mk0016-b1809-slm-unit-06

Advertising Management and Sales Promotion Unit 6

Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 112

Unit 6 Advertising Copy and Design Strategy

Structure:

6.1 Introduction

Objectives

6.2 Advertising Copy

Types of advertising copy

6.3 Creativity in Advertising

6.4 Copy Testing Methods

6.5 Visual Strategies

Art department specialists

Developing a layout

Power of synergy

6.6 Summary

6.7 Glossary

6.8 Terminal Questions

6.9 Answers

6.1 Introduction

In the previous unit, you learnt about the factors that affect the

persuasiveness of an advertising message. In this unit, you will study ad

copy and design strategies to enhance advertising’s persuasiveness.

Both copy and visuals are important elements of any ad and go hand-in-

glove in delivering the advertising message. Together, they form the

creative components of an advertisement. It is important to learn how to

design these elements because the impact of an ad not only depends on

what is said, but also on how it is said.

Objectives:

After studying this unit, you should be able to:

analyse the importance of copy in a campaign

distinguish between different kinds of copy

explain the importance of creativity in advertising

describe copy testing

explain the details of the visual part of an ad



6.2 Advertising Copy

Advertising copy is the text of a print, radio, television ad (or ad in any other

medium) that aims at catching and holding the interest of the prospective

buyer, and eventually persuading him/her to make a purchase – all within a

short time. The “headline” is considered to be the most important part of a

print copy that is supposed to convey the main message in an ad and

hopefully, sell the product to the reader even if he/she doesn’t read the

entire ad. Advertising professionals will tell you that an ad is about ONE

IDEA. Readers should know what that idea is by the time they finish reading

the headline.

Most ads try to keep the ad copy simple and brief, making the offer or

benefit as irresistible as possible, to rise above the clutter of competition.

The ad copy takes unusual ideas presented with fascinating treatment, or

what the advertising industry calls THE BIG IDEA. Although a short

advertising copy is more prevalent in FMCG advertising, a long copy is often

read by consumers if it succeeds in catching their fancy or aids them in

making a critical purchase decision.

In the last century, copy was typically written from the manufacturer or

brand’s point of view. It highlighted a brand’s features and attributes, such

as “the most acclaimed science college”, “market leader since 1955”,

“winner of export award,” all with a “we” focus. It left the target wondering

what was there in it for him. Now copy is written with a “you” focus—“keeps

your skin petal soft in harsh winter,” “cures the most stubborn dandruff,” “get

extra 3 km per litre with this new additive in the petrol,” etc., always

highlighting what benefits the user will get. The objective is to hook the

reader and then stay on in his mind by the power of good communication

until the desired action is taken.

The job of a copy is to touch the target at a subliminal level. It also has to

attract attention to the important benefits and features of the brand,

supported by a strong selling message; all in a simple, reader-friendly and

inviting language. Brevity, accuracy and simplicity are the core of good

copywriting. Although a witty copy strikes a chord with its consumers, it is

important that copywriters are rather clear, than clever. Clearly, it is not an

easy job. Most successful copywriters are highly specialised in two or three

areas and none can write for all the products an agency will service.



Industrial, technical and scientific clients would need a copywriter with a

clear mind, who can comprehend the technicality and complexity of the

product or service in the first place, before any acceptable writing can be

attempted. Consumer products on the other hand need a highly

entertaining, competitive and gripping writing style.

Activity 1

Pick up any print advertisement from your favourite magazine and

identify the headline. Determine the ‘main idea’ of that print ad. Mention

what was the focus of the copy of the ad.

6.2.1 Types of advertising copy

Here are some of the major types of ads and thus copy that is written to suit

these ads:

Consumer advertising – These are the prima donnas of advertising,

the most visible, expensive, lavish, most frequently repeated in multiple

media and the most entertaining of the genre. Naturally, such ads attract

the best of the professional creative talent. Since they have to be

repeated endlessly to beat competition, the copies are designed to

withstand the boredom of repetition. They attempt to influence the target

either to switch a brand or to continue using the advertised brand. These

are FMCG products like food, clothes and household appliances and

beauty care products used by ordinary folks in their daily life. So, the

message is entertaining, direct and hard selling. Attractive visuals are an

important part of these ads, whereas copy tends to be minimal.

Corporate advertising – These ads do not try to sell the brands

manufactured by the company, but attempts to build the equity and

image for the company itself. These are created when a company feels

that it has reached a status wherein it is bigger than the sum total of its

products. Such ads talk about the integrity, quality consciousness,

welfare programmes, social responsibility of the company, etc., and

hope that some of the prestige will rub off on its brands.

