Chapter 9. Advertisement
We’re going to build an ad.
Staking out territory
Here is how you can partition a successful ad. (After this listing, there’s a little subsection for each one of them. Plus cake and donuts.)
065% Big push
007% Other push
014% Copy
009% Call to action
005% Logo and contact information
100% Total
65% Big push
This is where your visual and headline reside. You have a whopping 65% of the ad to make your central point. You can dominate, stimulate, resonate, or levitate. Go for it!
Determining the lead attraction
What is going to be the wow? This is one of the most fundamental questions. It could be something that is...
New?
? Exclusive
Unknown?
? Interesting
It is your decision.
You command the attention
Marketing teaches us the prospect is in control, but that is not true at the first contact point. You have more power to attract the prospect than he has power to run away. You just need to create an irresistible ad that makes the prospect think, “Hey, that is something.”
Basic question: Would the prospect want to read your ad?
The sudden connection
The prospect is mindlessly paging through the advertisements. Then zap! He sees an ad that addresses one of his big complaints. “Well, hmm!” he thinks. “This is something.” You’ve made the sudden connection. Three cheers for you!
Note: When you make an instant impact with the prospect, you’ve already finished half of your assignment.
7% Other push
There’s something else you need to say, and 7% lets you get that message into the subhead...or perhaps a sidebar.
14% Copy
Sure, you want this.
9% Call to action
The reader needs to respond, so you’re devoting 9% of space to properly cajole him. You can put a prominent, ‘Contact us now’ line at the bottom, or have a call-out.
5% Logo and contact information
Yes, there is this.
Waste space in a showy way
Try this one: Keep your elements spare, so your ad is open and inviting.
Question: Is the reader going to absorb all the blee-blah in a junky ad? No. The advertiser is only serving himself.
What matters?
Clear away all the extraneous malooky from advertising, and what matters is your...
? Initial attraction
? Basic message
? Idea or excitement
? Visual
? Collection of lines
? Urge to respond now