Business Advice Daily

Reprint and Repost Policy

by Matt Berkley

We are inundated with written advertisements that constantly try to one up each other. They tower over us on billboards during the morning commute. They jam the pages of our daily newspapers. They engage in a ruthless battle each month against article space in monthly magazines.

In the vicious struggle for recognition, winning ads aren’t measured by how clever, eye-catching or entertaining they are, but by how much cash they generate for the product/source.

What makes for an effective ad? What will entice the masses? The answer is more complicated that you’d think. We asked area experts to shed light on the subject.

There Are No Rules

“To make an ad effective, you should definitely include a monkey wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, or how about a cute baby with a melted chocolate ice cream cone on their head, or flying pigs in ballerina costumes, or a conga line of dancing lizards, or…(you get the idea). Seriously, there are no magic beans when it comes to advertising effectiveness. The first and only rule of advertising is to recognize that there are no rules.”

—Dave Cox, owner, Sandbox Creative Inc.

Be Bold

“The ad should always match the personality of the product or service you’re selling, yet do so in an arresting or interesting way. You cannot bore people into buying your product.”

—Tom Blood, creative director, MediaCross, Inc

“Grab your reader’s attention! Consumers are bombarded by ads and messages. You need to make your ad jump out of the pack with an attention-grabbing headline or image that encourages them to read further.”

—Todd Schowalter, president, The Creative Department

An advertisements biggest downfall is not being noticed at all. If you don’t do something to command attention in the sea of other advertisements, you’ll become just another part of the woodwork. Especially in the case of small space newspaper advertisements, you really have to break your neck to get noticed.

—Carl Schlanger, Saint Louis Advertising

What’s Your Strategy?

“The most critical element of any ad—whether it’s in print, broadcast or electronic—is the strategy. To develop a strong strategy, you need to understand three things: the product, the consumer, and the marketplace. You really need to know what you’re selling, who you’re selling it to, and what other choices are available to your customers.”

—Dave Cox, owner, Sandbox Creative Inc

Get To The Point. Now

“The average time someone reads a menu is about five minutes. The average time someone reads an ad is three seconds. Have you tried to read an entire menu in three seconds? It simply does not work. Please don’t turn your ad into a menu. I’ve been in situations where clients have asked me to bold the 12 things listed in their quarter page ad because every thing is so important. What we tend to discover is that the list of features is only important to the owner, not the end consumer. Advertising is not about including as much information as possible. ‘Can we fit it’ should not be your strategy.”

—Dave Cox, owner, Sandbox Creative Inc

“Less is more. Be visually and verbally to the point. It is ok to explore the visual side. Make the ad complete by having the concept, visuals and copy all co-exist and complement each other. Humor always gets attention.”

—Barry Tilson, president, Stan Gellman Graphic Design

A Single Message

“Advertising that ultimately falls into the ‘great’ category are the ones that convey a single, relevant and compelling message. You never hear people talk about great ads that had the really big phone number and logo at the bottom on the canary yellow paper.”

—Dave Cox, owner, Sandbox Creative Inc

“Many ads try to be creative and hip just to be creative and hip. Imagery, whether it’s photography or illustrations should be directly related to your product or service and ‘support’ the written message. Don’t confuse the consumers or expect them to take the time to try to figure your ad out. They won’t. A beautiful photo of a waterfall in Jamaica may be nice, but if you’re trying to sell copier toner you might as well hang it on your wall.”

—Todd Schowalter, president, The Creative Department

Focus On Benefits

“What makes your product or service unique? An effective ad will provide a solution by stressing a key unique benefit and what makes the product or service better or different than that of its competition.”

—Todd Schowalter, president, The Creative Department

Capturing A Reader’s Interest

“Howard Gossage, a famous ad man from the 1960s once said, “People read what interests them and sometimes it’s an ad.” So the key to a good ad begins with capturing a reader’s interest. There has to be something in it for them.

Perhaps a good question to start with is, ‘If I were my customer, why would I want to buy my product or service?’ Be brutally honest. Once you know the answers, you’re ready to create your ad. Sell the benefits of your product or service right up front. Write a headline that grabs the reader’s attention and make sure the overall look of the ad is clear and easy to understand. Don’t over-promise or speak in superlatives. Instead, give legitimate reasons why your product or service will be of benefit to your customer.”

—Tom Blood, creative director, MediaCross, Inc

A Call To Action

“Encourage the consumer to respond. Just like closing a sale, an effective ad will make its pitch, then ask and persuade the consumer to act. Whether it’s ‘Call Now!’ or ‘Ask About Today’s FREE Offer,’ strong and effective ads will engage the consumer and persuade them to actively respond to the message.”

—Todd Schowalter, president, The Creative Department

“Make it easy for the reader to contact you whether it is by phone, email or web or fax. Let them know who you are; use your logo or brand identity. Don’t hide!”

—Barry Tilson, president, Stan Gellman Graphic Design

One Good Ad Is Worthless

“It’s important to understand that an ad cannot survive by itself. It must be part of an overall message, consistently delivered over time and it’s just one aspect of a total communications plan. When you speak with one voice, whether it’s in a print ad, a radio commercial, on your website, through vehicle graphics, in-store signage or guerrilla marketing, your overall effectiveness will improve and the results will follow.”

—Tom Blood, creative director, MediaCross, Inc

6th Editions - Carnival Of Network Marketing has chosen this article as one of its “best of the week” (May 22th) picks. You can see it and many other wonderful, inspiring and informational articles at Network Marketing Posts.

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