In the short run, this category may seem wasteful and pointless,

especially in times of recession, since by definition they have to be large

ads. But this is absolutely necessary, because only when a consumer



trusts and respects the company, he/she will continue to buy the brands

he/she may already be using, but buy any of the new products

introduced by the company in the future.

The house of Tata handles corporate ads with superb elegance. Until

about 30 years ago, the Tatas made only steel, trucks and all such

boring and dreary things. Then they startled the country by

diversifying into high class jewellery (Tanishq), exquisite watches

(Titan), sports utility vehicles (e.g. Sumo) and then, the first

passenger car completely designed and produced by an Indian

company, the Indica range of cars. Each of these products had

teething problems, but people bought them anyway, since the faith in

the integrity of the Tata group was so absolute and complete and

because the house of Tata is perceived to be bigger than all its

products put together. The corporate ads of Tata, such as the

celebrated one which said, “We also make steel” had gone a long

way in enhancing the group’s image. The Tatas did it again in 2009

with the launch of Tata Nano, “the smallest and cheapest car in the

world.” Nobody had much idea about what kind of market the car

could be launched in or the kind of roads that would be suitable for

the Nano. But lakhs of people queued up for it as soon as the booking

opened. The Tatas, however, were more restrained and observed

that “Nano is not a Honda,” to tame down the enthusiasm. Such is the

value of corporate equity.

Image or corporate advertising is often used in situations where an

organisation needs to educate the target audience on some issue. For

instance, it may be used in situations where a merger has occurred

between two companies and the newly formed company has taken on a

new name (e.g. the Vodafone ads that simply said, “Hutch is now

Vodafone”). Such ads are also used in case a company has received

recent negative publicity and wants to let the market know that they

have much more to offer, which would make the issue on hand look

small (e.g. “A drop of happiness” ads by Coca-Cola after the pesticide

issue). This category is also used to announce research carried on,

charitable and social welfare work done by the company or its status or



contribution in times of extraordinary national crisis affecting much of its

customers and targets.

Advocacy advertising – Organisations use such advertising to send a

message intended to influence a targeted audience. In most cases,

there is an underlying benefit sought by an organisation when they

engage in advocacy advertising. For instance, an organisation may take

a stand on a political issue, which they feel could negatively impact it

and release advertisements to voice their position on the issue.

The Mobile Manners campaign was a pioneering stance taken by

Hutch that urged consumers to use their mobile phones responsibly.

A television commercial for Hutch depicts a father playing with his

little son. The father then fetches his mobile to take a picture of the

baby. But the annoyed kid seizes the mobile and throws it away. The

next shot shows a line on the screen that reads, “Bina izazat photo na

kheechein.” The commercial is then closed with the Hutch logo

Advertorial advertising – This is a tool to enhance the credibility of

advertising copy and is common these days. Consumers and readers

alike have become cynical about the hyperbole and intrusiveness

associated with regular advertising and discount it immediately. The

advertorials, though paid for and labelled in small type as

“advertisement,” are written exactly like an editorial piece. Similar writing

style of formal language, paragraphs and punctuations, typeface,

column width, technique of headlines and sub-headlines and flat, square

photographs as regular journalistic editorials, make people believe that

the newspaper itself has written it and stands by it.

This technique is used to give the reading public information that

ordinarily cannot be given in an advertisement, such as ongoing

research, discovery of new product benefits, new products in the

pipeline, international joint ventures clinched, export profile, large

increase in sale or profit, etc. Such ads are created with the hope that it

would reflect on the brand itself, through heightened prestige and trust in

the company.



Public service advertising – This advertising is used for the cause of

public good. It is a corollary of corporate advertising and flourishes when

the economy does well. These are also released when a company can

afford to talk about things other than its products. This genre gives

information not ordinarily available to the common man, such as where

to find help or support group for alcoholism, cancer or HIV, polio

vaccination, basic healthcare, domestic violence, government funded

services, addiction, educational information, etc. Figure 6.1 depicts

Cancer Patients’ Aid Association subtly conveying such messages.

Family planning messages by the Family Planning Department or anti-

smoking messages by Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) are also

examples of public service advertising.

Fig. 6.1: Public Service Advertisement

These ads are also often released by products, which are not allowed to

advertise in mass media in India, such as alcoholic beverages, ethical

drugs and services. For instance, a liquor manufacturer may release ads

on evils of drunkenness and where to find help to overcome addiction;

an ethical drug manufacturer can give information for detection and

treatment of diseases for which it manufactures medication.

