The Creative and Message Strategy

Define creative marketing communication and explain how it leads to a Big Idea Describe the characteristics of creative people and their creative process Discuss key creative strategy approaches Outline the key parts of a creative brief

Art and Science of Creative The ROI of effective advertising Relevant, original, and has impact The Big Idea (content idea) Implements the advertising strategy so that the message is both attention getting and memorable The Creative Leap Jumping from the strategy statement to an original idea that conveys the strategy in an interesting way

Creative Thinking Free association Divergent thinking Creates the juxtaposition of two seemingly unrelated thoughts Divergent thinking Uses exploration to search for all possible alternatives Analogies and metaphors Used to see new patterns or relationships Right-brain thinking Intuitive, nonverbal, and emotion-based thinking

Creative Characteristics Creative Thinking Creative Roles Copywriters and art directors develop the creative concept and draft the execution of the advertising idea The Creative Person In advertising, creativity is both a job description and a goal Creative Characteristics Problem solving Ability to visualize Openness to new experiences Conceptual thinking

Creative Strategy Creative strategy What the advertisement says Where the art and science of advertising come together A Big Idea must be Creative Strategic Creative strategy What the advertisement says message strategy Creative execution How it is said

Message Objectives Perception: create attention, awareness, interest, recognition, and recall Cognitive: deliver information and understanding Affective: touch emotions and create feelings Persuasion: change attitudes, create conviction and preference Transformation: establish brand identity and associations Behavior: stimulate some form of action

Head and Heart Strategies Two basic approaches to translating message objectives into strategy Hard- and Soft-Sell strategies Hard Sell: touches the mind and creates a response based on logic Soft Sell: uses emotional appeals or images to create a response

Head and Heart Strategies Most advertising messages use a combination of two basic literary techniques to reach the head or the heart of the consumer Lectures and Dramas Lecture: a serious instruction given verbally Drama: relies on the viewer to make inferences

Facets of Creative Strategy Drive Perception Attention and awareness Interest Memory Drive Cognition These messages get consumers to learn about products by focusing on a product’s features

Facets of Creative Strategy Touch Emotions Highlight psychological attraction of the product to the target audience through emotional responses Persuade Appeal Selling premises Conviction

Facets of Creative Strategy Transform Product Branding Image advertising is used to create a representation in the customer’s mind Associations Drive Action A signature that serves to identify the company or brand Also serves as a call to action if it gives direction to the consumer about how to respond

Message Approaches Straightforward Demonstration Comparison Problem solving/Problem avoidance Humor Slice of Life Spokesperson Teasers Shockvertising

Planning and Managing Creative Strategy Creative brief Prepared by the account planner, summarizes the marketing and advertising strategy Vary in format, but must combine basic strategy decisions Strategy Decisions The problem The objectives The target market Positioning strategy Type of creative strategy Selling premise Execution suggestions

Planning and Managing Creative Strategy Message execution The form in which the ad’s message is presented Message tone Reflects the emotion or attitude behind the ad Global campaigns Require ad work that addresses advertising objectives and reflects the positioning strategy Usually desirable to adapt the creative execution to the local market

The Go/No-Go Decision Assess the effectiveness of the ad’s creative features Structural analysis Copy testing

Copywriting Explain the basic style used for copy writing Describe the various elements of a print ad Explain the message characteristics and tools of radio advertising Discuss the major elements of television commercials Discuss how Web advertising is written

Copywriting: The Language of Advertising Four types of ads in which words are crucial If the message is complicated If the ad is for a high-involvement product Information that needs definition and explanation If a message tries to convey abstract qualities Copywriter person who shapes and sculpts the words in ads

Advertising Writing Style Copy should be as simple as possible Should have a clear focus and try to convey only one selling point Every word counts; space and time are expensive Practical Tips Be succinct Be single-minded Be specific Get personal Keep a single focus Be controversial Be original Use variety Use imaginative description

