Advertisement Content Writing

22 What is Advertisement? The word ‘advertise’ means to describe or present (a product, organization, idea) in some medium of communication in order to induce the public to buy, support or approve of it. It has been called ‘a cunning art of appealing to secret desires’ but as business became more organized and complex, advertising became less of an art and more of a science.

33 Kinds of Advertisements There are mainly two kinds of advertisements: Informative Persuasive and competetive Both these kinds are overlapping and cannot always be distinguished.

44 Informative & Competitive Advertising Informative Advertising: Its purpose is to educate consumers by giving them information about the goods and services available. Example: Advts. of various government welfare and awareness programs. Competitive Advertising: Its aim is to persuade consumers to buy one particular manufacturer’s brand of a commodity rather than another’s. It is associated with the marketing of ‘branded goods’.

55 Display Vs Classified Advertisements Display Advts- These are guided by the sale point of view. Whatever be the purpose, the aim is to sell oneself, one’s idea or image. Therefore, these are prominently displayed and occupy about half or full page of the newspaper. Television Ads can also come under display advertisements as they have audio-visual content which

66 Display Vs Classified Advertisements Classified Advts- These are different from the display advertisements in the sense that instead of selling or promoting they perform the function they bring together two parties that need to meet or contact each other. These are classified by brevity, clarity and completeness within their limited space.

77 Basics of an Advertisement Copy The first and foremost aim of an advertisement is to influence the public/audience so as to make them act in a particular way. Following aims should be achieved: A) The reader/audience must be exposed to the communication. B) The reader/audience must be able to percieve what action is desired by the advertiser.

88 Basics of an Advertisement Copy C) The reader/audience must retain the message of the advertisement. D) The reader/audience must act on the basis of the facts and arguments given in the advertisement. Only a highly skilled copywriter can decide whether he has to prepare: a) a suggestive copy b) an expository one giving all the details of a product/service with pictures/illustrations.

99 Basics of an Advertisement Copy c) an educative copy giving valuable scientific or technological information d) institutional copy highlighting the strength/reputation of a manufacturer e) narrative copy telling a story or recalling an incident appealing to the customer’s sentiments f) humorous copy- making the message effective through exaggeration or caricatures. Therefore, the copywriter must be thoroughly familiar with different styles of writing.

10 Essential Elements of Structure Whatever be the nature of the advertisement copy, the following points should emerge as the essential elements of its structure- i) Title : Bold or prominently displayed ii) Illustrations : Photos, charts, figures etc. iii) Text : Description, explanation, appeal etc. iv) Brand/Trade Mark v) Name, address, fax, of the manufacturer or supplier

11 Language Language, as we know, is a systematic set of symbols or a code mutually understood by both the sender and the receiver. The language of an advertisement is full of catchy slogans/captions, at once arresting the mind of the audience. For eg. Limca is Veri Veri Lime N Lemoni

12 Language Contd. Catchy captions and slogans sometimes verge on the crazy slogans in which figures of speech like pun, alliteration, metaphor, onomatopoeia find a free play. For eg: ‘Thirst Aid Centre’ (pun on ‘first’) ‘Utterly Butterly...’ (alliteration) ‘Chrunchy Munchies’ (onomatopoeia)

13 Language Contd. Advertisements in India give a savoury mixture of English and Hindi. A popular ad on TV/newspapers promoting wafers had a caption in Hindi saying- ‘Piya tu ab to Kha Ja’; or a popular cold drink ad said at the end- ‘Yahi hai Right Choice Baby’

14 Language Contd. In educative advertisements the power of words is further strengthened with figures/statistics. So While the sales ads are persuasive, evocative and provocative, the institutional, educative ads are convincing and argumentative.

15 Assignment Prepare a display ad for a new brand of contact lens. Prepare a classified ad informing about property sale. Invent necessary details.