Advertising
Ages ago, there was a prominent billboard adorning the Trafalgar Square in London that displayed a fantastic advertisement about the famed British-made Austin cars. The two and half feet letters in the hoarding said, “Do Not Buy An Austin Car” and then in smaller capitals it said, “Invest In An Austin Car”. The copy was indeed enthralling in its simplicity, approach, boldness and presentation.
Yet another modern day business ad in the form of gift items made by an internationally renowned IT company created quite a furor a few years ago when its Senior Sales Director had ordered for a number of gold plated cuff links with emblems of PC keyboard key buttons engrossed on them for distribution during the Christmas. When a set of cuff links with Ctrl punched on them was presented to the Chairman of the conglomerate, he was beside himself, overjoyed. But as another set of cold plated cuff links with the word Delete was sent to the prematurely retiring Finance Director, he immediately threw the presentation box out of the window!
Everything Is In The Idea
In fact, it is the idea behind an advertisement that matters, the medium merely performs the duty of sending it across to the target population. An advertisement often fails to click if the appropriate idea is not there. Even seasoned copywriters hunt for such ideas for days together when a defaced carton carrying the product suddenly gives way to the brainwave. Interestingly, sometimes the idea can be so simple that most others have missed it simply because it was so simple. But every idea must have a social need, which means that it must be serving a purpose for the consumer.
Get Your Course Here!
Simply put your first name and email in the boxes below to get your free business growth course.
UK Advertising
How to Get Advertisement Ideas
Ideas are never heaven sent. They are urged to come out of the human grey cells, and may present themselves if looked for painstakingly. To start with, one may get thoroughly acquainted not only with the product but also a few other factors like the target audience, media sustainability, target age-group, sex of the consumer and other such data. It is also important to obtain all necessary information about the product or services to be advertised. In order to get information about the product or the service, you may have to go through all relevant material about the product or the service. Such readings often give birth to ideas.
Idea hunting is best done when armed with a checklist. However, the checklists differ from product to product while the idea for a given parameter of service may require a more detailed checklist. A checklist that determines the factors that make people buy a particular product will sure give an idea for the ad.
Also significant is getting feedbacks on the first suggestion. Feedbacks provide that Midas touch, the ability to see through the other person’s eyes when a new outlook surfaces to give a clearer idea. This often makes the difference between success and failure.
Marketing ideas differ from media to media too. Because as the saying goes… whatever is good for the gander, may not be good for the geese. Advertisements that come in printed form might have a different line of approach as compared to those that are found in TV commercials or the roadside neon.