3.3.

Effective and Creative Advertising

Messages

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–1

 What is effective Ad?
• No simple answer is possible, but toward this end
we first must attempt to understand the meaning
of effective advertising. It is easy, in one sense, to
define effective advertising: advertising is
effective if it accomplishes the advertiser’s
objectives.
• This perspective defines effectiveness from the
output side, or in terms of what it accomplishes.
It is much more difficult to define effective
advertising from an input perspective, or in terms
of the composition of the advertisement itself.

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–2

•
Cont’d...
At a minimum, good (or effective) advertising
satisfies the following considerations:
• It must extend from sound marketing strategy
• Effective advertising must take the consumer’s
view
• Advertising must find a unique way to break
through the clutter
• Good advertising should never promise more
than it can deliver
• Good advertising prevents the creative idea from
overwhelming the strategy
Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–3
 Creating Effective Advertising

Meaning of
Effective Advertising

Accomplishment Composition
(Output Perspective) (Input Perspective)

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–4

 Effective Advertising
Extends from
Sound Marketing
Strategy

Takes the Breaks through

Consumer’s View the Clutter

Delivers on Doesn’t Overwhelm

Its Promises the Strategy

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–5

 Creativity: The CAN Elements

The CAN Elements

of Creative Ads

Connectedness Appropriateness Novelty

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–6

 What is creative ad?
• Advertising creativity is the ability to
generate fresh, unique, and appropriate
ideas that can be used as solutions to
communications problems. To be appropriate
and effective, a creative idea must be relevant
to the target audience.
• Read right…. Page...241

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–7

 The Creative Process

• One of the most popular approaches to

creativity in advertising was developed by
James Webb Young, a former creative vice
president at the J. Walter Thompson agency.
• Young said, “The production of ideas is just as definite a
process as the production of Fords; the production of ideas,
too, runs an assembly line; in this production the mind follows
an operative technique which can be learned and controlled;
and that its effective use is just as much a matter of practice in
the technique as in the effective use of any tool.”

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–8

 Young’s model of the creative process
contains five steps:
1. Immersion. Gathering raw material and information through
background research and immersing yourself in the problem.
2. Digestion. Taking the information, working it over, and
wrestling with it in the mind.
3. Incubation. Putting the problems out of your conscious mind
and turning the information over to the subconscious to do
the work.
4. Illumination. The birth of an idea—the “Eureka! I have it!”
phenomenon.
5. Reality or verification. Studying the idea to see if it still looks
good or solves the problem; then shaping the idea to
practical usefulness.

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–9

 Cont’d…
• Young’s process of creativity is similar to a four-
step approach outlined much earlier by English
sociologist Graham Wallas:
1. Preparation. Gathering background information
needed to solve the problem through research
and study.
2. Incubation. Getting away and letting ideas
develop.
3. Illumination. Seeing the light or solution.
4. Verification. Refining and polishing the idea and
seeing if it is an appropriate solution.
Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–10
 Creative Strategy Development

• A campaign theme should be a strong idea, as

it is the central message that will be
communicated in all the advertising and other
promotional activities.
• Nike …………Just do it
• Coca-Cola ……The pause that refreshes

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–11

 Copy Platform

• The written copy platform specifies the basic

elements of the creative strategy. Different
agencies may call this document a creative
platform or work plan, creative brief, creative
blueprint, or creative contract

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–12

 Copy platform outline
1. Basic problem or issue the advertising must
address.
2. Advertising and communications objectives.
3. Target audience.
4. Major selling idea or key benefits to
communicate.
5. Creative strategy statement (campaign theme,
appeal, and execution technique to be used).
6. Supporting information and requirements.

