Professor S.J. Grant

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Advertising Strategy Tactics

• Professor S.J. Grant
• Spring 2006

BUYER BEHAVIOR, MARKETING 3250
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Outline

• Evaluating advertising
• Strategy
• Is advertising on strategy?
• Tactics
• How well is it executed?
• Executions
• Structural
• Stylistic

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Advertising Strategy

• Reach vs. frequency
• Reach how many people see advertising
• Frequency how many times each person sees
  advertising
• Which is better?

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Advertising Strategy

• Points of parity vs. points of difference
• Points of parity
• Category benefits
• Points of difference
• Brand benefits
• Which is better?

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Advertising Strategy

• Executions
• The Big Idea
• Hard Sell vs Soft Sell
• Story grammar

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Big Idea

• What is the big idea?
• Distilling your central message or concept to a
  few key words
• Example Subway is about a healthy fast-food
  alternative
• Jared
• Low number of fat grams
• Eat fresh
• Being good

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Hard Sell

• What is the hard sell?
• Presenting the compelling benefits of an idea, a
  product, or a service
• Urges the consumer to take action
• Characteristics
• A hard sell would list specific items and sale
  prices
• Make specific, actionable offers

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Soft Sell

• What is the soft sell?
• It says "Welcome, come look around. Get a feel
  for who we are and how we can help you."
• Characteristics
• Soft sell advertisement might sell the look and
  feel of a store
• Doesnt encourage immediate purchase

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Story Grammar

• Drama is used to illustrate a problem, episodes
  to address problem and outcome
• Often use extreme situations to illustrate the
  problem

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Symbols Meaning

• Advertising communication relies on meaning,
  which threads events and objects into an
  interdependent scheme
• Meaning comes from
• Self-awareness
• Self-definition
• Advertising and consumption is symbolic of
  human aspiration

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Symbols Meaning

• Visual and figurative language of advertising is
  deliberately chosen to convey a subliminal
  message in addition to the central message
• Thematic inferences are code for whom the product
  is intended

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Thematic Inferences

• Gender
• Women are communal Isnt it hot?
• Men are goal-directed Turn on the AC
• Social class
• Upscale value distinction, tradition
• Middle class prefer order, organization
• Working class seek functionality, value

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Thematic Inferences

• How are themes communicated?
• Visual cues that are imbued with meaning
• Colors
• Browns, greens, earth tones communicate aridity,
  masculinity primary colors imply childishness
• Reverse type
• Implies
• Phallic symbols
• Connote power, strength, dominance

technical expertise
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Thematic Inferences

• More visual cues
• Fonts
• Bold, block type implies FUNCTIONALITY
• Italic type communicates VELOCITY
• Serif type conveys formality
• Black and white
• Conveys seriousness, drama, journalistic
  veridicality
• Proximity
• Close-ups imply intimacy, personal relevance

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Thematic Inferences

• More cues
• Film allusions
• Literary references
• Orwells 1984
• Biblical figures
• Samsonite
• Adam Eve
• Mythology
• Historical events

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Examples in Advertising

• IBM
• Masculine, traditional, organized
• Apple
• Feminine, friendly, alternative
• Marlboro
• Arid, strong, independent, frontier
• Harley-Davidson
• Rugged individuality, nonconformist, testosterone
  

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Layering of Meaning

• Meanings are layered to create a unique brand
  impression
• Many layers of meaning add to the complexity of
  the brand, which can become a point of
  differentiation
• Layering also allows a brand to communicate how a
  concrete attribute can map into an abstract
  benefit

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Layering of Meaning

• Example 1 Ivory soap
• Name
• Plain, white bar
• Advertising emphasizes purity
• Product is gently cleansing
• Advertising features the chaste, clean-cut Ivory
  girl

• Example 2 Coca-Cola
• Name is a bubbly concoction of sounds
• Curvaceous, hand-fitting bottle is informal,
  classic
• Cursive script of brand logo conveys sense of
  flowing abundance
• Times of relaxation, fun are primary usage
  occasions
• Red is associated with joy, passion, vigor

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Layering of Meaning

• Resemblance? How do scripts differ?