Advertising Writing Style Tone of voice To develop the right tone of voice, copywriters write to the target audience as if they were in a conversation Grammar Copywriters must know the rules of grammar, syntax, and spelling, though they will play with a word or phrase to create an effect Adese Formulaic advertising copy Brag-and-boast copy

Copywriting for Print Display copy Body copy The Headline Elements readers see in their initial scanning Body copy Elements that are designed to be read and absorbed The Headline Key element in print advertising Conveys the main message Works with the visual to get attention and communicate creative concept

How to Write Headlines A good headline will attract those who are prospects The headline must work in combination with the visual to stop and grab the reader’s attention The headline must identify the product and brand, and start the sale The headline should lead readers into the body copy Direct-action headlines Indirect-action headlines

How to Write Other Display Copy Captions Have the second-highest readership and serve an information function Subheads Sectional headlines used to break up a large block of copy Taglines Short, catchy, memorable phrases used at the end of an ad to complete the creative idea

How to Write Other Display Copy Slogans Repeated from ad to ad as part of a campaign or long-term brand identity effort Can also be used as taglines Slogan Techniques Direct address A startling or unexpected phrase Rhyme, rhythm, alliteration Parallel construction Cue for the product Music

How to Write Body Copy Body copy Lead paragraph Closing paragraph The text of the ad Primary role is to maintain the interest of the reader Lead paragraph The first paragraph of the body copy Where people test the message and see if they want to read it Closing paragraph Refers back to the creative concept and wraps up the Big Idea Call to action

Print Media Requirements All media in the print category all use the same copy elements The way these elements are used varies with the objective for using the medium Newspapers Copy does not have to work as hard to catch audience’s attention Straightforward and informative Writing is brief

Print Media Requirements Magazines Better quality ad production Ads can be more informative and carry longer copy Directories Use a headline that focuses on the service or store’s personality Little space for explanations

Print Media Requirements Posters and Outdoor Primarily visual Words try to catch the consumer’s attention and lock in ideas An effective poster marries words with visuals Product Literature Also called collateral Used in support of an ad campaign Typically a heavy copy format

How to Write Radio Copy Must be simple enough for consumers to grasp, but intriguing enough to prevent them from switching the station Ability of the listener to remember facts is difficult Theater of the mind The story is visualized in the listener’s imagination

How to Write Radio Copy Voice Music Sound effects Radio Guidelines Keep it personal Speak to listener’s interests Wake up the inattentive Make it memorable Include call to action Create image transfer

How to Write Television Copy Moving action makes television so much more engaging than print The challenge is to fuse the images with the words to present a creative concept and a story Storytelling is one way copywriters can present action in a television commercial more powerfully than in other media

Tools of Television Copywriting Video Audio Voice-over Off camera Other TV Tools The copywriter must describe all of these in the TV script Talent Announcers Spokespersons Character types Celebrities

Planning the TV Commercial What’s the Big Idea What’s the benefit How can you turn that benefit into a visual element Gain the viewer’s interest Focus on a key visual, Be single minded Observe rules of good editing Try to show the product

Planning the TV Commercial Copywriters must plan Length of the commercial Shots in each scene Key visual Where and how to shoot the commercial Scenes Segments of action that occur in a single location Key frames The visual that sticks in one’s mind

Scripts and Storyboards The written version of the commercial’s plan Prepared by the copywriter Storyboard The visual plan or layout of the commercial Prepared by the art director

Writing for the Web More interactive than any other mass medium Copywriter challenged to attract people to the site and manage a dialogue-based communication experience Banners Most common form of online advertising

Writing for the Web Web ads Other Web formats Create awareness and interest in a product and build a brand image Focus on maintaining interest Other Web formats Games Pop-up windows Daughter windows Side frames

Global Environment Language affects the creation of the advertising Standardizing copy content by translating the appeal into the language of the foreign market is dangerous Use bilingual copywriters who can capture the essence of the message in the second language Back translation