writing for media - advertising

Writing for the Mass Media“Advertising”

UCSD ExtensionMike Lawson

760/845-8146

dmlcomm@gmail.com

Cost of Advertising

• United States companies spent over $200 billion on ads last year– GM spent over $4 billion– Super Bowl ads cost more than $2 million

for 30 seconds– Popular TV shows like “Friends”,

“Seinfeld”, “Everybody Love Raymond”

Love/Hate Relationship

• Despite criticisms, ads a vital link in economic chain– Why?

Advertising Motives

• Purpose: Persuade and Motivate

• Power to change people’s:– Thinking– Attitudes– Beliefs– Behavior

Copywriter

• Must choose words that best fit:– Product– Media– Purpose

Needs and Desires

• Food and drink

• Shelter, security, and comfort

• Sex, intimacy, and social contact

• Independence, privacy, self-fulfillment, and power

• Stimulation

• Acquisition

Audience

• Who’s going to buy it?– People who already use it– People who don’t use it yet

How to get this info

• Researchers apply various methods– Personal interview surveys– Telephone surveys– Focus group interviews– Consumer product testing– Intercept interviewing (shopping malls)– Now … social media channels

Two major concepts

• Demographics– Dividing population into groups

• Psychographics– Dividing people into groups based on less

obvious characteristics• Emotional responses

Demo and Psycho

• Age• Gender• Income• Education• Marital status

Product

• What the product does• Physical characteristics• History of product• Who makes the product

Process called Unique Selling Proposition (USP). USP provides consumers their first clue as to why they want the product.

Key Facts

• Sets the stage for thinking about the ad– Market share– Audience– Product itself

• Produces a more effective ad

• Distills problem ad should solve

Objectives

• What is the ad supposed to achieve?– Make people aware of product– Change people’s attitudes toward product– Tell consumers of the product’s

improvements– Encourage people to shift from buying

another product to buying this product

Copy Platforms

• Organize ideas to create effective copy– Not the ad itself but contains many of the

ideas that will later appear in the ad– Factors in developing an ad begin to come

together– Problem arises and writer chooses the

most important one to use in ad– Product characteristics to compliment ad

What’s in it for me?

• This question prompts a benefit statement that becomes the most persuasive part of the ad– “You’ll save money.”– “You’ll be safer.”– “You’ll live in more comfort.”

These benefits relate to the needs and desires of consumers - which can create the slogan.

A-I-D-A

• Attention– Get audience’s attention

• Interest– Hold the audience’s interest

• Desire– Create a desire for the audience

• Action– Stimulate the audience to act

Writing the Ad

• Use clear, simple English• Pay attention to the Verbs• Be specific• Be precise• Use personal pronouns when appropriate• Don’t be afraid of contractions• Inspire confidence in the product• Give the audience all the info it needs

Elements of a Print Ad

• Illustration• Headline• Subheads• Body copy

– Don’t forget “Call to action”

• Closings• Mandatories, including legals• Slogans, logos, and signatures (contact info)

Advertising for Broadcast

• Voices• Sound effects• Music• Pictures• Visual effects• Contact info• Call-to-action

Broadcast Ad Types

• Problem resolution• Slice of life• Documentary/demonstration• Fantasy• Spokesperson• Testimonial• Anonymous announcers

Other Ad Types

• Point-of-purchase (POP)– Packaging and display of product in stores

• Outdoor– Billboards, stadiums, banners, etc.

• Direct mail– Sales letters, postcards, brochures, etc.

• Online (web)– Buttons, banners, pop-ups, etc.

Finally…

Questions?