Chapter 1: Creativity

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Chapter 1 Creativity

• Unexpected but relevant selling messages

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Creative ads are

• Creativity is Unexpected
• Relevant to the consumer and brand (understand
  how your clients brand fits into the lives of
  its target audience)
• Persuasive, pushes the selling idea

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Lets look at an example
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The Grant

• Reasonably priced condo in Washington D.C.
• Well-made (granite, hardwood, appliances)
• Near restaurants, bars mass transportation
• The problem? The units are small, condo sales
  have declined recently. Price is the lure.

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The Grant Two audiences/approach

• Primary target audience
• Young, first-time buyers
• Earn 40,000
• Currently live with roommates
• Secondary target audience
• Businesses providing housing for extended-stay
  visitors, long-distance commuters, etc

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The Grants creative solution

• Remind target of problems associated with renting
  and roommates
• Message simple, unexpected and relevant
• Entice target to go to the Grants website for
  more information and to schedule a visit.
• All urls pointed to same bridge page
• Advertise in alternative and gay newspapers, bar
  coasters and bus shelters
• Beer coasters in local bars

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The Grant

• Other headlines
• StopLabelingYourFood.com
• DoYourLaundryNaked.com
• IWantSomeTaxDeductions.com
• IAmTooOldToBeRenting.com
• GottaGetMyOwnPlace.com
• IHate2Rent.com

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The Grant

• Businesses were reached by an ad in newspapers
  and by direct mail. Visually, ads were same, but
  attitude is different
• Washington Business Journal
• www.AHotelIsNotAHome.com
• Bridge page is sophisticated. Focus on them being
  disconnected from home

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Creativity defined

• Creative ads make a relevant connection between a
  brand and its target audience (we understand your
  problem we can help)
• Creative ads present a selling idea (Rational,
  emotional or combine both)
• Creative ads are unexpected (words, visuals,
  media, or all three)

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Where to run the ads

• Adidas promoted its soccer gear by painting a
  soccer scene on the ceiling of a train station in
  Cologne, Germany for the 2006 Soccer World Cup
• LOreal Paris promoted its Mens Expert line of
  products by advertising on dry cleaner dress
  shirt hangers with coupons (Your shirt doesnt
  have wrinkles, why should your face?)
• Just because you can run a message nearly
  everywhere, doesnt mean you should. (pg 7-9)

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Inspiration from Customers

• Invite them to create their own ads (Nationwide
  Insurance life comes at you fast MasterCard -
  Priceless)
• Caution General Motors SUV. 2007 Chevrolet
  Tahoe. Gas-guzzler, global warming, warmonger.
• Dont give detractors free ad space. Rules.
• Win these challenges, jumpstart career

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Humor Tips for effective use

• Avoid jokes (punch lines wear out too fast).
  Humor has nuances that make you want to see/hear
  again
• Relate to human experience, identify with people
• Make product central to message, to remember it
• Understand audiences sense of humor, dont
  insult
• Avoid humor at expense of others, elderly, race
• Have fun with product (dont make fun of it),
  Motel6
• Use smart humor, dont expect a stupid audience

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Celebrities The pros

• Have stopping power. Cuts through clutter. Got
  Milk?
• Tyra Banks 2 ads Seventeen and Sports
  Illustrated
• Are idolized by fans. Hopes to transfer to brand.
  P. 20
• People are fascinated by their lives Willie
  Nelson
• Uniqueness communicates selling idea Yao Ming
• Experts in their fields Connect to brand
  advertised

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Celebrities The cons

• Expensive, millions of dollars. Only for big
  companies
• Often a quick fix, not a long-term strategy
• May lack credibility, people think its for the
  money
• May endorse too many products, Tiger Woods
• May overshadow the product, Yao Ming and Visa
• Bad press can hurt sponsor, Kobe Bryant

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Advertising trade characters Pros

• Communicate selling feature, AFLAC, Geico
• Reinforce a brand name, Kellogs
• Make a company seem more approachable
• Dont age, so appeal to different generations
• Emotional, part of the fabric of company
• Advertiser has control over what they say do

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Advertising trade characters Cons

• Can seem gimmicky and old-fashioned
• Trick is to make characters relevant to customers
• MM characters makeover. Colors get personality
• They may love character, but not love the brand.
• Must be relevant to brand/consumer. Singing sock
  puppet from pets.com now collectible on e-bay

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Jumpstart your career

• Enter the award shows
• Student ADDY Awards
• Andy Student Awards
• Athena Student Awards
• Clio Student Awards
• Others listed on page 16 of your book

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Some local Student ADDY winning entries.
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Gold winner Alexis Bass Columbia Ad Club

• Go cherry puckering
• Mother Nature wants her children to look their
  best and we respect what she has to say. Burts
  Bees lip products are full of moisturizing
  vitamin E and dont include any chemicals or
  other metallic residues often found in lipsticks.
  And that peppermint tingleits just how we say
  thank you.

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Silver winner Alex Grinton Columbia Ad Club
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Ethical and Legal Issues

• How far will you go to be creative?
• Should profit or prudence prevail as surveys
  indicate women, Hispanic Americans and African
  Americans are prime targets for cigarettes and
  alcohol when most consumers are consuming less of
  both?
• Should a commercial for a popular pain reliever
  reveal that the reason more hospitals choose our
  brand is that it supplied at a reduced price?
• Should consumers who have no medical background
  be told to ask physicians about specific brands
  of prescription drugs?

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Ethical and Legal Issues

• How far will you go to be creative?
• Should an automobile maker show a sports car
  outracing a jet plane in an age when speeding
  motorists are killed daily?
• Should advertisers cast TV commercials using such
  imperatives as she should be blond or if
  brunette, not too brunette and pretty, but not
  too pretty
• Is even a mock representation of violence and
  domination appropriate in commercial speech?
• What about sexual innuendo? If sex sells, should
  there be limits?

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Regulations

• Difference between puffery deception (Puffery
  is an exaggeration or overstatement expressed in
  broad, vague, and commendatory language and is
  distinguished from false descriptions or false
  representations of specific characteristics of a
  product and, as such, is not actionable)
• If you make claims, must substantiate it (FTC,
  FDA is watching you if you say your product is
  better than others)

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Regulations

• Dont copy creative ideas from others
• Dont copy other peoples likeness (To resemble
  celebrities)
• Respect other companies trademarks (Tony the
  Tiger and Exxon tiger coexisted for more than 30
  years until Exxon started using its tiger to sell
  food)
• Watch what you ay in front of children
  (Childrens Advertising Review Unit)