Designing an advertisement that is attractive to potential consumers may seem difficult, but it's actually easier than you think. In fact, the simpler, the better. An advertisement contains all the interesting, innovative and characterizing aspects of a brand, and is practically indispensable in today's economic market. It should also be remembered that it is a constantly evolving sector within the current digital environment. Many companies use traditional methods little or not at all, relying instead on social networks. However, despite the changing platforms, the cornerstones are still the same. Follow the steps in this article to conceive, write, design and test an advertisement.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Understanding the Audience
Step 1. Identify your target consumers
Your company or your product can interest a wide spectrum of consumers, however, for purely advertising purposes, it is preferable to think only of a specific sub-category of potential customers. A single advertisement cannot attract or refer to every single person - accept that and consider who are the most important consumers for this project. For instance:
- If you have to create an ad for a stroller, the audience is more likely to be new mothers than people who don't have children.
- If you need to create an advertisement for a graphics card, your audience probably knows enough about computers to realize they can upgrade the old card.
Step 2. Describe your target consumer
The more your team can come up with an accurate description, the more specific (and probably more effective) your advertising will be. Create a mental picture of the consumer to aim for and ask yourself the following questions:
- What is your approximate age or gender?
- Do you live in a big city or in the province?
- What is your income? Is he a wealthy CEO or a college student with little money?
- What other products do you use or like? Do you already use other products from your company?
Step 3. Describe the relationship between the target consumer and your product
Once you have a rough look at their lifestyle and demographics, consider how they'll interact with your specific product. Consider the following points:
- When will he use it? Will he need it immediately or will he use it when needed?
- How often will you use it? Once? Everyday? Once a week?
- Will he immediately recognize the benefits and functions of the product or will you be the one to instruct him?
Step 4. Identify the competition
Hopefully you have already created the product with the competition in mind. You should now evaluate how the advertisement could compete with (or complement) the competitors' promotional campaign and how they might react to your advertising project.
Ask yourself: Are there any products with similar functions in addition to yours? If so, focus on the differences, especially how your product outperforms the competition
Step 5. Describe the current market
Consider product positioning - is it a popular item right now? If so, ask yourself if and how you can distinguish your product from those already available on the market. Also consider the competitive landscape and the customers currently engaged. Ask yourself:
- Do customers already recognize / trust your brand?
- Are you hoping to win over the people who are using the competitor's product?
- Will you refer to those who currently have no options in the industry? Is your product the only one of its kind to be available on the market?
Step 6. Develop a strategy
By evaluating the information collected on the consumers you intend to reach and the way they would consider your product, you can devise an advertising strategy, which should take into account the so-called "3Cs": Company, company, Customer, consumer, and Competition, competition.
Strategy is a complex topic, but by carefully considering the wishes, strengths and possible future actions of the three players (the company, the consumer and the competition), anyone can devise a strategy that is articulated over time
Part 2 of 4: Writing the Advertisement
Step 1. Come up with a catchy and brilliant slogan
It must be short and concise: on average, a product does not need more than six or seven words. If it sounds like a tongue twister when you say it out loud, change it. In any case, it should grab the consumer's attention and convince him that your product is different from everyone else. Try using:
- Rima: “Very high. Very pure. Levissima ".
- Humor: "There are things you can't buy, for everything else there's Mastercard!".
- Pun: "It doesn't take a big brush, but a big brush".
- Creative images: “Listen to your thirst”.
- Metaphor: "Red Bull gives you wings".
- Alliteration: “Well? Benagol! ".
- Quality promise: “Locatelli does things right”.
- Affirmation in a dry tone: in the center of Copenhagen the Carlsberg beer brand has posted a sign that reads: "Probably the best beer in town".
Step 2. Make it unforgettable
When the consumer is at a point of purchase, your message needs to be in their mind. As soon as an advertisement borrows an all too familiar expression or word (such as "innovative", "guaranteed" or "giveaway"), it becomes interchangeable with thousands of others. Also, people are so used to clichés that they don't even pay attention to them anymore, so clichés end up losing their meaning.
- What really matters is how the consumer feels, not what they think. If your brand makes him feel good, you've achieved your goal.
- Getting someone to pay attention is especially helpful when you have a lot to say. For example, a long ad with an ecological footprint would not attract the attention of many if it did not have an unusual and irreverent slogan: if the person who sees it or the law wants to understand the joke, they must investigate.
