How to Do Better Creative Advertising: Why and How It Works
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Excellent creative advertising -- you know it when you see it.
These are the ads that grip you and hit their mark the first time you encounter them. Whether the intent was to make you laugh, paint a picture of how your product works, or even shed a tear, these ads get the job done. With creative ads, the elements use tension, interest, artistry, and other elements. When an advertising strategy works, they make it look easy. But make no mistake about it, they require time, creative brainstorming, and lots of trial and error. So how do you get started? Learn some effective advertising thought processes and examples of campaigns that have worked. We'll discuss that below, and you'll also learn the reasons these ads are successful. A lot goes into building a winning marketing strategy, and we'd be happy to steer you in the right direction. Creative advertising mastery can be yours when you consider the following information. Classic Advertising Payoffs Still Work Keeping it simple isn't always the cool thing to do in a Web 2.0 world. However, classic advertising payoffs still work in creative advertising -- quite effectively. Think back to some of the most iconic advertisements of all time. The Coca Cola commercial featuring NFL Player Mean Joe Greene comes to mind. In the commercial, the young boy hangs around the locker room after a game and tells a hurt, limping Greene how much he admires him. Greene doesn't pay the kid much mind despite the kid's best efforts. The fan finally offers Greene a bottle of Coca Cola and starts to walk away, dejected. Once Greene takes a swig of the Coca Cola, he peps up a bit and calls over to the kid. "Hey, kid. Catch," are the famous lines that Greene utters, before tossing the kid his game jersey -- much to his delight. At that triumphant moment in the ad, "Have a Coke and a Smile," the company's tagline at the time brings the message home. It's class storytelling, matched with a solid payoff. It still works effectively, no matter the medium. Make Your Visuals Invoke Sensory Reactions Print ads have been great about taking advantage of photo editing, graphics, and artistry to invoke reactions. Take Heinz Ketchup for example. The company has created brilliant advertisements that could stand up to pieces in an art museum. While they're artistically creative and beautiful, they also hit their selling point by keeping your mind on the food. The ads contain artist renderings of a Heinz ketchup bottle sliced up like a succulent stack of onions, flipped upside down with a green stem to look like a tomato, in a field of soil with tomatoes and vines growing out of it, and so many other renditions. The viewer gets beautiful art, along with a subconscious reminder of the deliciousness they're in for when they use the product. Art is appreciated today, so consider some ways you can create something artistic that speaks for itself. When you lean into even abstract or broad stroke ideas, you can connect with people in ways that you never thought. By keeping artistry at the forefront, people will appreciate your creation without immediately feeling like they are being marketed to. Providing Customers Information Works McDonald's came out with an advertisement that strictly focused on information. The company has been around since 1940, and has been around through the evolution of society, wild success, scrutiny, and more. With a company this big, customers are more inclined to be interested in things they don't already know. McDonald's came out with several ads that featured color-coded backgrounds and questions from customers. They addressed each question, from what's in the Filet O Fish to whether or not they use pink slime in the chicken nuggets. Use Visuals to Show What Your Product is All About Effective and creative use of visuals goes a long way. You can paint a picture that explains a product rather than simply telling about it. Remember the "Got Milk" ads? The California Milk Processor Board took the milk mustache, something that everyone who has ever drunk milk has experienced, and made it an iconic part of their ads. By having celebrities from all walks of life and industry participate in these ads, it crosses demographics and reaches more people. In the '60s, Volkswagen came out with an ad that accentuated the charm of its VW Bug vehicles. These cars are known for being a lot more compact and round than other vehicles. With the ad, they left a lot of white space on the page and had a small photo of the VW Bug vehicle barely within the space. This pains the picture that the vehicles are smaller than normal, and sells it creatively as a strong suit. Make sure to perfect your execution when you're nailing your call to action and selling points. For instance, one of the "Got Milk?" ads featured Hugh Jackman in costume as the X-Men Wolverine with his claws out, donning a milk mustache. In the comics and movies, Wolverine is known to have bones made of the strongest metal known to man. In the advertising copy, the California Milk Processor Board explained some of the healthy benefits of milk, and how drinking it gives you strong bones for life. People should always come away from your advertising piece either knowing exactly what you offer or intrigued enough to want to learn more. When you add some creativity to your selling points, it makes it more likely to hit the mark and leave a lasting impression. Personify Your Product Nothing says creativity like Personification. When you put a face to what your brand is all about, it sells it more than words alone. For Dos Equis beer, the Dos Equis man is an older gentleman with style and class. He enjoys the finer things in life and commands respect and admiration. The company mixes in humor by mentioning the Dos Equis man's impossible achievements and exploits while wrapping the commercial with him still finding enough time to enjoy a brew, and to utter his tagline "Stay thirsty, my friends." The Old Spice advertising campaign accomplishes much of the same with this company's brand. Their fragrances and products have always veered on the stronger side of the odor spectrum. The company leans into this by featuring a muscle-bound actor riding horses and engaging in manly tasks with his Old Spice deodorant in his hand. Apple also knocked it out of the park with their Mac vs. PC campaign. In the commercial, they have a young, contemporary man, representing Mac computers, speaking to the audience. The actor representing the PC was more buttoned-up and traditional. Throughout the course of the commercial, the "PC" would freeze, shut down, or always be a step or two behind his competitor. This was a commercial that people could instantly laugh out loud or relate to if they've ever had PC woes. Seeing it play out with a person freezing mid-sentence drove the point home better and more creatively than other advertising strategies would have. Work With an Agency That Can Take Your Campaign to the Next Level The key to experiencing the sorts of successes mentioned above is to link up with a creative-minded advertising agency. These are the professionals that will put thought into each campaign you do. If you really want to win big with your creative advertising, ask for recommendations from people who have hired them before. This will give you plenty of great leads and put you a few steps closer toward finding exactly what you need. Bounce ideas off of the agency that you're thinking about working with so that you can explore your ideas together. Ask them upfront about their prices so that you know you can afford their rates. Once you've found the company that can make your advertising dreams a reality, it's time to start putting your heads together on the campaign. Think about the products you are pushing and the vibe of your brand as a whole. Your advertising company will give you plenty of options and will seek input on what you're looking for. Before you know it, you're steps away from having some creative advertising victories of your own. Handle Your Advertising Campaigns With Diligence Let these creative advertising tips inform you as you put together your next campaign. The more work you put into your big advertising efforts, the easier it'll be for you to gain traction and get results. No matter what sort of campaign you're working on, keep in mind that it all starts with quality writing. Whether you need to express your ideas during brainstorm sessions or need a script for the ad, quality writing steers the ship. At the San Francisco School of Copywriting, you will have all the tools needed to sharpen your pen. We would be more than happy to help you with all of your written content needs. This way, you can set a strong foundation for your company's brand. Take time to contact us when you're ready to take your copywriting skills to the next level. |