Like alcoholic beverages, the government has stopped mass media

advertising for tobacco products also since 2004, as the USA

Second hand smoke kills



government just did in 2009. Thus, these two categories often use public

service ads to keep their brand names familiar in the minds of the

targets.

Financial advertising – 2007–09 had been bad for businesses.

Otherwise, most companies prefer to raise finance from public directly

through Initial Public Offering (IPOs). To introduce these, a set of 3–4

ads are released – a corporate ad that persuades an investor to trust the

company, one ad to familiarise the reader or investor with the products

and brands of the company, a financial ad that describes the offer, then

an ad thanking the investors. Sometimes just one ad combines all of it.

These are highly technical ads written by copywriters specialising in

finance.

Industrial advertising – These are informative and unglamorous,

occupying a huge amount of advertising space and budget. They sell all

the capital goods, B-to-B and intermediary industrial products,

maintenance and after-care services, etc. Usually these ads are

released in industrial journals and magazines. This category also

includes other kinds of industrial communication including catalogues,

manuals, specification sheets, after-care and maintenance manuals, etc.

Industrial copywriters are highly specialised and valued because they

need the ability to understand and then write about any technical

product that comes to them.

Specialty advertising – It is also known as collaterals. This is a form of

sales promotion but designed by the advertising agency. A company can

have its name and a slogan printed on glasses (for a manufacturer of

alcoholic beverages), caps, school bags, jackets, key chains, pens, etc.,

which work as a kind of brand extension. They are sometimes give-

aways and are designed to increase public awareness of the brand.

Trade advertising – This type is strictly for selling within the trade and

released only in trade magazines and newspapers. They are highly

technical, brief, to the point, descriptive and no-nonsense business

communication.

Direct Mail (DM) advertising – It is a kind of tactical advertising, which

is aimed at stimulating a sale directly. It is delivered straight to the



consumer and generally includes an offer. For example, a direct mail

received from Reader’s Digest persuading you to subscribe for three

years straight for a 25% discount. You will learn in detail about this tool

in Unit 8. This needs special kind of copywriting, since it contains many

pieces such as a personalised letter and envelope, catalogues, flyers,

response cards, all pulling together to sell the brand or service.

Retail advertising – It is aimed at building store traffic, creating a

distinctive image for the store and more often than not, at triggering

sales in the short run (direct response). Retail advertising is more

informational, giving details about the outlet and its offerings. For

example, your local merchant might put up a small note on his

blackboard that home delivery will be provided free of cost. The

explosion of consumerism in India has crystallised this type of

advertising. Especially with fancy shopping malls even in small towns

now, retail advertising requires specialised copy strategy. These are

strictly local and paid for by the retailers and not the manufacturers. For

shopping malls, often these ads are paid for by a group of shops.

Cooperative advertising – In this, several parties with same brands or

products share the advertising expense. It is an excellent tool applied in

malls and busy shopping areas where they sell similar products,

cosmetics or garment brands. Distributors and service providers for

expensive machinery, where the product ad itself is paid for by the

stakeholders, also use this kind of advertising. In return, the paying

entities are allowed to insert their detailed contacts for potential

customers.

Recruitment advertising – India being a young and growing nation,

recruitment ads are nearly as important as consumer ads. These are

released in special pages of daily newspapers, in classified sections and

online. Most general interest magazines, like India Today, also have

recruitment sections. The objective of these ads is not only to attract the

best talent available, but also to sell the image of the company.

Classifieds and personal advertising – This class has grown into a

huge segment in itself. It can be anything from an ad for a lost cat to an

obituary or birthday greeting, lost and found columns to job vacancy

listings. Since these are released by common people, they have to be



written very tightly and clearly to attract maximum response without

being too telegraphic or expensive.

Tender advertising – This is not exactly exciting copy, but an

inalienable part of serving a client. These ads inform a company’s

suppliers about the goods and services it requires from time to time.

Notification and legal ads – This is a large category of ads on various

issues such as change of name, admission and recruitment notices,

change of telephone numbers and addresses, intention to buy property,

marriage announcements, legal termination of an employee, etc. Such

ads may be issued by individuals or organisations and are bland,

minimalistic and to-the-point.