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–13

 Getting Messages to “Stick”
• Characteristics of Sticky Ads
– Their audience readily comprehends the
advertiser’s intended message
– They are remembered
– They change the target audience’s brand-related
opinions or behavior
– They have lasting impact: they stick

8–14
Temesgen B. (PhD)
 Sticky Messages: SUCCESs

Simplicity

Unexpectedness Concreteness

Common Elements
of Sticky Ads

Credibility Emotionality

Storytelling

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–15

 Advertising Successes and
Mistakes
• Value Proposition
– Is the essence of a message and the reward to the
consumer for investing his or her time attending
to an advertisement
– The reward could be information about the
product or just an enjoyable experience
– Research indicates that starting with a strong
selling proposition substantially increases the
odds of creating effective advertisements

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–16

Combination of Message Convincingness
and Execution Quality

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–17

 Cont’d…

Successful Result from both the brand management team and

Campaigns the creative team having done their work well

Marketing Occur when the brand manager fails to distinguish

Mistakes the brand from competitive offerings

Result from the ad agency’s inability to design an

Agency
effective execution, even though its brand
Mistakes management client has a convincing message

Complete Are caused by poor value propositions and

Disasters mediocre executions

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–18

 Constructing a Creative Brief
Item Question
Background What is the background to this job?

Target Audience Whom do we need to reach with the ad campaign?

Thoughts and What do members of the target audience currently think and
Feelings feel about our brand?

Objectives and What do we want the target audience to think or feel about the
Measures brand, and what measurable effects is the advertising
designed to accomplish?

Behavioral Outcome What do we want the target audience to do?

Positioning What is the brand positioning?

Message and What general message is to be created, and what medium is

Medium most appropriate for reaching the target audience?

Strategy What is the strategy?

Nitty-Gritty Details When (deadline) and how much (budget)?

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–19
 Alternative Styles of Creative
Advertising
• Functionally Oriented Advertising
– Appeals to consumers’ needs for tangible,
physical, and concrete benefits
• Symbolically or Experientially Oriented
Advertising
– Is directed at psychosocial needs
• Category-Dominance Advertising
– Does not necessarily use any particular type of
appeal to consumers but is designed to achieve
an advantage over competitors in the same
product category
Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–20
Styles of Creative Advertising

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–21

 Creative Advertising Styles
Creative Style Strategy

Unique Selling Identifying an important difference that makes a brand unique

Proposition and supports a claim that competitors cannot match

Brand Image Developing an image or identity for a brand by associating the

brand with symbols that provide a transformational context

Resonance Attempting to match “patterns” in an advertisement with the

target audience’s stored experiences

Emotional Aiming to reach the consumer at a visceral level through the use
of emotional strategy

Generic Making no attempt to differentiate the dominant brand from

competitive offerings or to claim superiority

Preemptive Making a generic-type claim but doing so with an assertion of

superiority

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–22

 Cont’d…
• several approaches can guide the creative
team’s search for a major selling idea and
offer solutions for developing effective
advertising. Some of the best-known
approaches follow:
• Using a unique selling proposition.
• Creating a brand image.
• Finding the inherent drama.eg. Habesha Beer
• Positioning.
Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–23
 Unique Selling Proposition

• Reeves noted three characteristics of unique

selling propositions:
1. Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer.
Not just words, not just product puffery, not just show-
window advertising. Each advertisement must say to each
reader: “Buy this product and you will get this benefit.”
2. The proposition must be one that the competition either
cannot or does not offer. It must be unique either in the brand
or in the claim.
3. The proposition must be strong enough to move the mass
millions, that is, pull over new customers to your brand.

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–24

 Reading Asst.

Guidelines for Evaluating Creative Output…

page 292 …

END
Questions???

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–25

 Is the creative approach consistent with the
brand’s marketing and advertising objectives?
 Is the creative approach consistent with the
creative strategy and objectives? Does it
communicate what it is supposed to? The
advertising appeal and execution must meet
the communications objectives laid out in the
copy platform, and the ad must say what the
advertising strategy calls for it to say.
 Is the creative approach appropriate for the
target audience? Generally, much time has
been spent defining, locating, and attempting
to understand the target audience for the
advertiser’s product or service.

Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–26

• Does the creative approach communicate a
clear and convincing message to the
customer? Most ads are supposed to
communicate a message that will help sell the
brand. Many ads fail to communicate a clear
and convincing message that motivates
consumers to use a brand.
• Does the creative execution keep from
overwhelming the message? Acommon
criticism of advertising, and TV commercials
in particular, is that so much emphasis is
placed on creative execution that the
advertiser’s message gets overshadowed.

03/04/22 Temesgen B. (PhD) 8–27