2. Objectives Grasp the purpose of advertising Become aware of who creates advertising Understand the advertising design process Grasp the role of storytelling in advertising Examine what constitutes an advertising campaign Learn creative approaches to utilize during idea generation Realize the strategy behind commercials Explore unconventional advertising approaches Practice ethical advertising

3. Definitions An advertisement (ad) is a specific message constructed to inform, persuade, promote, provoke, or motivate people on behalf of a brand or group. Any individual or group who is on the receiving end of a commercial or public service message is the audience. An advertising idea is the creative conceptual solution to an advertising problem—a strategic formulated thought that communicates a message, calling people to action. A creative brief is a strategic plan that both client and agency agree upon and from which the creative team works as a strategic springboard. A functional benefit is the practical or useful characteristic of a product or service that aids in distinguishing a brand from its competition. An emotional benefit is based on feelings and responses and is not based on a functional characteristic of a product or service.

4. The Purpose of Advertising Advertising is used in a free market system to promote one brand or group over another. Whether used to launch a new brand or remind us to buy an established brand, advertising helps build the value of brands, groups, causes, and even individuals in people’s minds. Advertising motivates us to act on behalf of a cause, helping to save lives and aid people in countless vital ways.

5. Types of Ads Commercial advertising  Promotes brands and commodities by informing consumers  Subcategories include consumer ads, business to business ads, trade ads Toshiba HD DVD: Ads (Commercial) © Della Femina / Rothschild / Jeary & Partners, NY

6. Types of Ads Public service advertising  Serves the public interest  “The objectives of these ads are education and awareness of significant social issues, in an effort to change the public’s attitudes and behaviors and stimulate positive social change.” −Advertising Council Anti-Steroids: Ads, Website (PSA) © TBWA / Chiat / Day (Volunteer)

7. Advertising Media Types of media include broadcast, print, direct mail, and newer screen-based applications, along with unconventional venues.  More and more, people are spending their time on their mobile phones or in front of computer screens.  We are witnessing a convergence of media, where, for example, a mobile phone can become any person’s media hub with an Internet connection, programmed content, music, GPS, and more.  People today also do much of their shopping research on the Internet before stepping into brick-and-mortar stores. Out-of-home ads (outdoor, ambient, posters, and more) serve the same function by driving us online.

8. Who Creates Advertising? The traditional creative team includes an art director and a copywriter. Newer teams include others, such as brand planners and technology professionals. Besides the conventional creative team of art director and copywriter, advertising depends on other professionals, including strategic planners, marketing managers, developers, and interactive designers or agencies when dealing with screen-based media.  Once, advertising agencies created advertising and controlled the brand messages. Now, technology makes it possible for anyone to economically and practically create in ways previously privy to advertising professionals.

9. Advertising Design Process Analysis  A creative brief is a strategic plan that both client and agency agree upon and from which the creative team works as a strategic springboard.  The advertising strategy is the master plan, determined during analysis before the creative team goes to work on idea generation.  Research, key information about the brand or group, and the budget all contribute to devising the strategy.  A brief is written by the client’s marketing team, collaboratively between client and ad agency, or by the advertising agency alone.

10. Advertising Design Process Conceptual Design  An advertising idea is the creative conceptual solution to an advertising problem—a strategic formulated thought that communicates a message, calling people to action. Functional vs. Emotional benefits  A functional benefit is the practical or useful characteristic of a product or service that aids in distinguishing a brand from its competition.  An emotional benefit is based on feelings and responses and is not based on a functional characteristic of a product or service. Panasonic “Neuter Your Bunny”: Campaign © Renegade LLC, New York

11. Storytelling in Advertising Memorable advertising and branding involve good brand storytelling— the skill and act of presenting a brand or group as part of a greater narrative. In advertising, storytelling has a cumulative effect when consistently told and/or reinforced across media in a campaign.  Each individual ad, regardless of media—whether it’s a website or print ad—is a contributor to the story. Mini Clubman: Campaign © Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, Sausalito, CA

12. Approaches to Concept Generation Creative advertising is the goal— stretching beyond the ordinary, to be original, innovative. Some approaches to concept generation include:  Visual analogy or metaphor  Symbolism  Icons  Life experience  The problem is the solution  Compare and contrast  Exaggeration  Endorsement  Irony Volkswagen “Lemon”: Ad © Doyle Dane Bernbach, New York

13. Engaging Content Entertainment is another way to connect with an audience. People enjoy being entertained. And entertaining humor disarms or endears. Humorous ads—usually those that are sharable online ads or television ads—generate buzz or go viral. Nike Vending Machine © Kinetic, Singapore

14. Design Everything you learned about the fundamentals of design, visualization, and composition applies to designing an ad. Any effective ad is based on a well-thought-out idea, which sets the framework for all your design decisions—for how you create, select, crop, and arrange imagery; write copy; select colors; or choose a particular typeface.

