Advertising Execution

Kruti Shah @ SEMCOM

Aug 2, 2010
What makes a good ad?
 What makes a good ad?
• Ability to fulfill objectives

• Sound strategic foundation

• Benefits, not features

– What’s in it for your prospects?
 What makes a good ad?
• Grabs and retains attention
– All elements are in sync

• Emotionally connects with the customer

CREATING EFFECTIVE ADS
Advertising begins with… Research
• Digging for facts, data, information and
knowledge

• Helps unearth nuggets about target audience,

spot new trends, uncover new product uses,
discover competitor’s weaknesses, etc.
Lux discovers a male audience through
research
Cadbury cashes on social gifting
Fundamentals of an ad campaign
Fundamentals of an ad campaign
Fevicol creates a strong bond
 Dhara delivers
the health proposition
ADVERTISING STRATEGY
Arriving at an advertising strategy
What messages do these brands give?
 Top strategy mistakes
• Delivering an ineffective message
– “Precious butter,” Sony-Erickson cell phone

• Changing an effective strategy

– Liril, Forhans vs. Colgate
Saffola’s ‘healthy heart’ proposition
BIG IDEA
Ad 1 Ad 3

Ad 2
Happydent exaggerates the benefits
of sparkling teeth
 Creativity
• Giving birth to something new

• Application of past experiences or ideas in a

novel way

• Being imaginative, innovative, original &

different
Traits of creative minds
Stimulate your creativity
 Brainstorming
• Coming up with creative ideas in a group
• Generating maximum new ideas in a given
time with no bars held
• May be an arbitrated process
• Ideas to be recorded for later selection
Preparing for brainstorming
What can you brainstorm on?
Media as a springboard for ideas
Competition as a springboard for ideas
Day 1

Day 2

Day 3
Shortcomings give ideas
Words & visuals for ideas
 Current affairs give ideas

Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico- June'10

Commonly practiced creative techniques
 Rack your grey cells
• You are driving down the road in your car on a wild,
stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you
see three people waiting for the bus
– An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
– An old friend who once saved your life.
– The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Knowing that there can only be one passenger in

your car, whom would you choose?
Analogies give ideas
LET’S PRACTICE!
CREATIVE EXECUTION
 What is creativity in advertising?
• Relevance

• Originality

• Impact
 Where do creative ideas come from?
• Anywhere!
Creative execution tips
 Message appeals
• Rational appeal

• Emotional appeals
– Hasya, raudra, karuna, shringar, adbhut, bibhatsa,
shant, veera and bhay

• What appeal(s) to use?

 Bhay rasa
• Raise anxiety
– Pepsodent, dettol, lifebuoy, saffola, complan,
sugar free…
• Show danger
– Saffola, fair & lovely, anchor switches, iodized
salt…
• Arousing tension
– Neo sports
 Hasya rasa
• Humour vs. jokes

• When to use?

• When not to use

 Message formats
• Factual/ news • Teasers
• Comparison • Spokespersons
• Demonstration • Personality symbol
• Problem-solution • Vignette
• Drama • Testimonial
• Musical • Lifestyle
• Scientific evidence
 Ordering effect & arguments
• Primacy vs. recency
• Arguments vs. counter-
arguments
This Volkswagen missed the boat.
The chrome strip on the glove compartment is blemished and must be replaced.
Chances are you wouldn't have noticed it; Inspector Kurt Kroner did.
There are 3,389 men of our Wolfsburg factory with only one job; to inspect
Volkswagens at each stage of production. (3,00 Volkswagens are produced daily;
there are more inspectors than cars.)
Every shock absorber is tested (spot checking won't do), every windshield is
scanned. VWs have been rejected for surface scratches barely visible to the eye.
Final inspection is really something! VW inspectors run each car off the line onto
the Funktionsprüfstand (car test stand), tote up 189 check points, gun ahead to
the automatic brake stand and say "no" to one VW out of fifty.
This preoccupation with detail means the VW lasts longer and requires less
maintenance, by and large, than other cars. (It also means a used VW
depreciates less than any other car.)
We pluck the lemons; you get the plums.
 Message structure
• Verbal vs. nonverbal

– 5 categories of nonverbal comm:

• Facial expression
• Body movement & gestures
• Paralanguage (loudness, pitch, voice tremor…)
• Proximity behaviours
• Multichannel communication (simultaneous
interaction)
 Message structure
• Words rule when:
– Complicated message,
detailed description, re-
reading
– High-involvement
product
– Desire-to-buy stage
– Abstract information
• Visuals rule when:
– Attention-grabbing
– Fast communication
– Lasting impression,
better remembrance
– Demonstration
– Differentiation for
undifferentiated
products
 Source of a message
• The communicator or endorser

• Message presentation source

– person, animated character or voice-over who
delivers the message
• E.g. chintamani, energizer bunny, ash for nakshatra,
pillsbury attaboy…
 Characteristics of the source

Credibility

Attractiveness

Power
 Celeb sizzle – the pros
• Familiarity
• Credibility
• Gestalt perception
• Differentiation
• Relevance
 Celeb sizzle – the cons
• Short lifecycle
• Bad press
• Expensive
• Price fallacy
• Tantrums
• Multiple endorsements
• Lack of credibility when misfit
• Shifting loyalties
• Vampiring
 Managing celebrities
• Catch them young

• Strategy over star dust

• Choose the right celebrity

 Let’s practice!
• Product: Naturelz hair oil
• Properties: natural ingredients, prevents hair loss,
dandruff & other hair ailments
• Target audience: people w/ severe hair problems
• Price: high
• Create an inanimate character that would suit your
product. Describe the character.