Outdoor advertising – This covers a big area and includes everything

from hoardings, posters, lit panels, etc. in railway stations and airports,

on the sidewalls of buildings, lamp poles on the road, etc. Such ads are

also called Out-Of-Home or OOH. This is a good medium to reach

people who do not read newspapers and magazines or watch television

regularly, because either they are at work till late at night or because

they travel. Such people also buy, and more important, they influence

purchase or pay for them. These ads are designed to be reminder

media, because people see it only in passing, while walking or driving

and are not likely to stop and read a whole message. Therefore, they

need brief and pithy copy with no more than 6–8 words. The messages

should have visuals with drama and impact, often comprising just a

powerful headline and pack shot.

Reminder and Point-of-Purchase (PoP) media – These are all the in-

store pieces like danglers, tents, placemats in bars and restaurants,

which just mention the brand name and colour scheme of the company.

Nobody is reading in these situations, so the copy is brief, may be just a

slogan. These are extremely effective, because they catch the eye of the

shopper or diner without him/her even being aware of it and the chances

of him/her picking up that brand with top-of-the-mind recall is high.

These are usually considered the domain of the sales and marketing

staff, but are written and designed by the advertising agency. They

follow the slogan, colour scheme and general mood of the campaign

running at that time.



Self Assessment Questions

1. The _____________ is considered to be the most important part of a

print copy that is supposed to convey the main message in an ad.

2. ______________ do not try to sell the brands manufactured by the

company, but attempts to build the equity and image for the company

itself.

3. ______________ are written exactly like an editorial piece.

4. Advertisements on polio vaccination and basic healthcare are

examples of ____________ advertising

5. Industrial advertising sell all the capital goods, B-to-B and intermediary

industrial products, maintenance and after-care services, etc.

(True/False)

6. Speciality advertising is also known as collaterals. (True/False).

7. In _____________ advertising several parties with same brands or

products share the advertising expense.

8. Outdoor advertisements covers a big area and includes everything

from hoardings, posters, etc. (True/False)

6.3 Creativity in Advertising

There is a lot of hype and noise about creativity in advertising, largely

created by the advertising professionals themselves. It is a truly indefinable

quality that defies structure, definition or even rational comprehension.

Creating a good advertisement is not a simple task. A good piece of ad is a

hard-headed business communication, released at a tremendous expense,

designed to deliver results, much beyond the scale of expense involved.

Advertising luminaries are of the opinion that creativity in advertising is

about delivering a relevant selling message in an unexpected manner, such

that it catches the attention of the target audiences. It establishes a

connection with them and makes them want to read, listen or view. The

agency DDB Needham aptly summarises this concept of creativity in

advertising through its ROI Springboard, one of the central tools for effective

communication: an idea is considered creative when it is relevant, original

and impactful (ROI).1

1 Source: www.ddb.com; www.answers.com

http://www.ddb.com/

http://www.answers.com/



Note the word “relevant.” Creativity should be in line with the advertising

strategy and marketing objective. Creativity that ignores the aptness or

purpose of a message fails in bringing desired results. “Original” means

“unique” or “one of a kind.” Original ideas are those that only one person

thinks of. Commercials that convert Bollywood songs into jingles, soap ads

that tritely present delectable models bathing with their brands, television

commercials that use corny song-dance sequences, are all examples of

unoriginality in advertising. After the success of the fairness cream Fair &

Lovely, there were a few of brands that emphasised the same thing in their

commercials—“Fairness will get you appreciation, better opportunities in life

or enhance marital prospects.” Let alone the message, even their creatives

looked the same with dollops of pink colour symbolising fairness. While

originality brings creativity, note that it comes at the cost of risk. One has to

shed one’s level of comfort of following the trodden path by being different.

Further, it is pertinent to check that what is original is also relevant and

called for.

When Vodafone launched Zoozoos (as depicted in Figure 6.2) during the

Indian Premier League (IPL) season to promote its value added services,

it undertook a huge risk in using white creatures with ballooned bodies

and egg-shaped heads. Although these characters were actually thin-

bodied women in layers of white fabric, they looked animated. Their facial

expressions were made of rubber and pasted on the actors. The

background sets were simple, with a neutral tone of grey. On top of it,

these funny-looking characters spoke a language that was utter

gibberish. Neither any mobile service provider nor any other advertiser

had anything close to Zoozoos. They could have been a hit or miss.

Luckily, the ads were a huge hit among the Indian audience. People

thought that Zoozoos were cute. Not only did people like these egg-

headed characters, they loved the amusing short stories told in the 30+

television commercials.



