Appeals and Execution
Styles
The advertising appeal refers to the approach used to attract the
attention of consumers and/or to influence their feelings toward the product,
service, or cause. An advertising appeal can also be viewed as “something that
moves people, speaks to their wants or needs, and excites their interest.” The creative execution style is the way a
particular appeal is turned into an advertising message presented to the
consumer.
Informational/Rational Appeals
Informational/rational
appeals focus
on the consumer’s practical, functional, or utilitarian need for the product or
service and emphasize features of a product or service and/or the benefits or reasons
for owning or using a particular brand. The content of these messages
emphasizes facts, learning, and the logic of persuasion.
Ads that use a feature appeal focus on the dominant
traits of the product or service. These ads tend to be highly informative and
present the customer with a number of important product attributes or features
that will lead to favorable attitudes and can be used as the basis for a
rational purchase decision.
When a competitive advantage appeal is used, the advertiser makes
either a direct or an indirect comparison to another brand (or brands) and
usually claims superiority on one or more attributes.
A favorable price appeal makes the price offer the dominant point
of the message. Price appeal advertising is used most often by retailers to announce
sales, special offers, or low everyday prices.
News
appeals are
those in which some type of news or announcement about the product, service, or
company dominates the ad. This type of appeal can be used for a new product or
service or to inform consumers of
significant modifications or improvements.
Product/service
popularity appeals stress
the popularity of a product or service by pointing out the number of consumers
who use the brand, the number who have switched to it, the number of experts
who recommend it, or its leadership position in the market.
Emotional
appeals relate
to the customers’ social and/or psychological needs for purchasing a product or
service. Many consumers’ motives for their purchase decisions are emotional,
and their feelings about a brand can be more important than knowledge of its
features or attributes.
A transformational ad is defined as “one which associates the
experience of using (consuming) the advertised brand with a unique set of
psychological characteristics which would not typically be associated with the
brand experience to the same degree without exposure to the advertisement.”
The
emotional bonding technique
evaluates how consumers feel about brands and the nature of any emotional
rapport they have with a brand compared to the ideal emotional state they
associate with the product category.
Advertising Execution
Creative
execution is
the way an advertising appeal is presented. While it is obviously important for
an ad to have a meaningful appeal or message to communicate to the consumer,
the manner in which the ad is executed is also important.
Straight Sell or Factual Message
This type of ad relies on a
straightforward presentation of information concerning the product or service.
This execution is often used with informational/rational appeals, where the
focus of the message is the product or service and its specific attributes
and/or benefits.
Scientific/Technical Evidence
Advertisers often cite technical
information, results of scientific or laboratory studies, or endorsements by
scientific bodies or agencies to support their advertising claims.
Demonstration
Demonstration executions can be
very effective in convincing consumers of a product’s utility or quality and of
the benefits of owning or using the brand. TV is particularly well suited for
demonstration executions, since the benefits or advantages of the product can
be shown right on the screen.
Comparison
The comparison execution approach
is increasingly popular among advertisers, since it offers a direct way of
communicating a brand’s particular advantage over its competitors or
positioning a new or lesser known
brand with industry leaders.
Testimonial
Testimonial executions can have
ordinary satisfied customers discuss their own experiences with the brand and
the benefits of using it. This approach can be very effective when the person
delivering the testimonial is someone with whom the target audience can
identify or who has an interesting story to tell.
Slice of Life
This type of ad portrays a problem
or conflict that consumers might face in their daily lives. The ad then shows
how the advertiser’s product or service can resolve the problem.
Animation
With this technique, animated
scenes are drawn by artists or created on the computer, and cartoons, puppets,
or other types of fictional characters may be used. Cartoon animation is
especially popular for commercials targeted at children.
Fantasy
Fantasy executions are particularly
well suited for television, as the commercial can become a 30-second escape for
the viewer into another lifestyle. The product or service becomes a central
part of the situation created by the advertiser.
Humor
Humorous executions are
particularly well suited to television or radio, although some print ads
attempt to use this style. The pros and cons of using humor as an executional
technique are similar to those associated with its use as an advertising
appeal.
Creative Tactics for Print
Advertising
The basic components of a print ad
are the headline, the body copy, the visual or illustrations, and the layout
(the way they all fit together). The headline and body copy portions of the ad
are the responsibility of the copywriters; artists, often working under the
direction of an art director, are responsible for the visual presentation. Art
directors also work with the copywriters to develop a layout, or arrangement of
the various components of the ad: headlines, subheads, body copy,
illustrations, captions, logos, and the like.
Creative Tactics for Television
TV is a unique and powerful
advertising medium because it contains the elements of sight, sound, and
motion, which can be combined to create a variety of advertising appeals and
executions. Unlike print, the viewer does not control the rate at which the message
is presented, so there is no opportunity to review points of interest or reread
things that are not communicated clearly. As with any form of advertising, one
of the first goals in creating TV commercials is to get the viewers’ attention
and then maintain it. This can be particularly challenging because of the
clutter and because people often view TV commercials while doing other things
(reading a book or magazine, talking). Like print ads, TV commercials have
several components. The video and audio must work together to create the right
impact and communicate the advertiser’s message.
Guidelines for Evaluating Creative
Output
·
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?
·
Is the creative approach appropriate for the target
audience?
·
Does the creative approach communicate a clear and
convincing message to the customer?
·
Does the creative execution keep from overwhelming
the message?
·
Is the creative approach appropriate for the media
environment in which it is likely to be seen?
·
Is the ad truthful and tasteful?
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