LECTURE 5

ADVERTISING CREATIVE AND

MEDIA STRATEGIES

WHY DOES ADVERTISING NEED

CREATIVITY?
Advertising is plagued by ad clutter.
Many brands, especially mature brands, are becoming
boring and irrelevant.

Great creativity breaks through the boredom and makes

brands relevant.
Great advertising can help create great brands which
make an emotional connection with consumers.

WHAT IS CREATIVITY IN ADVERTISING &

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Advertising creativity is the ability to generate fresh, unique,
and appropriate or relevant ideas that can be used as
solutions to communication problems.
Effective creativity persuades.
Its not pure art. Its art with a business objective.
Creative on demand with schedule and deadline
Risk/uncertainty involved
Teamwork

Three cornerstones of persuasion

It connects to the target.
It communicates the benefit.
Effective creativity gets to yes.

CREATIVE BRIEF
Serves as the guide used in the copywriting process to
specify the basic elements of the creative strategy.
Creative brief includes such information as client, key
assignment/objective, target, main brand claims, reason to
believe, creative devices, media, tonality, and creative
needs a brand might have. (p.380 for example)

Also called creative platform, work plan, creative blueprint,

or creative contract.

BEFORE THINKING OF A
BIG IDEA

Understand
creative appeals
and execution
styles

BROAD SEGMENTATION
Rational appeals
Focus on consumers practical, functional, or utilitarian needs.
Sell a brand by describing key attributes or benefits in logical
terms.
Often argument oriented.

Emotional appeals
Relate to consumers social and/or psychological needs.
Sell a brand by focusing on one of several possible emotions;
humor, fear, anxiety, excitement, etc.
Dominate television airwaves today. Advertisers recognize
that most of rational benefits dont exist.
Catch consumers in their hearts.

RATIONAL APPEALS
USP (unique selling proposition) ads

Strongly emphasize a unique quality of the advertised brand.

RATIONAL APPEALS
Reason-Why ads

The advertiser reasons with the

potential consumer by pointing
out to the consumer that there
are good reasons why this brand
will be satisfying and beneficial.

RATIONAL APPEALS

Hard-Sell ads

A subcategory of reason-why
ads.
The advertiser reasons with
urgency.

RATIONAL APPEALS
Comparison ads
Try to demonstrate a brands ability
to satisfy consumers by comparing
its features to those of competitive
brands.
Established market leaders almost
never use comparison ads.

RATIONAL APPEALS
Demonstration
Designed to illustrate the key
messages of the product/service by
showing it in actual use or in some
staged situation.

Testimonials
Having a spokesperson who
champions the brand in an
advertisement

RATIONAL
APPEALS
Advertorials and
infomercials
Advertorial: an
advertisement in the form of
an editorial
Informercial: a relatively
long commercial in the
format of a television
program

RATIONAL APPEALS
Use of different rational appeals
To link a key attribute to the brand name
USP

To persuade the consumer

Reason-why
Hard-sell
Comparison
Demonstration
Testimonials
Advertorials/informercials

EMOTIONAL APPEALS
Image ads

What are they? What are their strategic implications?

EMOTIONAL APPEALS
Feel-good ads

Liking ad Liking brand

Humor ads

To create a pleasant and

memorable association with the
brand
What could be pitfalls?

Nikon Detect up to 12 faces

EMOTIONAL APPEALS
Sex appeal

Does sex sell? What are pros

and cons?

EMOTIONAL APPEALS
Fear appeal: How does it work?
Yes, it is possible to
lock yourself in your
own trunk

Social anxiety
The danger is negative
social judgment

EMOTIONAL APPEALS
Use of different emotional appeals
To define brand image
Image ads
To get the consumer to feel good about the brand
(affective association)
Feel-good ads
Humor ads
Sex-appeal ads
To scare the consumer into action
Fear appeal ads
Anxiety/social anxiety ads

