It is not creative, unless it sells

It is unwritten philosophy of company Benton and Bowles and the most major advertising agencies. Creativity is essential but it is insufficient. The advertisement must show the unique benefit of the product in a memorable way. But how can we get to know what is creative and what is not. Benton and Bowles worked out the main formula of creativity.

Any advertisement usually consists of an image and some text. The text part deals with message strategies.

The message strategies part will be divided according to six main topics:

1. Creativity. It should be discussed as part of message strategy because the most visible creativity takes place in terms of the creation of the message.

2. To create the message of relevance, the writers and artists immerse themselves in all available information.

3. Message appeals should be product oriented or consumer oriented.

4. Copy and layout. Copy deals with the verbal aspects of the message. Layout deals with the visual aspects. Copy and layout are terms specific to print, the concepts of verbal and visual message components also hold for broadcast.

5. Production. After each message has been created and put on the paper in a rough form it must be produced in its appropriate medium.

6. The goal of the message strategy is to develop a message or series of messages. There can be one message or a number of messages working together. In many cases it is preferable, to have several message coordinated over time as a company.

A very important moment in creating the advertisement and especially in choosing the message is to clearly and correctly set the objectives. The objectives have 4 components: 1) target markets; 2) task of advertising; 3) time period within which to accomplish task; 4) amount of change to achieve within target.

It is often said that objectives and strategies are the enemies of creativity. They stifle, restrict and confine the creativity. These statements almost come from writers and artists. But these objectives and strategies don’t stifle real creativity. Real creativity leads to the development of unique memorable forceful message. As David Ogilvy wrote “what you have to say is more important than how you say it. Your most important job is to decide what you are going to say about your product, what benefit you are going to promise”.

Creative strategy

The real creative strategy is one that relates product to yearnings. It is the process that leads to inventions. It involves:

1) The seeing of all facts in new relationships;

2) The discovery of needs and wants in people that even the people may not have discovered in themselves;

3) Hard work.

When you use a creative strategy you need to know every thing about product itself, about competitive products, about the market (its habits, its attitudes, its demographics). You need to ask questions until people hate to see you. You need, in short, to dig, dig, dig. The job of your subconscious is to review and re-review everything you know about a subject. It searches even during your sleep, for new relationships between people and products, searches for new combinations of old ideas, searches for new inside that can give even a very old product the right to ask for a new attention in the market. The purpose of real creative strategizing is simple and vital: the invention of a big idea. This kind of creative strategy work is the highest form of creativity and advertising.

Questions:

1. Enumerate the main topics of the message strategy part.

2. Who worked out the main formula of creativity?

3. What aspects does the copy deal with?

4. What is the goal of the message strategy?

1.Massage strategies. 2. Creative Strategy.

Test.

1. Creativity is essential, but it is ……

a. sufficient

b. unsufficient

c. enough

d. insufficien

2. The text part deals with….. strategy.

a. message

b. content

c. text

d. written

3. The message strategy part will be divided according to ….main topics.

a.6

b.3

c.4

d.5

4. To create the message of relevance, the writers and artists must…..themselves in all available information.

a. do

b. immerse

c. create

d. earn

5. Copy deals with the….aspects of the message.

a. visual

b. verbal

c. written

d. oral

6. Layout deals with the.....aspects.

a. visual

b. verbal

c. written

d. oral

7. The goal of the message strategy....to develop a message or a series of messages.

a. are

b. is

c. was

d.‑

8. The objective in the process of choosing the message has……components.

a. 3

b. 2

c. 4

d. 5

9. “What you have to say is more important than how you say it.” wrote……

a. Ed Meyer

b. David Ogilvy

c. Ogilvy and Mather

d. Benton and Bowles

10. The real creative strategy is the one that relates product to ……

a. dreaming

b. inventions

c. wishes

d.yearnings

11. It involves the seeing of old facts in new……..

a. point of view

b. places

c. environments

d. relationships

12. The job of your ……….is to review and re-review everything you know about a subject.

a. subconscious

b. conscious

c. head

d. design

13. The purpose of real creative strategizing is simple and …….

a. necessary

b. complicated

c. vital

d important

3. Final Thoughts about the message strategy

Vocabulary:

relevant-уместный

to arouse- вызывать(интерес, нужду)

to suggest-предлагать, предполагать

acceptable-приемлемый

compatible-совместимый

to acquire-приобретать

an effort-попытка

a trashcan-урна, мусорное ведро

to waste-тратить в пустую

to persuade-убеждать

a feature-характерная черта

an overstatement-преувеличение

to respond-отвечать

The statement of message tasks must cover four specific areas:

1) Whom to sell;

2) What to sell;

3) Support of selling idea;

4) Tone of selling idea.

