Transcript 9 key elements to powerful print advertising

Creating Attention-Getting and
Motivating Advertising in the IT Market.
Presented by:
EDUCAUSE Review
and
Jack Semler, Readex Research
www.readexresearch.com
Session Goal: Gain ideas and insights into
characteristics of high-performing print ads
Our agenda will provide a:
 Brief overview of the research that we have done for
EDUCAUSE Review
 what is measured in this research
 how to interpret the numbers from actual ads in
actual studies.
 Review of the methodology
 List of key characteristics in good advertising
 Memos
 Ad contrasts and “Which Ad Scored Best”
Definition of Terms
As we look at our series of ads, you will see references
to ad scores, actual scores from actual studies:
RS = Recall Seeing
RR = Recall Reading
The average score for one page, four-color ads over
the two studies from which examples will be used is
RS 65% and RR 24%.
Methodology
Executive Summary:
9 key elements to powerful print advertising
1. Present one central selling proposition. Avoid clutter
and extraneous ideas.
2. Support the basic proposition with all elements of the
creative. The headline, illustration and text should work
together.
3. Appeal to the reader’s needs and self-interests.
“What’s in it for me?”
4. Show the product in use. Help the reader imagine using
the product or service.
5. Design the ad for easy reading. Don’t make it a chore
to get through your ad.
Executive Summary:
9 key elements to powerful print advertising
6. Sell the merits of the product or service. Why should the
reader buy?
7. Emphasize benefits, not facts. Facts are what the
product/service is....benefits describe what the
product/service does.
8. Use humor carefully. What you think is funny may
not be to others.
9. Finally, don’t be shy about frequently repeating a
successful ad.
1. Present one central selling proposition. Avoid
clutter and extraneous ideas.
RS 64%
RR 31%
2. Support your basic proposition with all
elements of the creative. The headline,
illustration and text should work together.
RS 81%
RR 34%
Idea:
Avoid asking a
question in your
headline that can
be answered with
a “No.”
Poll
In your next fiscal/budget year, how do you expect your
overall marketing budget to change compared to your
current year?
 Significant reduction
 Modest reduction
 Stay the same
 Modest increase
 Significant increase
3. Appeal to the
reader’s needs and
self-interests.
Answer the question:
“What’s in it for me?”
RS 66%
RR 30%
4. Illustrate the
product in use.
Help the reader
imagine using the
product or service.
RS 61%
RR 24%
Idea:
You have an
average of four
seconds to connect
with readers. Make
sure you do this as
quickly and clearly
as possible.
5. Design the ad for easy
reading.
Avoid reverse and
creative tactics that are
fun and playful but make
it hard to read what the
copy says.
RS 67%
RR 21%
6. Sell the merits of your
product or service.
Why should readers
consider buying the
product or service?
RS 61%
RR 15%
Idea:
Pretend the headline
for your ad is the first
thing your sales
representative would
say on a call.
Poll
What percentage of your current marketing budget is
dedicated to digital channels AND online advertising?
 Less than 10%
 10%-19%
 20%-34%
 35%-50%
 51% or greater
7. Emphasize
benefits, not facts
Facts are static points
about what the
product/service is.
Benefits describe what
the product/service
does for the reader.
RS 58%
RR 16%
8. Use Humor
Carefully
While this ad is not, in
my opinion, designed to
be humorous, there is a
playful element which
can go one way or the
other.
RS 62%
RR 20%
8. Use Humor
Carefully
Idea:
Testimonials.
Final Idea:
Keep the copy
flowing outwards:
You versus We
Final Idea:
Keep the copy
flowing outwards:
You versus We.
11 You-0 We
Executive Summary:
9 key elements to powerful print advertising
1. Present one central selling proposition. Avoid clutter
and extraneous ideas.
2. Support the basic proposition with all elements of the
creative. The headline, illustration and text should work
together.
3. Appeal to the reader’s needs and self-interests.
“What’s in it for me?”
4. Show the product in use. Help the reader imagine using
the product or service.
5. Design the ad for easy reading. Don’t make it a chore
to get through your ad.
Executive Summary:
9 key elements to powerful print advertising
6. Sell the merits of the product or service. Why should the
reader buy?
7. Emphasize benefits, not facts. Facts are what the
product/service is....benefits describe what the
product/service does.
8. Use humor carefully. What you think is funny may
not be to others.
9. Finally, don’t be shy about frequently repeating a
successful ad.
9. Repeat a successful ad
Following are two charts which track the same
ad over eight different exposures:
Location
Percentages calculated based on data from over 22,000 ads measured
in Red Sticker recall studies from 1999-2011.
Size
From a March 2013 Study of B2B Media Users, Conducted for
American Business Media-Regular Usage of Media Channels
print magazines
96%
websites
96%
product info from the mfr
93%
e-newsletters
92%
conferences or trade shows
80%
print newsletters
76%
digital replica of print magazines
69%
mobile-optimized websites
56%
social media
54%
mobile apps
online media purchase*
NET: mobile-optimized sites or apps
51%
29%
63%
base: all 6,682 respondents (multiple answers)
Nearly two in three are
using mobile-optimized
websites and/or apps
Now for the fun!
In the next three slides are ads from EDUCAUSE that
were run by the same advertiser
• two different creative approaches....
• different results
The final three slides will present –
“Which Ad Scored Best?”
Your task is to guess which ad scored highest, the right
or left?
Ad contrast
RS 56 RR 20%
RS 68% RR 16%
Ad contrast
RS 69% RR 15%
RS 74% RR 37%
Ad contrast
RS 75% RR 26%
RS 64% RR 16%
Which Ad Scored Best????
Which ad scored best?
RS 59% RR 20%
RS 70% RR 21%
Which ad scored best?
RS 72% RR 23%
RS 59% RR 12%
Which ad scored best?
RS 75% RR 32%
RS 69% RR 45%
We hope you have found our presentation,
“Creating Attention-Getting and Motivating
Advertising in the IT Market”,
informative and useful.
Thank you for attending.