DIFFERENT APPEALS
FOR THE SAME BRAND

DIFFERENT APPEALS
FOR THE SAME BRAND

OTHER MESSAGE STRATEGIES

Objective: to situate the brand socially and give
the brand the desired social meaning
Methods:
Slice-of-life: What is it?
Product placement

PRODUCTION OF PRINT ADS

Copy parts (verbal portion)

Headline (b)
Subheadline (c: optional)
Body (d)
Close (e)

Readability is important

ROLE OF EACH PART

Headline

Consumer promise, intriguing comment or question

In the leading position of the advertisement
Often only part of the copy read
Other functions:

Get attention
Give news about the brand
Emphasize brand claims
Give advice to the reader
Select targeted prospects
Stimulate curiosity
Establish tone and emotion
Identify the brand

ROLE OF EACH PART

Subheadline (optional)

Reinforce the headline

Include important information communicated in the headline
Communicate key selling points or information quickly
Stimulate more complete reading of the whole ad
The longer the body copy, the more appropriate is the use of
subheads

Body
Support (evidence)
Tell the complete sales story

Close
Restate main thesis (e.g., tagline Good to the last drop)
And/or call-to-action

PRODUCTION PROCESS IN PRINT

ADVERTISING
1. Thumbnail sketch
2. Rough or rough layout
3. Comprehensive layout or comp
4. Mechanicals

PRODUCTION PROCESS IN PRINT

ADVERTISING
1. Thumbnail sketch

The first draft of an advertising layout.

While the creative team refines the creative concept,
thumbnails represent placement of elements.

Drawn at one-quarter the size of the finished ad.

2. Rough or rough layout

Drawn in the actual size.

The art director experiments with different fonts and size of
images.
Often used for preliminary presentation to the client.

PRODUCTION PROCESS IN PRINT

ADVERTISING
3. Comprehensive layout (comp)

Polished version of the rough.

The final headline font, actual body copy, and actual

images are used.

Printed in color and presented to the client for approval.

4. Mechanicals

After the clients approval of the comp, the mechanical, the

final version of the ad, is created and sent to the printer.

The client will make one last approval of the mechanical

before it is printed.

PRODUCTION PROCESS IN TV
ADVERTISING
1. Creative team briefed by creative director.
- Advertising strategy and budget for production.
2. Writer and art director develop ideas and executions.
3. Creative director reviews the work and sharpens it.
4. Producer works with creative team.

- Video producer develops shooting script.

5. Client approves scripts and rough versions (animatics).
6. Production company selected (competitive bids).
- Director adds own style.
- Locations found and talents screened.
7. Shooting days.
8. Editing days.
9. Client screens and approves creative work for use.

STORYBOARD VS. FINISHED AD

Storyboard

Finished ad

Shot-by-shot sketch depicting

in sequence, the visual
scenes and copy that will be
used in an advertisement
A map made by the ad
creative team

STORYBOARD

Production company, with the

ad creative team
Choice/perspective of shots
Acting and performance
Editing/pacing
Music

EXAMPLE: BUD LIGHT ROUGH CHOICE

Guys will do whatever it takes to get some Bud Light.
Open in a small grocery store checkout line. Two young men are paying
for groceries. The credit-card
machine flashes Card Rejected.
The gum-chewing cashier hands
back their credit card.
Cashier: Sorry.
(Patting themselves down, they
produce a tiny wad of cash and offer
it to her.)
Cashier (shaking her head): Uh-uh.
Not enough.
(With one fell swoop, a hand slides
most of the groceries back down into
the cart, then they offer up that same
wad of money again.)

Cashier: No. Still short.

(The camera reveals whats left. A sixpack of Bud Light and a roll of toilet
paper.)
(The guys look at the beer, then the
toilet paper, then back to the beer.
Agonizingly, they look at the cashier.
Cut to the beer being rung up and sent
to the bagger.)

Anncr. (VO): For the great taste that

wont fill you up and never lets you
down
Bagger: Paper or plastic?
Two guys (in unison): Paper!
(As they walk away with their bag,
the cashier holds out something).
Cashier: Guys, need the receipt?
(In an instant, the receipt is snatched
from her hand.)