For a message to be effective in accomplishing its tasks it must be:

1. Attention getting. It must attract and hold the receiver;

2. Understandable. It must use symbols that are common both the sender and the receiver;

3. Relevant. It must arouse basic needs and suggest the way to satisfy them;

4. Acceptable. It must suggest the solution that is compatible with the receiver.

In developing objectives and tasks the manager must develop a coordinated company not just one or series of messages. There is an advertising myth that anyone can write an advertisement. But will this type of advertising sell your product or service? Will it give the image you want? Will you acquire new business tomorrow, because of the impression you make today? Perhaps all these efforts will go unnoticed because of poorly planned advertisement. A successful well written advertisement seldom wastes words or time.

A good advertisement delivers a clear message that informs and persuades the leader. There are a few suggestions how to create an advertisement that will deliver the message you want: Write your advertisement from the reader’s point of view, not yours.

Benefits are stressed, not features you are proud of. Keep your language simple. You can easily loose your reader by using unnecessary words. Inform your reader honestly. Avoid overstatements. Instead use persuasive words. Make it easy for your reader to respond. There is no sense in writing advertising if you don’t ask for the sale.

Questions:

1. Enumerate the main specific areas of the statement of massage tasks.

2. “The massage must be relevant”. What does it mean? Explain.

3. What do you need for a massage to be effective in accomplishing its tasks?

4. How to create an ad that will deliver the message you want?

3.Some final Thoughts about message strategies.

Test.

1. The statement of the message tasks must cover…..specific areas:

a. 4

b. 3

c. 5

d. 6

2. For a message…. effective in accomplishing its tasks.

a. is to

b. to be

c. are to

d. to be to

3. It must…..basic needs and suggest the way to satisfy them.

a. arouse

b. increase

c. amuse

d. decrease

4. ….it give the image you want?

a. does

b. would

c. will

d. shall

5. A Successful well-written advertisement seldom …..words or time?

a. spends

b. wastes

c. reduce

d. leaves

6. There are a few suggestions how......an ad that will deliver the message you want.

a. to create

b. creates

c. will create

d. can create

7. There is no sense ……..an ad if you don’t ask for the sale.

a. on writing

b. to write

c. in writing

d. during writing

4. Creating the advertising message

Vocabulary:

sequence-последовательность

to grab- захватывать

to gain-получать, приобретать

to link-связывать, соединять

a pattern-образец, модель

to suggest-полагать, предлагать

an advantage-преимущество

distinctive-отчетливый, ясный

to encourage-ободрять, побуждать

If your firms advertising company is to be successful you must strive to create advertisement which form an accurate and full picture, conveying a powerful and persuasive message about your professional services to your target audience.

Copy – is the verbal portion of the advertisement. It includes headlines, sub-headlines, body copy and signature. When preparing advertising copy, marketers attempt to move the target audience through a persuasive sequence called AIDA (Attention, interest, desire and action).

Consumers will not visit a store, try a product or make a purchase of an unfamiliar product unless marketers:

1. Grab the attention;

2. Gain the interest;

3. Make the product desirable.

A motive and persuasive advertising plays a key role in this process.

Headline – is critical because it is the only part of the copy that people read. It should attract reader’s attention and create enough interest to make them want to read the body copy. Sometimes it helps explain the headline.

The body copy – for the most advertisement consists of an introductory statement or paragraphs, several explanatory paragraphs and a closing paragraph. Some copy writers have adopted a pattern or a set of guide lines to develop body copy systematically:

1) Identify a specific desire or problem of consumers;

2) Suggest the goods or services as the best way to satisfy that desire or solve that problem;

3) State the advantages or benefits of the product.

4) Indicate: why the advertised product is the best for the buyer’s particular situation;

5) Ask the buyer for action.

The signature identifies the sponsor of the advertisement. It may contain several elements, including the company’s trademark, logo, name, and address. The signature should be designed to be attractive, distinctive and easy to identify in a variety of sizes.

Art work consists of illustration and layout of the advertisement. Illustrations can be: different photographs, drawings, graphs or tables. Illustrations are used to attract attention, to encourage the audience to read or to listen to the copy, to communicate the idea quickly or to communicate the idea that is difficult to put in to words.

Questions:

1. What is copy?

2. Why is headline often critical?

3. What does the body copy consist of?

4.What does it mean “AIDA”?

5.Whom does the signature identify?

6. What does the art work consist of?

4 .Creating the advertising massage.

Test.

1. The only part of the copy that people read.

a. copy

b. signature