Fig. 6.2: Vodafone Advertisement

The campaign received several awards and garnered a huge fan

following on the social network too. There are more than 200 Facebook

pages on ZooZoos having over 200,000 fans and the number is growing

daily. The ads were also viewed by thousands of people on Youtube.

Originality did pay off.

(Source: Bala, V. (2009, May 22). Here come the Zoozoos. Express Buzz.)

Creating an “impact” means creating communication that is effective and

that gets a particular result – public appreciation and award, increase in

sales, enhancement of brand equity, etc. Impact is about the way an ad

communicates. A dull ad will deliver the message but will not catch the

audience’s attention or achieve the desired result. This means that

originality by itself does not lead to strong advertising. Imagination that

merely runs riot is not creativity. Similarly, creativity leads to entertainment

but it should not be used for amusement’s sake alone. Creative messages

should translate into accomplishment of objective, be it sales or awareness

creation otherwise it is love’s labour lost.

A piece of really good creative work is largely intuitive. It needs many kinds

of mundane inputs from many sources. But the result is a sparkling, stirring

personal message that hooks the interest of the reader or viewer instantly,

hopefully leading to action, that is, purchase. For example, when you say, “X

brand moisturiser is hard at work even when you sleep. It whisks years off

your skin like a magic wand.” Which woman can resist it? Yet, a dab of

glycerine and water at night will deliver exactly the same result. Really?



Which woman will believe it? This is what creativity is all about. It is a

combination of truth and fantasy, dream and reality, all anchored in buying

capacity and designed to catch the imagination of the target.

However, this cannot happen in a vacuum. Some amount of hardcore

information must be supplied to the creative team, as part of a document

that is called “the creative brief.” The “creative brainstorming” process

includes:

Facts and figures about the company

All file information about the product

Target group and desired target profile

Consumer research results, if any

Gathering and analysis of data

Problem definition

Search for an idea

Idea production from tentative leads

Developing the idea

Modification according to the client, his/her marketing and sales teams

Adapting the idea to each component of the multi media campaign

The creative process must take into consideration:

Marketing proposition

Marketing research

Manufacturing specifications

Dealer and retailer feedback

User feedback if available

Perceived dreams and desired lifestyle of the target

Social image and profile of the target

Aspirations versus purchasing power

Market perception and positioning of the brand

Unless all these are kept in view, the message simply will not register with

the target, wasting all the money spent on it. Thus in a way, copywriting and

visualising are a cynical business. It brings to the surface subliminally, often

not very clear to the target himself, all the hidden desires, longings,

perceived shortcoming in him/her and leads him/her to buy a product he/she



may not need or even use much in some cases. But at some level, buying

the product meets a deep emotional need.

Advertising professionals who work in the creative department, such as

copywriters, visualisers, art directors, graphic artists, photographers, DTP

operators, etc., are concerned with the nitty-gritties of creating an ad.

However, a thorough understanding of the process is also needed for the

executives on the clients’ side who will work with the advertising agencies,

as well as the client servicing executives of the agency. Although they do

not do the actual creative work, they must get a pragmatic and

comprehensive brief from the client. They can then sell the campaign back

to the client with an understanding of what they are talking about and

communicate it appropriately. Sensible agencies prepare a written note

called the campaign defence for the client servicing staff, explaining the

details of the creative concept. This produces the retort that if a campaign

has to be “explained,” then it is not a good campaign.

6.4 Copy Testing Methods

Copy testing is a specialised field of marketing research that determines an

ad’s effectiveness based on consumer responses, feedback and behaviour.

Also known as pre-testing, it covers all media channels including television,

print, radio, Internet and social media.2 Advertising involves a huge amount

of money and coordination of multimedia releases across the country, a

giant operation in itself, especially for MNC companies selling FMCG, such

as Hindustan Unilever or Proctor and Gamble. They start with many

campaigns presented by the advertising agency, shortlist to a few and then

use established methods to market test the campaign. Although the entire

ad is tested, inclusive of copy and visual, for some reason the process is

called copy testing.

Started by A. C. Nielsen, and later followed by many others at local and

international levels, market research to support advertising agencies is a

necessity today. They measure audience reaction to ads to aid agencies for

copy and media decision-making, because an agency can sometimes make

costly mistakes. “Think of an ad not as what you put into it, but as what the

2 Source: www.wikipedia.org

http://www.wikipedia.org/



consumer takes out of it,” said Rosser Reeves in Reality in Advertising, as

long ago as in 1961.

