So how do a company positions its products/services? How does it establish its brand? No doubt, advertising is one of the widely used tools in this new media age.
Like drafting a public relations plan, there are a few elements to take note of when developing a good advertising campaign: goal, strategy, target audience and media vehicle. More specifically, a good ad should be on strategy and on target.
Advertisers must clearly focus on the main objective, accurately explain the benefits and specifically highlight why consumers should buy that product. A good key message for a product delivers a real benefit to the consumer. The information must be delivered in a way that is intrusive and interruptive and at the same time, be based in truth. It must sound natural and believable, so the targeted audience internally nods its approval.
They need to speak to consumers in a way that makes the audience believe they are understood and valued. A good ad demonstrates an understanding of the target audience's needs and wants. Part of the success of an effective advertising campaign is due to the ad's ability to change how consumers thought.
Of course, there are many factors that should be taken into consideration. Target audience may segmented based on their geographic, demographic, psychographic or behaviour. Therefore, when advertising in an international market, cultural differences are taken note of.
Today, ads are no longer limited to traditional media. The Internet age is taking over the world. Advertisers are now using tools like blogs, social networking sites, podcasts to target its specific niche.
Summary - The Power of the Brand
- A brand is something the audience claims as its own.
- There is a relationship between a brand and the consumer.
- Agencies succeed because they know what will resonate with the target audience.
The Five-Step Creative Process
- The assignment - The agency identifies the client's identity and overall message. A creative brief is then developed to guide the strategic planning.
- The preparation - The agency compiles a creative brief by conducting research, gathering ideas and identifying the audience. The creative solution matches the strategy that was developed by the agency.
- The creative process - The agency's creative teams become informed about the objectives and audience.
- The solution - The creative teams develop several campaign solutions. They select the best one to present to the client.
- The verification (evaluation) - Creative solutions must always be evaluated to determine if they
- solved the correct problem;
- targeted the correct audience;
- remained on strategy;
- used the appropriate tone of voice;
- delivered a relevant and believable message with a needs-driven benefit.
- Agencies' focus is to develop a message that can work equally well in all media in order to reach their target audience.
Work at Your Own Pace
- Some ideas take longer and must be allowed the proper time to percolate. It is better to have an on-strategy than to have a weak campaign that isn't well thought out.
On Target and On Strategy
- Advertising must clearly focus on the main objective, accurately explain the benefits and specifically highlight why consumers should buy that product.
- It must also be on target.
- The information must be delivered in a way that is intrusive and interruptive.
- The message must sound natural and believable, so the targeted audience internally nods its approval.
- It must also make an emotional connection with the audience.
- Advertisers need to speak to consumers in a way that makes the audience believe they are understood and valued.
- Visuals and messages are becoming more straightforward, more relevant, and more realistic.
- "For an idea to get noticed, it has to be disruptive. But the disruption has to be based in truth."
On Strategy and On Target: Speaking Clearly to the Audience
There are a few ways an ad gets its audience's approval
- Part of the success of an effective advertising campaign was due to the ad's ability to change how consumers thought.
- The advertising was able to make consumers rethink their beliefs.
- Applied intuition, radical common sense and solid judgement will result in truthful, beautiful and relevant ideas every time.
Targeting Specific Audience
- Sometimes the product needs to be repackaged to become more useful to the user.
- Reaching a specific audience goes beyond just the advertising message and must also embrace the packaging and amentities.
- When targeting a segmented target in an international market, cultural difference is taken into consideration.
- A good key message for a product delivers a real benefit to the consumer.
- On-strategy ad demonstrates an understanding of needs and wants.
- Besides on target, the right media should be used.
Other Ways to Communicate with the Target Audience
- Today, advertising campaigns are no longer limited to ads, billboards, direct mail and TV commercials.
- New media have emerged, e.g. podcasts, blogs, web banners, RSS, etc.
It's Not Just about the Media
- Everything needs to work together to support the strategy: the media, the message, the visual, the tone of voice, the shell and all other aspects of the ad.
- Some good ads may have been straightforward, but they delievered an intelligible and relevant message that persuaded the target audience to buy the product.
- The goal of an ad is to:
- create excitement by using a medium in an unexpected way;
- emphasize the company of brand.