- Learn to juggle controversy and entertainment. It is normal to go slightly beyond the limits of good taste to make advertising attract attention, but do not overdo it: the product must be recognized thanks to its own merit, not because it is associated with an advertising without taste.
Step 3. Use a persuasive technique
Persuading doesn't really mean convincing. Your goal is to make consumers believe that your product will make them feel better than anyone else. In most cases, a person decides to buy something based on how they feel. Here are some effective methods used by advertisers to get their ads caught:
- Repetition: help you remember your product by repeating key elements. People often have to listen to a name many times before they even remember hearing it (jingles are effective in this regard, but can also be annoying). If you go this route, design a more creative and less obvious repetition technique, like the one used in the Budweiser commercials featuring a frog (bud-weis-er-bud-weis-er). People will think they hate repetition, but they will remember it, and you will be halfway there.
- Common sense: challenge the consumer to consider a valid reason for not buying a product or service.
- Humor: make the consumer laugh, thus making you more likeable and easier to remember. This pairs particularly well with sincerity, as it can bring a breath of fresh air. Isn't your company the most famous in the industry and doesn't have a lot of means? Make fun of a short, sparse ad.
- Urgency: convincing the consumer to seize the moment. Limited time offers, clearance sales, and so on are the most common methods of implementing this method, but still avoid using meaningless phrases, which won't even be considered by customers.
Step 4. Grab the attention of your target audience
Take note of your target's age range, income level, and special interests. You should also consider the tone and appearance of the advertisement. Check often how the audience is reacting. Even if you've created the best ad ever, it won't be effective if the people who buy your product don't like it. For instance:
- Babies tend to be exposed to multiple stimuli, so you have to get their attention on various levels (colors, sounds, images).
- Young adults appreciate humor, and they also tend to react positively to elements that are in fashion and the influence of their peers.
- Adults are insightful and respond positively to quality, sophisticated humor, and the value of the product or service.
Step 5. Try to link consumers' wishes to the content of the advertisement
At this point, review your strategy. Make sure you focus on the most appealing aspects of the product. Why should it attract people? What sets it apart from other similar products? What do you prefer? They can all be good starting points for an advertisement.
- Ask yourself if your product or event is associated with an idea of ambition. Do you sell something that people would buy to feel better about their social or economic status? For example, you could sell tickets to a charity event that aims to convey an idea of elegance and luxury, even if the ticket price is much lower than what wealthy people might pay. If you are selling a product that is intended to provide inspiration, make the advertisement communicate an idea of fulfillment.
- Determine if the product has a practical purpose. If you sell an asset like a vacuum cleaner, designed to perform common functions or make life easier for the consumer, you are going in a different direction. Instead of emphasizing luxury, focus on whether the product or event will offer relaxation and tranquility to the customer.
- If there is an unmet desire or need, or if the consumer is feeling frustrated, can this create a market for your particular product? Evaluate the need people feel for a certain product or service.
Step 6. Make sure you include all relevant information
If the consumer needs to know where you are, what your phone number or website (or all three) to access your product, put them in a part of the advertisement. If you promote an event, include the seat, date, time and ticket price.
The most important element is the exhortation: what should the consumer do immediately after seeing the advertisement? Remind them
Step 7. Decide where and when to advertise
If you're promoting an event that will welcome more than 100 people, start doing it at least 6-8 weeks in advance. If there are fewer participants, start 3-4 weeks earlier. If you're advertising a product, think about the time of year when people are most likely to buy it.
For example, if you advertise a vacuum cleaner, you might want to start in the spring, when people clean the house thoroughly
Part 3 of 4: Designing an Advertisement
Step 1. Choose an unforgettable image
Often it takes something simple and unexpected. For example, the iPod's minimalist and colorful silhouette advertisements, which barely show the product, can't be sparser than that, but because they are unparalleled, they are instantly recognized.
Step 2. Stand out from the main competitors
A burger is a burger, but if you start thinking this way, you won't be selling anything. Use advertising to highlight your product's competitive advantage. To avoid legal problems, use phrases that talk about your product, not that of the competition.
