Creative Direction Needed
Q: I’m a small business owner who’s preparing my local TV and radio advertising for 2010. What kind of ads should I ask for? Ones that emphasize our quality? That repeat our name? Should I ask for humor? What works?
A: Great question. Advertising is crucial to the success of any business, and maximizing return on that investment is always a huge concern, but more so nowadays, given the state of the current economy.
William Bernbach, cofounder of famed ad agency Doyle Dane Bernbach, stressed the importance of creativity in advertising to ensure that your message is remarkable—that it’s remembered. Here is a bit of his wisdom, with my commentary:
“Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.”
Frequency of message is a factor in an effective campaign. But without a salient, memorable, remarkable message, you’re not really doing enough to remain in the minds of your audience after your 30 seconds are up.
“If your advertising goes unnoticed, everything else is academic.”
By “unnoticed” Bernbach doesn’t mean “unseen” or “unheard.” Of all the ads you see or hear in a day, how many do you really notice? The worst thing people can feel when they see or hear your ad is nothing. If it makes them feel happy, sad, angry, envious, hopeful—that’s good! You made an emotional connection. An ad that airs without making this connection, in my opinion, is an ad wasted.
“Properly practiced, creativity can make one ad do the work of 10.”
I actually have this gem printed on the back of my business cards. Read it again, because it answers your question perfectly. Bernbach is suggesting, quite simply, that if you run better ads, it will take fewer of them to leave a lasting impression on your audience.
Assuming that all other aspects of your ad budget remain unchanged, taking control of your creative is a great way to be sure your advertising is doing as much as it can for your business.
This Month’s Expert: Brett Slater
Owner, Slater’s Garage Ads and Audio LLC
Brett Slater holds a degree in advertising from Boston University, and has worked in radio throughout the Northeast as an announcer and producer. In 2005, Slater founded Slater’s Garage, a Maine-based production company that creates advertising and other content for radio, TV, and the web.
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