Nine ways to improve an ad

NINE WAYS TO

IMPROVE AN AD

Friday, August 31, 12

PRESENTED INFUNDAMENTALS

OF CREATIVE

DEVELOPMENT

EDWARD BOCHESCM 417

FALL, 2012


ORIGINALLYBY

FRED MANLEYBBDO

ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAL RINEY


FROM COMMUNICATION ARTS

1963


THIS AD IS INEPT


Always show the product


Be positive


Name in headline


Include people enjoying the product


Be newsworthy


Make that headline prominent


Avoid negative connotations


Tell the reader where to buy it


And, of course, localize


Think one.

You can lie on a bed of nails, but you can’t lie on one nail


The world of advertising is certainly not what it used to be.

We make fewer and fewer print ads.

Complexity in story telling -- from the likes of TV series to transmedia marketing programs -- is often more effective than the single minded focus that prevailed in the years after the Creative Revolution of the 1960‘s.

And in an age of social media and mobile technology, utility is replacing message based marketing all together.

But there remain two relevant lessons in this wonderful demonstration from nearly 50 years ago.

One, there is a timelessness, and at times appropriateness, to the classic ad that brilliantly conveys one point.

By giving away less, it entices us to learn or care more.

And two, rules are made for breaking. Especially if we are to invent new ways of solving problems, attracting attention, and involving our communities.

CONCLUSION


Education

Nine ways to improve an ad