits the bill. Its more common colloquial meaning is to beat someone badly in a contest. But alternately, it contains a clear invitation.

The Creative Advertising #4 exercise also provides vocabulary for the flyer, and the message goes together easily from the facts list and the participants’ phrases.

Eat Our Lunch!

The annual picnic will be held
the third Saturday of June,
from 1200 (noon) to 1600 (4 pm)
rain or shine (we’ll have a tent).

Please bring your family or a friend,
and a dessert to share.

The company will supply
sandwiches, salads and beverages.

The message ends abruptly. You realize, too, that the company needs a head count on how many people will attend. So you make additions to the flyer, ending it with one of the phrases from the brainstorming session:

Let the director’s office know
by the 10th of June
how many people will attend.
This ought to be a very

Happy Meal!

Brainstorming has stimulated your thinking outside the box. Instead of sending the invitation as a flyer, you envision printing it on a folded paper napkin, with EAT YOUR LUNCH on the outside, and the message inside. You’ll use corporate colors to give it a company feel.

The above scenario suggests a way to maximize internal communications. First, it includes employees in the planning process, giving them an opportunity to buy into the project. Next, it provides employees with participatory opportunities, strengthening company ties.

Third, it utilizes corporate training, the Creative Advertising exercises, to arrive at a creative solution for the communication. The group who worked on the project feels pride _that their ideas were used. Printing their names on the back of the napkin can give them ownership of the project and recognition within the company, a morale booster.

Finally, using creativity for internal communications gives the message higher impact within the company.

This approach can work well in generating names for a corporate newsletter, corporate incentive programs, employee handbooks, and other internal communications publications.

However, the more generic your approach and the more general your audience, the more wasted circulation and the less likely it is that your message will reach its target efficiently.

You are going to want to make the connection with your audience, shaping it into manageable groups of people called the target audience. A target audience is defined as a segment of the general population that shares common demographics and psychographics. You’ve heard these two words before, but let’s agree on their definitions.

Demographics are the statistics of your target audience. Some of the most common include:

1. Age, which usually brackets a number of years: 1825, 18-34, 49-54, over 60, etc.
2. Gender, which may be male, female or both male/ female.
3. Income level, which will break down annual household income into ranges: $30,000 to $45,000; £15,000 to £22,000; Rs 250,000 to Rs 500,000.
4. Marital status: single, married, divorced, widowed.
5. Geography: inner city, urban, suburban, rural. 6. Education level: secondary schooling, some university, university graduate, postgraduate degree.

Psychographics, on the other hand, involve less measurable information—your target audience’s lifestyle and traditions, including:

• Interests—what does your target audience do recreationally? On a weekend? Where do these people go on vacation? How do they celebrate holidays? What are their hobbies?
• Beliefs—does your audience agree, “My country, right or wrong? Families belong together, especially during holidays? You’re only young once? Children should be seen and not heard?” What do they think? About everything.
• Values—Is the family the center of their lives? Do they think it is wrong to steal? Courage under fire? Honesty is the best policy? Do under others as you would have others do unto you? What are the traits that anchor your target audience’s lives?
• Feelings—do they agree that “When my children misbehave, it embarrasses me? When my husband forgets my birthday, it makes me sad? When I do something to help others, it makes me feel good? When somebody who does less work than I do gets promoted, I feel resentful?” What emotions govern your target audience’s behaviors?

Here’s a designated target audience for the orange.

Demographics:

1. Gender: women
2. Age: 18-34
3. Income level: $30,000 (£15,000, Rs 250,000)
4. Marital status: single
5. Geography: urban/suburban

Education level: Secondary school and above Psychographics:

Interested in career, health, fashion, body decoratio_n(i.e., piercing and tattoos) and social life. Into fun and independent lifestyles.

To establish a connection with the target audience, make a list of the objects you think they would typically surround themselves with:

1. Roller blades–for recreation, urban transportation.
2. Snow boards—for outdoor winter recreation.
3. Portable CD players—for listening to music anywhere, any time.
4. Tattoos and rings—for adorning the body.
5. Fast, sporty cars or scooters—for transportation that is noticed by their peers.
6. Diets and supplements—for staying healthy.

If you’re having trouble thinking of additions, select a _magazine with the demographics and psychographics that match those of your target audience, for example,
Cosmopolitan.

Browse through the magazine. What are the articles about? What products are being advertised? About 15 minutes spent with the magazine should produce a list of _additional objects (products and services), and the reasons for their purchase.

