Monday, June 17, 2013

What makes a good Advertisement?

There are many views about a successful advertisement that co-exist and the definitions change based on who answers this question i.e. Brand Manager, Product Manager, Art Director, Ad Campaign Executor or Account Planner.

Some say
"a Good Advertisement is the one that sells"
While others say
"a Good Advertisement is much less about convincing people to do things than it is about providing valuable information to a willing to listen audience"

Some say
"the hero in a good advertisement should always be 'Product', 
While Others say 
"in a good advertisement the product makes the 'Consumer' a hero." 

To sum it all, there is no concrete and complete definition behind what makes an advertisement successful. Another important fact about Advertising is that No one knows before hand, if the campaign will be success or failure until it is launched in the marketplace.

WHY? Because Advertising is not an outright science formula where a specified input will always give you similar output. Neither it is pure art with baseless success. It is rather a mix of both Science and Art, Human Psyche and Emotions, and Principles and Abstracts. Science establishes and art inspires. 

This mix is like the Vitruvian Man which represents both Science and Art.

At the core of a good advertisement are the principles (part of science) which are critical pillars of success. Outside are the elements that ignite emotions and lead to top of mind recall (finally sales, retention or loyalty). Where principles trigger the thought, emotions fule association and finally, sales.

Core Elements of Advertisement:
1) Authenticity: Adoption of your product is at the mercy of your consumer. And all Marketers tell a lie (a story). A consumer buys, because he believes. Is the Story you are telling about you or your product is believable? If your consumers believe in your story(lie), then your story is authentic. If your story is not believable, it doesn't matter how strong your product is.  All Marketers tell a story (lie), but the consumer decides which story he wants to believe.

Think about this - Would you believe or buy if Hummer produces a luxury car? But, you would believe or buy, if the same exact car is produced by Mercedes. Volvo stands for Safety. Mercedes stands for Luxury, Cadillac stands for affordable luxury, Jeep stands for power, Rolls Royce stands for prestige, BMW stands for sports luxury, and Honda stands for engine life and value for money.

Go Beyond: Land Rover


2) Target Audience: The advertisement should clearly illustrate the audience it wants to talk to. The clearer the audience, the deeper the impact. Advertisements with clear vision for its audience encourages engagement and relationship with consumer. If an ad doesn't have a clear focus on its audience, it is destined to fail.

Think about this - Advertising a women driving a car (in a car ad), when a male holds the spending power, may fail to deliver its message to the audience.

Pepsi commercial with focused target audience

3) Point of Difference - A great product has a unique selling point also called the point of difference. So should an Advertisement. An Advertisement must communicate and deliver that point of difference.



Outer Elements
These elements form experience and association which is an art. These elements are important for top-of-mind recall.

1) Engagement: A good advertisement tries to engage its audience and associate itself with the life of that audience (while delivering the core elements of that message).


2) Worldview: Every consumer has build his own worldview - the way of experiencing things and determining something as good or bad. A good advertisement doesn't try to change that worldview. A smart marketer tries to explore a commonly accepted worldview and fits into it. 

In this ad, its a worldview that a feet among all the organs is not so much acknowledged for success. Marketer converts it into his advantage. 



3) Memorable: They say, "great brands appeal to all 5 senses and create a memorable experience". That memorable experience is delivered through advertisement. Many ads continue to play the same magical background tune (in the ad) for years and years for recall. Others continue to use the same actors or stick to a mascot, like Ronald McDonald, Aflac Duck or Vodafone Zoo Zoos to titillate your visual senses while crafting a memorable experience and brand recall.

4) Creative: A creative ad adopts an easier way to deliver an impact-full message and stands out.

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