How to Create an Advertising Campaign

What makes great advertising? Too often, advertising is judged by factors such as "creativity" rather than achieving business goals and objectives. This guide provides some simple guidance on how to use a more objective process to create advertising that effectively communicates your product's value to your target market. With these time tested techniques, the creative provided by your agency will enhance your advertising, not attempt to carry it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. 
   Advertising creative is only important if it gets the consumer to open her purse

   First, advertising has two basic purposes: To increase business and/or to enhance the brand loyalty of existing customers. That's it. The goal of advertising is not to be creative or entertaining. Creativity is only important to the extent that it helps achieve increased sales or increased loyalty. It's important to keep that in mind because too many ads are designed to be "creative" and not to sell product.

2. 
   Advertising research can tell you what your customer is thinking

   So, the first step in creating an ad is to review customer research. You want to understand what your most profitable customers view as the value of your product or service. Why do they buy your product? Why do they think you are better than your competitors. It doesn't matter what you think, it's what your customer thinks that's important. When you understand what your customer values about your brand, then you can begin message development.

3. Message development is the second step. It is simply what your ad should "talk about." Do your customers value your price, your quality, your location, or some other characteristic? Maybe your brand is just "cool".To create a great ad, you must understand what your customer values and then reflect that value back to your customer and prospects through your advertising.
   Take your "key messages" to the "creatives". Tell them you ( and your focus group tests) on how well the creative concept "tracks" with messages.

4. Third, evaluate for cohesion. When you see your advertising, use your own good sense to see if it is in sync with your key messages, but also test those ads (print or broadcast storyboards) with a group of customers that fit the profile of your most profitable customers. Do they get it? Do they understand what you are trying to say? Do they believe it? Does it make them feel better about purchasing your brand? Do they think it would appeal to people who are just like them?

5. By following these simple steps, you'll help ensure that you have an ad that helps to sell your product or service. Creativity is great, but a message that reflects the value of your brand is even better.

Tips & Warnings

• Although an expensive focus group moderator can help, you can gain significant insights by just showing your ad to your customers and talk to them about it. Stay neutral and give them a lot of space. Never ask a focus group participant what he or she thinks. Ask a participant what he thinks "others" in his neighborhood might think. This gives your customer some space to give you honest feedback. When a focus group participant tells you what other folks in his neighborhood might think, he's really telling you what he thinks.
• Don't fall in love with creative ads. The marketplace is littered with wonderful, creative, and memorable ads which never sold anything.