ROUGH CHOICE: FINISHED AD

Bud Light, Rough choice.
(DDB Needham, Chicago; Reactor Films, production
company)

WHAT IS MEDIA PLANNING?

There are many media alternatives.
An advertising planner must use the advertisers resources
creatively and competitively.

How can media time and space be used in an effective

and efficient manner to reach the advertisers target
market?
Successful media planning is the task of selecting and
scheduling media that will reach as many of the target
audience as frequently as possible for the least amount
of cost.

MEDIA: KEY TERMS TO UNDERSTAND

Media class or medium
A broad category of media, such as radio, television, newspapers,
magazines, etc.

Vehicle
A particular option for placement within a media class.
Specific magazines, TV programs, newspapers, etc.
Newsweek is a vehicle within the magazine media class.

MEDIA: KEY TERMS TO UNDERSTAND

Reach
The number of people or households in a target audience that
will be exposed to a media vehicle or schedule at least one time
during a given period of time
How many people (households) are you reaching during a
given period of time (unduplicated)?
Expressed as a percentage.

Frequency
The average number of times an individual or household is
exposed to a media vehicle in a given period of time
How often is a message seen during a given period of time?

EFFECTIVE REACH AND

FREQUENCY
The dilemma: Should I increase reach at the expense of
frequency (or vice versa)?

Effective reach and effective frequency

Effective Reach: Percentage of consumers in target market
that are exposed to an ad at least once.
Effective Frequency: Number of times a target audience
needs to be exposed to a message before the advertising
objectives are met.

MEDIA EFFICIENCY
Which media deliver the largest target audiences at the
lowest cost?

Common measures:
CPM (Cost Per Thousand): cost of reaching 1,000 people
CPM =

Cost of media buy

Number of individuals (households) reached

CREATIVE MEDIA USE

Synergy between media and ads
Synergy among different media

x 1000

TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING MEDIA

Print media: Newspapers & Magazines
Measured by circulation and readership

Electronic media: TV & Radio

Measured by rating and share

NEWSPAPERS
Types: Display advertising, inserts, classified advertising
Strengths

Strong sense of immediacy (Timeliness)

Expertise and credibility: Prestigious to place ads
Readers tend to be upscale
Readers really use advertising
Require less lead time than other media (e.g., magazines)
Have a cataloging value

Limitations

Audience size shrinking

Limited segmentation: The ability to target a specific audience with
any precision is limited
Creative constraints
Cluttered environment
Short life

NEWSPAPER AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT

Circulation:

The number of newspapers distributed each day (for

daily newspapers) or each week (for weekly
newspapers)
Readership
Circulation x the number of readers

MAGAZINES
Strengths
Audience selectivity: Precisely targeted audiences based on
interests, demographics, and lifestyles
Ads are long lasting
Repeated advertising exposure
High pass-along readership
Offer creative flexibility

Limitations
Not good for ads demanding immediate responses
Limited reach and frequency
Cluttered: 50% to 80% of magazine contents are advertising
materials
Long lead times: Requires significant preparation
Expensive
High CPM
Increasing production and distribution costs

MAGAZINE AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT

Magazine audience measurement is also based on
circulation and readership.

Guaranteed circulation: A minimum number of copies of a

particular issue that will be delivered to readers
This number guarantees for advertisers that they are
achieving a certain minimum reach with an ad placement

Pass-along readership: An additional number of people,

other than the original readers, who may see a publication

TELEVISION
Strengths
Outstanding creative impact with sound and motion
Vividly demonstrating product attributes and persuasively
explain brand benefits & Dramatically portraying brand personality
and intangible associations
Most used medium High reach and frequency
Increasingly narrow audiences, with magazine-like shows and
formats

Limitations
Expensive
High production costs
CPM increasing
Clutter

Viewer avoidance
Short life: Viewers do not have luxury of analyzing ad messages

TELEVISION AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT

Rating
The percentage of television households tuned to a particular
program out of the total households owning a television, at a
particular time
Households owning television = Television households