For example, a Burger King ad makes fun of the size of the Big Mac; if the one in the image is actually the Big Mac packaging, the ad is literally telling the truth, so McDonald's doesn't have the right to sue
Step 3. Create a logo (optional)
A picture is worth a thousand words. If a logo is effective enough, the text can become utterly useless (Nike's "whisker", Apple's bitten apple, McDonald's bows, Shell's conch). If it is a newspaper advertisement or a TV commercial, try to develop a simple and enticing image that can be fixed in the mind of the reader or viewer. Consider the following:
- Do you already have a logo? If so, think of some innovative and creative ways to modify it.
- Will you work with a commonly used color palette? If your brand is instantly recognizable thanks to the colors in the advertisement or logo, take advantage of it. McDonald's, Google, and Coca-Cola are good examples.
Step 4. Look for a software or technique to create the advertisement
The realization depends on the medium used. If you start from scratch, it takes time to learn how to use an app or gain design skills. In these cases, it can be more useful (and less frustrating) to seek help on sites where graphic-savvy freelancers post ads. If you want to try it yourself, here are some tips to get you started:
- If it's a small-scale print advertisement (like a flyer or page in a magazine), try using a program like Adobe InDesign or Photoshop. If you are looking for a free program, you can use GIMP or Pixlr.
- If you intend to shoot a video, try working with iMovie, Picasa or Windows Media Player.
- If you intend to create an audio advertisement, you can work with Audacity or iTunes.
- For large-scale print advertising (such as a banner or billboard), you may want to contact a printer (ask which software they recommend).
Part 4 of 4: Testing an Ad
Step 1. Invite customers to contact someone in person
If consumers have the possibility to call your company after seeing an advertisement, you can invite them for example to “ask for Michele”. In another ad, invite them to “ask for Laura”. It doesn't matter if Michele and Laura really exist. What matters is that the person who will answer the phone calls notes how many people are calling. It's a free way to figure out which ads appeal to people and which ones don't.
Step 2. Develop a method for tracking data online
If your advertisement can be clicked on the internet, or sends the customer to a website, you will know immediately if it is effective or not. There are many data tracking tools to get you started.
- Make advertising stand out but not annoying. People tend to dislike giant ads, pop-ups, and anything that makes loud music suddenly go off.
- If the ad is annoying, people are more likely to turn it off. This way you won't have many views.
Step 3. Refer customers to different URLs on your website
This is a useful method for directly comparing the performance of two separate advertisements that you are using simultaneously. Set up your site to have two different landing pages for each ad you are testing, then examine how many people they attract. At this point you will have a simple and discreet tool to understand which strategies work best.
- Keep track of the number of views each page receives; this will make it even easier to see what works and what doesn't. A simple hit counter will do.
- Even if you like a certain design a lot, your audience doesn't necessarily like it too. If you're not getting enough views, try a different approach.
Step 4. Offer coupons of various colors
If using coupons is an integral part of your advertising strategy, make sure each ad has one in a different color so you can count them separately. Coupons will also make them more easily recognizable for customers.
Don't you love colors? Play with different shapes, sizes and fonts
Step 5. Evaluate the overall response to your advertisement
This will allow you to estimate the progress of your first job and learn for the future. Ask yourself the following questions, then outline your next ad based on the data collected.
- Did sales rise, fall, or stay the same as a result of advertising?
- Was it advertising that contributed to this new result?
- Ask yourself why the amount of sales has changed. Is it due to advertising or external forces beyond your control, for example a recession?
Advice
- Check and double-check the text of your advertisement.
- Minimalism is always the key. The less you have to read, the less you have to listen, the more effective your advertising will be.
- Ads are very expensive, but if they're good, they deliver great results. It may be worth paying a professional copywriter to get a good result.
- Whenever you can, use imperative verbs or verbs that invite action, such as "buy it now."
- Avoid using dull colors or fonts that are too small: they distract attention from advertising. Remember that the human eye is usually drawn to the brightest colors. If your ad doesn't have it, it won't get noticed too much. Design should be a distinctive feature, it shouldn't be left to chance.
- Go back to advertising again and ask yourself: "Does this convince me?" or "Would I buy my product if I saw this ad?".
- Consider the future of your advertising. Ads can - and should - make use of modern trends in design, technology and language, but they shouldn't have content that could be considered shocking or inappropriate 10 years later.