1. Take the list, and using creative advertising #3, look for similarities between the target audience’s lifestyle and your product, Navel Oranges.
2. Equipment might be one similarity. Objects on the list like roller blades, snow boards, sports cars and CD players can all be classified as equipment for a particular activity. An orange can also become equipment: it “equips” the user with energy, refreshment and vitamins.
3. Another similarity is peels. Young adults “peel out,” or accelerate on roller blades, in sports cars, on scooters. Oranges get peeled.
4. Young adults can get juiced with both: “juiced,” or energized by the physical activity involved in speed and danger; and refreshed with the juice of the orange.
5. Roller blades, snow boards, CD players and oranges are all portable.
6. Both involve nature. Rollerblading and snow boarding are outdoor activities. Oranges grow on trees.
7. They both grow on you. The more you roller blade and snow board, the better you get and the more you enjoy it. The more orange juice you drink, the better you like its sweet, fruity taste.
8. They both satisfy thirsts: the thirst for excitement; the thirst generated by exercise.

Use secondary research to observe who today’s users of Ivory Soap are. You may decide that a way to expand Ivory’s customer base is to go after non-users. Now you can put your knowledge of what-it-isn‘ts to work. If you have identified Ivory users as people looking for a mild soap, identify people who might not be looking for mild: tough guys, perhaps. “Tough” could be considered an opposite of mild—a what-it-isn‘t. And tough guys might include World Federation wrestlers, motorcycle gangs, Bruce Willis Marine drill sergeants, Superman, etc. (for example, don’t limit yourself to real people. Fictional characters can be equally interesting and effective). Even tough guys can use a little mildness.

Another way to look at Ivory is that it is a bar of white soap. A what-it-isn‘t might direct you to the opposite of white. You might look for colorful people—people with colorful personalities, colorful hair or clothing, even a color in their names (i.e., Black). And that might lead you to more what-it-isn‘t(s): complex people. Superstars. Models. (Add a half-dozen of your own what-it-isn‘t[s].)

Use the product yourself. You can’t write persuasively about Ivory if you don’t know it well. As you use it, examine it as if it were under a microscope: how many times do you have to rub the cake across your wet hands to produce a lather? What does the lather look like? Is it a slight frosting of white on your hands? Are there any bubbles? Large? Small? Rub your hands together. What do your hands feel like? As if they are wearing soft gloves? Are they soft? Stiff? Do you notice any scent? Is the lack of it the scent of clean?

What do you know about soap? What’s the difference between soap and detergent? Which one leaves a film? Which one strips the oils from your skin? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each? Of all the bar soaps you saw on the shelf, which are soap-based? Which are detergent-based? If you don’t know, secondary research will help you find out.

Does knowing the difference really make a difference? Suppose, after reading up on Ivory, you decide that because of its purity and mildness, it would be well received by first-time mothers for bathing their babies.

Next step: put yourself in their place. Imagine what it’s like to be a mother for the first time. Mothers want what’s best for their babies. But first-time mothers are different: they don’t have a learning curve. They need information^— what should they use to bathe their babies? Your exploration of Ivory’s history can create one perspective: since 1878, mothers have been bathing babies with Ivory. C_onclusion: Ivory will be safe for your baby. Your exploration of formulation can create another perspective: Ivory is all soap, not detergent. How do mothers perceive detergent? What they wash clothes and dishes in? Would you wash your baby the same way you wash your clothes? Conclusion: No.

The preceding discussion about Ivory Soap identifies two skills that will help you to develop as a copywriter. The first is to be able to look at a product or service so closely that you see information others might miss. Often, particularly when advertising parity products, you’ll discover there are no product differences between brands. The quandary: how do you create an identity for a product with no difference? By observing the product in minute detail, you may discover something about it that has been overlooked. It will give you a hook to hang your creativity on.

The second skill is to be able to put yourself in your target audience’s place: to identify not only with his/her demographics, but to discern the psychographics that define this target audience.

In that case, why not rely solely on information coming from the account planners? Simply put, to write knowledgeably about your product, you need to know as much about it as you possibly can; you need to become an information junkie. You can never have too much knowledge—particularly in the case of parity products, where an unusual or little known fact about the product or target audience may provide the key to finding a point of difference from competition.

The author of Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This, award-winning copywriter Luke Sullivan, emphasizes the importance of knowledge. “The moral for writers and art directors is: Do the factory tour. I’m serious. Go if you get the chance. Ask a million questions. How is the product made? What ingredients does it have? What are the quality control criteria? Read every brochure. Read every memo you can get your hands on…. Your grasp of the client’s marketing situation has to be as well versed as any account executive. Know the client. Know their product. Know their market. It will pay off”.

The information compiled about a product becomes the basis for a document called the copy platform, copy strategy, creative brief, creative work plan—different agen_cies have different terms for it—that acts as a road map for the copywriter and art director, helping them find the direction in which to proceed with the advertising they create.

A caveat: the purpose of this is not to instruct you in developing these communications strategies, but to share strategy perspectives that will help you deliver “advertising copy that is noticeable, persuasive and effective”).

There are many articles available that go into great depth in identifying objectives and tactics. However, a brief overview of the process will give you valuable context.