Copy testing may address anything ranging from change in pricing,

introducing new features or reinforcing old benefits to persuade consumers

to think differently about the brand. It also includes checking if the new

feature of the product or campaign concept turned out to be too threatening

for loyal customers. Researchers have arrived at four types of copy testing

scores. Report card measures are used to arrive at a valid, single-number

statistic to capture the overall performance of the advertising creative.

Single measures such as an ad’s ability to “break through” into the minds of

consumers and register a brand message in their long-term memory, create

persuasion, generate attention and develop branding are used to measure

an ad’s effectiveness. Diagnostic measures are used to understand why

attention, branding, motivation, etc., are high or low and to help advertisers

identify creative opportunities to improve executions. Non-verbal measures

are developed to measure those elements of advertising, which cannot be

expressed in words or scaled through verbal rating statements. Researchers

believe that many times an ad’s effects (such as emotions) may not even be

perceived consciously. Moment-by-moment measures have sprung from the

belief that a commercial need not be rated in its entirety but as a flow of

varying experiences because consumer responses can vary from scene to

scene while viewing a commercial.3 In 1982, a consortium of 21 leading

advertising agencies of the US released a public document where they laid

out the Positioning Advertising Copy Testing (PACT) Principles on what

constitutes a good copy testing system.4

On the ground, in few cases copy testing is done, although there are

established systems and organisations that test print and television

advertising quite reliably. Logic says it is risky to rely entirely on the intuition

and judgement of the agency staff or the manufacturer’s market experience

or the chairman’s personal choice. Reasons for resistance could include

3 Source: Young, C. E. (2005, April). The Advertising Research Handbook. Ideas in

Flight, pp. 7–22.

4 Source: www.wikipedia.org




huge time and money involved, unreliable sample quality, etc. On the

agency side, it can inhibit the freshness and creativity of the copywriters and

visualisers, if they are worrying about the selection process, which will

reward only the campaign that scores well. It may not necessarily sell well or

create long-term influence. In any case, copy testing only tells which

campaign is working, but not why. Thus, the decision of testing lies with the

advertiser since he/she is the one who pays for this huge exercise.

Therefore, the selection of copy testing method, process, time involved and

exactly what aspect is being tested are important, and it needs to be

ensured that the campaign is not created to pass the copy test.

What, when, why, are important. Copy testing can be done to check

strategy, concept, execution and media.

As a pre-test at the beginning of concept generation stage

At the end of the creative process

When basic production is over, especially radio spots and television

commercials or

After the campaign is launched, this being a post-test

Rough copy, storyboard testing and animatics, which is a video of the rough

drawings and dubbed speech, radio jingles just sung without instrumental

support, etc., are used. Ideally, a nearly finished campaign should be tested

and at least two concepts approved by everybody. That is expensive, but

then so is a brilliant campaign that is loved by everybody, that goes out all

over the country in multiple media, but fails to show results.

Copy testing may involve measuring such as:

Recognition of the release, done by mail survey, using tested mailing

lists

Recall, aided and unaided

Persuasion or ability to change attitude

Purchase behaviour

Brand loyalty and amount of the product actually purchased

Emotional response

There are endless tools, methods, assessment criteria and interpretation of

this exercise. It is best left to the professionals who conduct the surveys and

present the results.



6.5 Visual Strategies

The visual part of an advertising campaign is not just creative art that

expresses imagination and beauty. It is a serious piece of professional

communication that delivers a selling message. In a good ad, the copy tells

half the message and the visual the other half, creating a complete

communication, such as in the advertisement by ItchGuard depicted in

Figure 6.3.

Fig. 6.3: Advertisement of Itch Guard

Powerful visuals are needed to catch the attention of the target, so that the

copy can do its own job of telling the benefits of the brand, or whatever the

objective of the campaign is. A visual is the first element that a reader

notices in a print ad. It performs many functions like grabbing attention,

conveying the message, demonstrating use, differentiating the look of an ad,

etc.

A great many components and concepts go into creating the visual. The

model, colours and actions should be appropriate to the message as well as

the target group, so that they catch attention. Typography must be beautiful,

fashionable and reader-friendly so that the ad does not get a dodgy look.

The photography should support the message and not just portray beautiful



models or exciting cars. Great deal of careful thinking and sheer talent go

into combining all these factors to create an ad, which may appear quite

ordinary or even simple.