15. Design An ad must do the following to be effective:  Grab attention (be visually interesting)  Communicate a message (be clear)  Call people to action (motivate people to do something)

16. Design Most ads consist of the following components or elements:  Image  Headline (or line)  Body copy Visual/Verbal Synergy  Together, the design and copy (the visual and verbal components) express the advertising idea in a synergistic visual/verbal relationship. Copy-Driven vs. Visual-Driven  When the copy does the “heavy lifting” in an ad, the ad is considered to be copy-driven.  Conversely, when the visual or design of the ad does the heavy lifting—takes the leading role in conveying the message—the ad is visual-driven.  Tagline  Sign-off

17. The Ad Campaign An advertising campaign is a series of coordinated ads, in one or more media, that are based on a single overarching strategy or theme.  Some print campaigns utilize the same compositional structure with designated positions for the components “Mug Shots”: Campaign © Fetchor Advertising, Columbus, OH

18. The Ad Campaign An ad campaign should offer something new each time people see and read an individual ad from the campaign. An element of newness or surprise helps generate interest in each successive ad. You vary the composition from ad to ad, yet the campaign remains unified despite a degree of variation.  Vary the layout: the image and headline do not need to be in the same position in every ad.  Create a limited yet flexible color palette.  Determine two or three elements that will remain constant and others that can change.  Think about utilizing textures and patterns to create variety.  Choose one extended font family and vary the way you use it.

19. Thinking Creatively Thinking creatively defies formulas. However, to learn to think creatively or tap into one’s potential, it helps to learn by example. The following are very elastic ways of thinking:  Visual surprise  Merge things  Be literal and really push it Creative professionals thrive on thinking creatively; however, there are various industry and government regulations that must be considered, as well as universal ethical considerations about what is appropriate and principled. Diesel “Nature−Love It While It Lasts”: Advertisement Poster © KesselsKramer, Amsterdam

20. Commercials As with all advertising, commercial spots for television, web, mobile, or any screen-based media that has motion capability start with orientation, analysis, and conceptual development. Often, commercials are part of an integrated campaign with print and out-of-home components. Visualizing an ad for television begins with a storyboard.  A storyboard illustrates and narrates the key frames of a television ad concept. Priceline “The Negotiator”: TV Commercial © Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, Sausalito, CA

21. Unconventional Advertising Unconventional advertising ambushes people, appearing in public or private environments—places and surfaces where advertising doesn’t usually live, such as on the sidewalk or at the bottom of golf holes; it is also called guerrilla advertising, stealth marketing, ambient advertising, and nontraditional marketing. It should be engaging, not intrusive.  Utilizing existing structures in public spaces, such as bus shelters, lampposts, fire hydrants, corners of buildings, or parking spaces, ambient advertising gets under people’s ad radar to surprise them.  Effective unconventional solutions have been shown to successfully promote brands or groups in break-through ways that live beyond their media space.

22. Ethical Advertising Since the creative revolution of the 1960s, creative advertising has made great strides to distance itself from hucksterism. More than ever before, the self-conscious tone of much celebrated advertising winks at the viewer.  To keep moving forward, all advertising professionals, not just a small number, need to find responsible voices.  Almost every country regulates advertising to some extent, especially advertising to children.

23. Summary Advertising differentiates brands, groups, and causes, and ultimately sells brands and calls people to action. An advertisement (ad) is a specific message constructed to inform, persuade, promote, provoke, or motivate people on behalf of a brand or group. Commercial advertising promotes brands and groups. Public service advertising serves the public interest. Cause advertising, sponsored by corporations, is used to raise funds for nonprofit organizations and is run in paid media. Types of media include broadcast, print, direct mail, and newer screen-based applications, along with unconventional venues.

24. Summary The traditional creative team includes an art director and a copywriter. An advertising idea is the creative conceptual solution to an advertising problem that communicates a message and calls people to action. Usually, ads claim a functional or an emotional benefit. Each ad should communicate the spirit of the brand “story.” A creative brief is the strategic springboard for concept generation. For advertising to capture people’s attention and time, it should not be all about the brand, it has to be about the audience.

25. Summary Most ads consist of the following components: visual, headline (or line), body copy, tagline, and sign-off. The advertising idea is communicated through a synergistic visual/verbal relationship. Working cooperatively, the visual and verbal components should produce a greater effect than that of either part alone. An advertising campaign is a series of coordinated ads—in one or more media—that are based on a single, overarching strategy or theme, and each individual ad in the campaign can stand on its own.

26. Summary Television commercials incorporate sound (including music, voice, and special effects) and motion (action, dance, demonstration, and visual effects). Specific lengths of time (15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 60 seconds) are given to communicate the message. Unconventional advertising is used to get under people’s ad radar, to ambush them when they are not expecting advertising messages, but it should be entertaining, not intrusive. Online and unconventional advertising should be engaging and entertaining enough for people to want to share. To keep moving forward, all advertising professionals, not just a small number, need to find responsible voices.