Advertising Evaluation

Earlier in the year The Association of Advertising Agencies met in Florida. The basic theme proclaimed was that advertising won’t work unless it’s creative.

That is the same old saw that the agencies have been pushing for decades. It all starts with a client meeting with lots of charts, pretty pictures, smoke, not much strategy and a hefty budget.

What’s a client to do? If you’ve ever been put into this position, here’s a short course on how to evaluate advertising.

First of all, advertising is what you do when you can’t go to see somebody personally. You send a television commercial or a print ad to tell your story. Any ad program has to start with the product difference you are trying to communicate. Why buy my product instead of someone else’s? You’re not after a meaningless slogan. Your program has to contain that difference and the benefit that comes with it.

Most agencies today will pitch the concept that advertising has to form a bond with the customer. The customers have to like the advertising, which means you can’t sell too hard. Liking advertising is only useful if you’re selling tickets to watch it.

Don’t buy into all that.

The basic role of an agency is to take that difference and make it interesting by dramatizing it. People are attracted to the media because of its entertainment and information value, not because they are dying to see your latest ad. The agency can use sex or humor or whatever, but the ad must communicate that reason to buy. If you like the way the agency did that, approve it. Or ask for more drama.

A good example was the introductory advertising PepsiCo rolled out for their brand of water called Aquafina. The differentiating idea is guaranteed purity, which is right on the label. The commercial shows nothing but pure water and the brand. The verbal message describes the product as “pure nothing.” They did a brilliant job of dramatizing nothing.

It’s important to realize that people know an ad when they see one. And since these ads are usually interrupting what they are watching or reading, people are not too happy about being forced to watch them. No one likes to be sold. So a little candor goes a long way. This kind of honesty is very disarming. People will often give you a positive response if you’re candid with them.

If your widget is a little ugly, admit it. But then go on to say it’s very reliable. People will buy it. That’s exactly what Bill Bernbach communicated years ago when he started writing the advertising for the Volkswagen’s VW Beetle. They admitted the car was small and ugly, but they also told people it was reliable. This wasn’t creativity. It was candid and brilliant strategy.

To me one of the most candid and effective current programs is the one that Boar’s Head is running to advertise its 350 deli products. They candidly compare their high-quality meats to their competitors’ products. Their concept is simple: “Almost Boar’s Head isn’t Boar’s Head.” They’ve convinced people to spend a lot more per pound to get that quality.

Another tip is to try to make your message sound like big news. People are always looking for news. News is very disarming, and people let down their “being sold” defenses. Believe me, if you start an advertisement with an announcer saying, “before you push that button on your remote, I have some important news for you,” you would freeze every viewer in their chairs.

Also, beware of complexity. You’re not going to get much time from people, so you must keep your advertising simple. One message is better than two messages. Simple visuals are better than dramatic visuals. And here’s a simple trick: Rhyme things if you can. It makes your words much more memorable. Why do you think people remember poetry more than prose? It’s the rhyme. Ralph Waldo Emerson put it perfectly when he said, “The road to the heart is the ear.”

Most important, you’re in search of the obvious idea. This is apt to be so simple and commonplace that it has no appeal to the imagination. Humans all like clever ideas, but the obvious idea is most likely to work well.

To sum up, when you’re evaluating advertising, avoid meaningless slogans and look for your product’s difference. Then judge how well the ad dramatizes that difference, how honest the message is, how simply the message is presented and whether or not there is some interesting news for your customer that translates into a benefit. If the advertising does some or all of that, it’s good. If not, it’s bad. Then, be patient and let the ad work.

Advertising takes time to register with people. So you have to stay with your message for a long enough time for them to get it. When you’re bored with the message, your customers will probably just begin to notice and remember it.

The Blake Project Can Help: The Strategic Brand Storytelling Workshop

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education

FREE Publications And Resources For Marketers