Visualisation should not be confused with layout design or the image of the

ad. Visualisation means the ability to see the ad in imagination in such a

way that it shows the message and concept of the campaign in a physical or

visual image. It has to be done in the most powerful, evocative, persuasive

and economical way, since models, photographers and illustrators are

extremely expensive professionals. Only then comes the skill of arranging

all the components in the most appealing and attractive way, which is the

layout design.

Now much of the work in a design or advertising studio is done on

computers, with an option for many excellent colour design software. This

only reduces the drudgery and time for doing skilled work by hand and does

not manage to outdo the sheer talent and brilliance that the art department

professionals need.

6.5.1 Art department specialists

What is informally called an advertising agency studio, an art department

employs many specialists. Starting with the creative director, art director,

visualisers, DTP operators, finishing artists and graphic designers, a large

number of highly trained and talented people work in perfect coordination to

produce the ultimate product. The advertising campaign may look quite

ordinary but is not.

The art specialists are all trained in different levels and kinds of commercial

art schools, ranging from 6-month long graphic design courses to 5-year full

time commercial art degree courses. But that is the technical side of it. They

all need a high degree of imagination, talent and the ability to play with

visual concepts and communicate through images. They work long hours,

are disciplined, work under tough deadlines and must accept rejection of

concepts by clients just like the copywriters.

The details of an advertising agency art department have been discussed in

Unit 3.



6.5.2 Developing a layout

A “layout” is the art director’s counterpart of a blueprint or a map to roughly

lay, position and size various print elements like headlines, visuals, body

copy and brand logo. Different art directors work differently. Some make

rough pencil scribbles on tracing paper to assemble all the components an

ad will have – headline, photograph, body copy, photo captions, company

address, etc. and then develop the final layout design. Some work on

computer directly to do the same. There are many wonderful colour design

software available now, which make studio work easier. But the final

challenge is still the creativity, which translates an abstract concept into a

powerful and visible selling message, a target can be attracted to.

A layout serves as a communication tool for various creative personnel

working on different print elements as they get a broad idea of the overall

design and where their piece will stand. A layout brings together all

elements of a print. Arranging them all in order to attract attention and make

sense is quite an exigent task. Design decisions have to take into

consideration the functional aspects of layout, i.e. making the message

more organised and easily perceivable, as well as the aesthetic aspects of

making the ad more agreeable to the eye.

A good layout should have a few characteristics apart from the above

components. It should have a good “balance” and “harmony” and should not

look haphazardly put together. A standard rule is 1/3 of the space for copy,

1/3 for the visual and 1/3 white space. This way, the white space gives it an

image of graciousness and separates the ad from the surrounding editorial

and other ads to make it memorable. However, the media rates are now so

wickedly expensive that this rule cannot be followed always. While

designing layouts, bear in mind what researchers have to say: visual,

headline and copy are important in that order. A picture is viewed first and it

must be attention grabbing. Then the headline must drive the reader into

reading the copy. And, unless it is really outstanding, full copy is hardly read

by most readers.

The layout should look well integrated to form a whole, strengthening the

contribution of each component, like colour, photographs, special typeface,

etc. Good “photography” adds movement, action, texture and life even in still

ads in the print medium. However, commercial photographers are expensive



and many agencies use freelance or syndicated photographers and

videographers. Not all ads require photographs. Linedrawings, illustrations

and wash drawings are often used to add sharpness, precision and force to

a motif.

“Colour” is a powerful tool and can be in itself a medium of communication.

It is used in stopping and luring readers, establishing a mood and look,

building brand identity and providing realism. Soft pretty colours are used for

women and children’s products, strong harsh primary colour for products

meant for men, like motorbikes. Green is the colour of spring, of hope,

health, freshness and youth. Red stands for passion, strength, etc.

“Typography” is the second most powerful visual component. There are

hundreds of decorative type fonts available now, which are distinctive and

decorative. Font type is chosen according to the mood and message of the

ad. Good art directors always choose a font that is not only beautiful and

smart, but is also easy to read and remember. Ornate, decorative but

cluttered typefaces are used by inexperienced art directors only. If a reader

cannot read easily, he/she will simply move on.

Typefaces are of two kinds, “serif” and “sans serif.” Serif is the little line at

the bottom of a letter. These types are also called Roman. They are used

when long text is needed, such as in newspapers. The serifs separate the

characters and make them easier to read. Sans serif or without serif types

have straight characters. They look smart and slim but often are difficult to

read in a long text. Cursive or script types are from the calligraphic family.

They are beautiful but hard to read. Italics group is of slanting typefaces.

Selection of an appropriate typeface is a major part of the art director’s

work.