Alf Nucifora, chairman of an Atlanta-based consulting group, describes the role of the creative strategy as follows: “One of the best insurance policies for guaranteeing that your advertising will convey the necessary punch is to come up with a creative strategy that very clearly outlines the objectives and the intent of your advertising message” (ibid.).

He goes on to identify what the creative strategy should accomplish: “It should be a (one-page) road map, leading you in a clearly defined direction that will guarantee that the end product (your ad) delivers against a precise set of objectives.”

He lists six key elements of the creative strategy:

1. The objective, which asks what the purpose of the advertising is: “What do you hope to achieve from the ad? Is it to raise awareness, move product, bring bodies through turnstiles?”

2. The audience profile, which requires demographic and psychographic information: Who are they? What do they feel? What do they need? Try to define them as clearly as possible. Too broad an audience definition—e.g., women 18 to 39—is less effective than single women 18 to 39, college educated, full- time employed, who carry career aspiration_s.

3. The promise, which identifies what the product/ service will do for the audience to fulfill its need. “This is the key selling point of your message, a_nd so, you should resist the urge to oversell by addressing too many features and benefits. This will often dilute the message and confuse the customer. Remember clarity of focus … take one strong advertising point and punch it home.”

4.The support, which incorporates the most important facts that support the key promise. “For example, if you were an office copy center and you wanted to convey the message that yours was the best place for backup office support, your support for that statement could consist of a number of elements, including the fact that you’re open 24 hours a day; that you have the widest array of equipment in the business, including high-speed copying machines, desktop computers and fax machines; that your staff is fully trained in office support and can provide a solution to any office problem; that your staff has been specially trained in the tenets of customer service so that every customer problem is dealt with successfully, quickly and courteously.”

5. The tone, which defines the feeling or mood that the advertising must convey. “If you are an auto dealership and you have a weekend to unload 400 cars, it’s understandable that your advertising has to scream to command attention. Conversely, if you are a hospital or a funeral service, a more sedate tone would be in order. To that point, retail advertising will carry a more urgent … tone. Professional services … (consultants, attorneys, etc.) will want to be more restrained in how they communicate.”

6, The constraints, which are the legal and other mandatory requirements specified by the client. “Do we need to record trademark and copy registration? Are there particular rules as to how we should treat the logo? If we were advertising another firm’s product in our ad, have we made sure that we have satisfied their legal requirements?”

When you receive an agency advertising assignment, it will include the specifications—the type of assignment (print ad, outdoor board, radio script, etc.), the medium in which it will run, budget and time considerations, and a creative strategy, usually expressed in a separate document.

There are some basic rules to follow in writing for radio:

Rule 1: Write simply. In short sentences or sentence fragments. The ear is not quicker than the eye.

Rule 2: Show, don’t tell. Use sound effects, music, voice delivery and production values to establish action, location, etc. Rather than saying, “We’re at the beach” to establish your location, use the sounds of lapping waves, crying seagulls and splashing children. It will draw your listener into the commercial to discover what’s taking place and where it’s taking place. The more listener involvement, the more likely your message will be heard. Also, sound effects in a commercial will help it cut through station programming and announcer-only messages.

Rule 3: Mention the advertiser’s name more than once. At least twice. And strive for four or more mentions. Unlike print, where a logo signature identifies the advertiser, audio is just a fleeting memory.

Rule 4: Be as specific as you can when you indicate sound effects. “GENTLY LAPPING WAVES AT AN OCEAN BEACH” is better than “WATER SOUNDS” when it comes to giving your production engineer direction.

Rule 5: Be equally specific in indicating the way you want your copy read: “IN A HIGH-PITCHED, SINGSONG CHILDISH VOICE” gives the announcer more direction than “CHILDISHLY.”

Rule 6: In typing your script, always type sound effects and announcer directions in capital letters, to separate them from the announcer’s copy.

Rule 7: Double-space your script, so that it can be read easily.

Rule 8: With the exception of sound effects, music, and announcer directions, type your script in upper and lower case type—it makes for a smooth read by the announcer. (Studies have shown that anything typed in all capital letters is harder to read.)

Rule 9: Keep in mind that the normal reading speed of your announcer is approximately two and one-half words per second. The more sound effects, music and production values you build in, the fewer words you’ll need. Exception: if you’re trying to communicate speed, pressure, etc., a faster announcer read can be an effective tool to help communicate that message.

Rule 10: Although radio offers both 30-second and 60- second commercial lengths, 60 seconds allows both the advertiser and the copywriter to maximize on-air presence, as well as purchasing efficiency (many 30-second commercials cost up to 80 percent of the cost of a 60- second commercial).

Rule 11: If you are writing dialog, be sure that it’s larger than life—exaggerated, non-traditional for the scenario, etc. There’s nothing that kills listener interest more quickly than slice-of-life, especially if the slice-of-life revolves around something you’d never have a conversation about in real life—laxatives, toilet paper, etc.