Share
The percentage of households tuned to a particular program out of
the total households using a television (HUT) at a particular time

RADIO
Strengths
Help advertisers reach special target audience
Low CPM
High reach and frequency
Creative flexibility
Timeliness
Reach the mobile market
Limitations
Poor audience attentiveness
Lack of visual element
Short life
Cluttered
Measured by rating and share

OUTDOOR
Strengths
High reach and frequency
Best when supporting other media

Strong visual reinforces TV campaigns

Provide missing visual for radio

campaigns

Higher frequency for magazine

campaigns

Better graphics for newspaper

campaigns

Weaknesses
Poor demographic selectivity
Limited time. Limited copy.
Difficult to measure

YOU CAN BE HIGHLY CREATIVE WITH

OUTDOOR ADVERTISING

DIGITAL AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Strengths

New(er)
Target market selectivity
Interaction and involvement
Buzz and excitement
Deliverability, flexibility, and reach

Weaknesses
Hugely cluttered
Driving traffic to a site can be a high-effort, low-success type of task.
Hard to control (e.g., viral)

Types of digital/interactive Internet advertising

Paid search, display/banner ads, online video ads, corporate/brand
websites, mobile, social media, viral advertising, etc.

GAMERS & GAME INDUSTRY TODAY

51% of US households own a dedicated game console.

The average player age is 35.

44% of computer or video game players are female.

56% of gamers play games with others, either in-person or online.

Total consumer spend on games industry 2014: US$22.41 billion.

The video game
sector is no
longer an
interesting little
industryits
serious money.
Jack Kyser, chief
economist at the Los
Angeles County Economic
Development Corporation

Source: ESA annual report 2015 Essential Facts of Computer and Video Game Industry

POTENTIALS OF GAMES AS ADVERTISING MEDIA

Many people play games.

Gamers tend to have positive feelings toward in-game advertising.
o Advertisements add realism (e.g., NASCAR and real brands).
o Brands seem natural parts of game settings.
o Congruence (good fit) between the brand and the game is important.

Players tent to play frequently due to the stickiness of games.

Extensive exposure to a brand message

Targeting is possible with demographic and behavioral information

available about game players.

The game environment is relatively clutter-free.

Interactivity can lead to improved brand attitude.

BUT THERE ARE ALSO DOWNSIDES

Market fragmentation
Requiring long lead time (especially console-based games)
Effectiveness issues: The limited capacity model of attention

Market fragmentation

TYPES OF GAME-BASED AD OPPORTUNITIES

Around game

In game
Advergame

AROUND-GAME ADVERTISING
Pre-roll, post-roll, and interlevel
Video ads that run before or after a game is played or between
game levels.
Gamers are willing to watch a commercial as long as they can
play online games for free.

Display advertising on game websites/game portals

Contextual ad placement opportunities

Sponsorship of game content websites and game

tournaments
Gamers may feel positive about the brand because the brand
supports something fun and important to them.

AROUND-GAME ADVERTISING

IN-GAME ADVERTISING (PRODUCT PLACEMENT)

Placement of brands in a commercial game to promote the

products or services to the target consumers.
Multiple brands can be displayed in the background of the game
or used by the game characters.
Game players are often incidentally exposed to the brands
embedded in games while playing games.
Some placements are more prominent while others are more
subtle.

IN-GAME ADVERTISING

IN-GAME ADVERTISING

Screen placements Less immersive

Script placements
More immersive
Plot placements

ADVERGAME
An electronic game created and
distributed by a company with a
purpose of promoting the
company itself or one of its
products/services
Typically found at brand websites.
Playing at no charge.
But there are exceptions.
(e.g., Burger Bumpin)
Now moving toward mobile

eWOM AND VIRAL ADVERTISING

Word of mouth (WOM): Act of exchanging marketing

information among consumers
eWOM: Online consumer-to-consumer communication on
a product, service, and company.
Any statement based on positive, neutral, or negative experiences
made by potential, actual, or former consumers about a product,
service, brand, or company, which is made available to a multitude
of people and institutions via the Internet and mobile
Less personal than traditional WOM but can be more powerful and
immediate, reaching significant mass

Viral advertising: Marketing communication strategies that

utilize consumers eWOM activities.

