BUSINESS MARKETING MAGAZINE

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BUSINESS MARKETING MAGAZINES Copy Chasers
10 Rules On Creating Business-To-Business Ads
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Visual Magnetism
Rule 1.

• Be graphically dramatic.
• Make the client sweat.
• Remember that readers were raised on TV.

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Visual Magnetism
Rule 1.

• Inject emotion into the visual. Readers are not
  robots.
• Use four-color for better results.

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Visual Magnetism
Rule 1.

• Concentrate on one idea in both the visual and
  the text.

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Selecting The Right Audience
Rule 2.

• Use dramatic visuals that the target audience
  will immediately recognize.
• Include sub-photos that will intrigue the target
  audience, for example, the made-to-order window
  that conformed to the curvature of the hotel.

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Selecting the Right Audience
Rule 2.

• Coordinate the copy with the sub-photos.
• Leave readers with the clear impression that the
  advertiser stands for something.

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Selecting the Right Audience
Rule 2.

• Convince readers through the visual and text that
  the advertiser can solve a problem that no one
  else can.
• The headline and visual must connect.

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Inviting the Reader
Rule 3.

• Write and illustrate a story that everyone in the
  target audience can relate to.
• Use faces as a good way to invite readers in when
  selling an intangible like networking software or
  financial services.
• When using photos of people, work to get the
  right facial expression and costuming.

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Inviting the Reader
Rule 3.

• Use white space to provide a visual breather and
  add impact between the headline and the text or
  other elements.
• Put yourself in the shoes of the target audience.
• Try to hit a nerve with the target audience.

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Inviting the Reader
Rule 3.

• Customize and personalize the copy so it will be
  quickly recognized by the target reader. Tell
  readers about some-thing they care about.
• Include a coupon to suggest you want some action.
• Add a proplike an envelope, if its a direct
  mail product.
• Use the right words speak their language.

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Promising a Reward
Rule 4.

• Make the promise as clear as possible in the
  buyer's mind.
• Load the headline with promise.
• Talk to readers like you're on their side, as if
  you're a consumer.

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Promising a Reward
Rule 4.

• Put specifics, like the price of the product, in
  a comparative context.
• Add emotion to the facts to make it more
  memorable.
• Make sure that what you're saying is what they're
  hearing. Try running the ad past three or four
  people not involved.

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Promising a Reward
Rule 4.

• Make your selling proposition believable. Facts
  work best. Make yourself a pest with the client
  to get all the information necessary.
• Keep the promise simple. "Me-too" messages aren't
  remembered.
• The ad should scream "product."

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Backing Up the Promise
Rule 5.

• Don't claim your product is the best, because
  readers are perverse they prefer to come to
  their own conclusions.
• Demonstrate that the product is superior. In
  commercial printing, for example, beautifully
  printed, deftly interpreted artistic renditions
  in a print ad speak for themselves. "Be it,
  without saying it."

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Backing Up the Promise
Rule 5.

• Speak to the bottom-line benefits through the
  visual.
• Reflect a bottom-line benefit or benefits through
  the visual.

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Backing Up the Promise
Rule 5.

• Use an attention-getting devicelike breakthrough
  visuals to drive home the promise of a reward.
• Demonstrate versatility to underscore the notion
  that the advertiser can solve a variety of
  customer problems.

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Logical Sequence
Rule 6.

• Intrigue the reader with a visual image. It helps
  if there's something unusual about itan antique
  look, for example. A small, unique detail, like a
  banjo, can further draw the reader in.
• Draw readers into the headline that may attract
  them through wordplay, humor, or a dramatic
  promise.

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Logical Sequence
Rule 6.

• Provide readers a payoff in the text that ties
  together the visual and headline and then
  underscores the product's unique selling
  proposition.
• Explain in a rational order the product's
  features and how they translate into a benefit
  for the reader.

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Logical Sequence
Rule 6.

• Concentrate on one good idea and say it with
  great imagination.
• Take the target audience where you want it to go
  through creativity and simplicity. Simple
  graphics and language can help the journey.

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Talking Person-to-Person
Rule 7.

• Don't rely on industry jargon it means different
  things to different segments of the target
  audience.

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Talking Person-to-Person
Rule 7.

• Write text so that it sounds like a company sales
  rep selling to a prospect or customer.
• Use focus groups or one-on-one interviews with
  members of a target audience to learn their
  language.
• Rewrite ad copy to incorporate focus group
  feedback.

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Talking Person-to-Person
Rule 7.

• Explain the complex features of a product or
  service in simple, understandable terms. Ask your
  sales and marketing force for compelling stories
  that could be grist for an ad.
• Avoid corporate-speak customize and personalize
  the message.

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Making the Ad Easier to Read
Rule 8.

• Apply the billboard test. If a reader went past
  the ad at 60 mph, would he or she see it?
• Lay out the ad with a left-to-right progression,
  rather than the traditional top-to-bottom
  progression. Readers will appreciate the visual
  relief.

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Making the Ad Easier to Read
Rule 8.

• Don't overload an ad with too many elements.
• Use white space liberally to create an elegant,
  understated look.

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Making the Ad Easier to Read
Rule 8.

• Don't whack readers over the head with bold,
  oversized headlines.
• Smaller headlines can work if the white space is
  generous.
• Spare no expense or detail in product
  photography.
• Evoke the reader's curiosity.

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Emphasize the Service and Not the Source
Rule 9.

• Run a series of ads or spots to demonstrate an
  advertiser's wealth of services.
• Use a case history that provides a real-life
  example of the advertiser serving a customer.
• Explain how your service translates into
  bottom-line benefits for the customer.

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Emphasize the Service and Not the Source
Rule 9.
Involve the customer company from start to
finish in ads that emphasize the service.

• Beware of the pitfalls inherent in using customer
  testimonials or case histories - some companies
  may be reluctant to participate.

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Emphasize the Service and Not the Source
Rule 9.

• Use a dramatic, pertinent story to underscore a
  company's commitment to service.
• Make sure there's an emotional connection between
  the service and the customer.

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Reflecting the Company Character
Rule 10.

• Look different from the competition.
• To convincingly position your product as easy to
  use, make your ads easy to read.
• Create a sense of panache around your product.

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Reflecting the Company Character
Rule 10.

• Reflect the same creative style in print, direct
  mail and TV.
• Take a leadership role on an issue critical to
  the industry.
• Work closely with an "evangelist" on the client
  side to help champion controversial ads.

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Reflecting the Company Character
Rule 10.

• To develop a consistent look, use the same
  creative team and add only new members who
  believe in the same general creative concept.
• Use humor or emotion to allow an advertiser to
  display its personality.