Each font has several characteristics. They differ in height or vertical

measurement, which is measured in point size. There are 72 points in an

inch and running text is usually composed in 9 to 12 points, headlines in 18

to 72 points. Some designers like to use a lot of capital letters, mistakenly

thinking it adds force and emphasis. It is better to restrict capitalisation to

only the first character of a sentence and for a proper noun. Capital letters

used in the middle of a sentence to “add emphasis” are visually jarring and

take away from reading comfort.



6.5.3 Power of synergy

It is absolutely essential that copy and visual pull together to deliver the total

message. If this integration is not maintained, the ad can create such

subconscious discomfort in the target that he/she just tunes out and may

even develop a negative attitude for the brand. In a good studio or creative

department, copywriter and art director are friends with excellent mutual

understanding and discuss each job together to ensure that there is perfect

harmony between these two components. Only then the ad will have an

impact. And to do that, both of these professionals must understand the

medium of the other well.


9. Creativity that ignores the aptness or purpose of a message fails in

bringing desired results. (True/False).

10. _______________ is a specialised field of marketing research that

determines an ad’s effectiveness based on consumer responses,

feedback and behaviour.

11. A ____________ is the first element that a reader notices in a print ad.

6.6 Summary

Let us recapitulate the important concepts discussed in this unit:

At the core of advertising’s creative work, is the actual content of an

advertisement, be it a print ad, a radio or television commercial, etc.

Each has a text and an image, called copy and visual by the advertising

professionals and grouped together as creative work.

The copy and visual style of the selling communication change along

with the message and medium: and with each type of communication,

changes the technique of writing and visualising the ad. The best ads

are the ones where there is complete integration of copy and visual and

together they deliver a powerful selling message. Then the ad becomes

much more than the combination of the two.

Since an advertisement is released at a huge cost in many media,

naturally there is some uncertainty about how it will fare and how the

target group may react to it. Most ads are released depending on the

judgement of the advertising agency and the advertiser. But consumer

durable and FMCG campaigns cost millions and more caution is



necessary. There are many survey agencies and services, which can

check out the effectiveness of a campaign before it is released. It takes

a lot of time and money; therefore smaller firms do not get involved in

this. If feasible, copy and campaign testing is highly recommended.

6.7 Glossary

Copy: refers to the text, or words, used in an advertisement

Copywriting: a creative process of conceptualising the advertisements by

presenting words to best communicate a concept in order to persuade

Intuitive: based on what one senses or feels to be true without reasoning or

rational process

Copy testing: a specialised field that determines the effectiveness of ad or

message based on consumer responses, feedback and behaviour;

Synergy: positive effect of working together

6.8 Terminal Questions

1. What role does advertising copy play in a campaign? Why does copy

have to be written with great knowledge and skill?

2. Write notes on: Corporate advertising and Advertorial advertising

3. What is copy testing and why is it essential, especially for large multi

media campaigns?

4. Explain the significance of powerful visuals in an advertisement.

6.9 Answers


1. headline

2. Corporate advertisements

3. Advertorials

4. public service

5. True

6. True

7. Cooperative

8. True

9. True

10. Copy testing

11. visual



Terminal Questions

1. Advertising copy aims at catching and holding the interest of the

prospective buyer, and eventually persuading him/her to make a

purchase. Refer section 6.1 and 6.2 for more details.

2. Corporate ads do not try to sell the brands manufactured by the

company, but attempts to build an image for the company itself.

Organisations use advertorial advertising to send a message intended to

influence a targeted audience. Refer section 6.2.1 for more details

3. Copy testing is a specialised field of marketing research that determines

an ad’s effectiveness based on consumer responses, feedback and

behaviour. Refer section 6.4 for more details.

4. A visual is the first element that a reader notices in a print ad. Powerful

visuals are needed to catch the attention of the target. Refer section 6.5

for more details

References:

Bala, V. (2009, May 22). Here come the Zoozoos. Express Buzz.

Young, C. E. (2005, April). The Advertising Research Handbook. Ideas

in Flight, pp. 7–22.

Batra, R., Myers, J. G., & Aaker, D. A. (2009). Advertising Management

(Fifth ed.). Pearson Education India.

E-References:

www.answers.com

www.ddb.com

www.wikipedia.org

http://www.answers.com/

http://www.ddb.com/


mk0016-b1809-slm-unit-06

Documents

ad copy

short advertising copy

importance of copy

print copy

long copy

ad advertising management

advertising message

fmcg advertising