Completely or somewhat trust advertising format

% of respondents
trusting

Recommendation from people known

83%

Branded websites

70%

Consumer opinions posted online

66%

Editorial content (e.g. newspaper articles)

66%

Ads on TV

63%

Ads on newspapers

60%

Email I signed up for

56%

TV program product placements

55%

Online video ads

48%

Ads served in search engine results

47%

Ads on mobile devices

43%

Online banner ads

42%

Text ads on mobile phones

36%

Source: Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey, September 2015

BUZZ FACTORS

 Our brain is designed not to think.

Our brains are designed to try to remain in a static state.
We use schemas.

Core of word-of-mouth is disrupting a schema.

Significant disruption causes talk.
Consumers talk about brands when marketers disrupt a
schema.

However, disruption cannot stray too far. (e.g.,

Positioning Las Vegas as an family-friendly place)

SOCIAL MEDIA: KEY CONCEPTS

Social community
An online group such as a forum, social network, virtual world,
social video and photo community, etc.

Social media
An umbrella phrase for various forms of social communities that are
participatory, conversational, and fluid

Social media marketing

Broad category of online marketing that places promotional
messages in the context of social communities to meet branding
and communication objectives

SOCIAL COMMUNITIES

Key attributes
Social
Focusing on themes
Much content is consumergenerated: Participatory
But not all users are equally
participating
Creators, critics, collectors,
joiners, spectators, inactive
Self-expression
Sharing and spreading (eWOM)

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Curators of Sweden

Oreo Daily Twist

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

WWF The Last Selfie

JCPenney Go USA Mittens

MOBILE ADVERTISING

The process of reaching consumers on mobile devices

According to eMarketer, global mobile advertising spending will

surpass $100 billion in 2016, accounting for more than 50% of all
digital ad expenditure.

MOBILE ADVERTISING OPTIONS

SMS (Short Message Service) /MMS (Multimedia Message Service)

Mobile display ads: Currently the biggest category of mobile ads

Video format: Expected to grow as the tablet market continues to grow

Search/map ads: Benefit from increased use of location data gathering

Push notifications

QR (Quick Response) codes

Augmented reality

Mobile apps

MOBILE ADVERTISING:
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Strengths

Growing rapidly
High level of reach
New technologies
Location-based technology is possible
High response rates when ads are relevant and compelling

Weaknesses
Wireless devices are highly personal: Consumer resistance
Privacy issues
Small screen and poor presentation

QR CODE
Advantages
Simple and easy to implement
Can contain a diverse range of information
Can be placed on different media: Bridging between offline and mobile
media in multichannel marketing
For consumers, it is convenient, saves time, and provides immediate
responses

Issues
Users need to download a QR code reader
Scanning can be a long process
Consumers may perceive privacy and transaction risks, especially
when they are on the move QR codes incorporated into outdoor ads
may not be as effective as expected.

QR CODE STRATEGIES

Give customers a reason to scan

Create some added value for users
Get the landing page right
Give people time to scan the code
Dont just use QR codes for the sake of it

AUGMENTED REALITY (AR)

A live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment

whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory
input such as sound, video graphics or GPS data

MOBILE APP

Software application developed specifically for use on small, wireless

computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets

MOBILE APP: PRIVACY ISSUES

Appthority (2014) analyzed 400 apps (top free & paid apps) and
revealed the followings facts:

70% apps allow location tracking.

56% identify the users ID.
53% share data with ad networks and analytics.
31% access users contact list or address book.

US Federal Trade Commission report (Dec 2012) analyzed 400

child-related apps and found that:
60% of apps transmitted device ID to the developer, advertising network,
analytic company, or other third party.
58% contained advertising within the app, but only 15% indicated the
presence of advertising prior to download.
Only 20% contained privacy-related disclosure on the apps promotion
page, developer website, or within the app.