CREATIVE
1. THE CREATIVE IDEA IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE ENTIRE AD CAMPAIGN.
2. Spend a lot of time telling the creative people (both copy and art director) what you want. It is the most valuable time you will spend.
3. Ask them to come back with a range of ideas and to recommend one. Never accept just one idea.
4. Ask yourself first, “Does this say what I want to say to the people I want to say it to?
5. If they have to spend a long time explaining it to you, it is the wrong campaign.
6. Is it memorable, exciting?
7. Do not bore people.
8. Do not irritate them either.
9. Do not neglect the emotions – reason is only half the person.
10.Is your story best told in words or pictures?
11.Are there any potential problems in the campaign? Will it offend people? Does it have negative connotations? Is it too close to someone else’s campaign?
12.Do not be afraid to use research to test the idea.
13.If you are not happy, fight for what you want. Do not be intimidated. You are as smart as your agency.
14.Do not accept cost overruns. Get your money’s worth.
MEDIA SELECTION
1. Does the medium get your message to your target audience?
2. Is the medium suited to your message? Visual, emotional, verbal, simple, complicated.
3. The media department of the agency can tell you who each station and publication gets to - by geographic area, age, sex, and socio-economic status.
SPIN-OFFS AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
1. Support your major ad campaign using the same creative work for promotional material, posters, pamphlets, displays, sales aids.
2. If you use a personality in your ads, try and create news and feature coverage around him or her.
3. Look for editorial time and space in the same media you advertise in, but do not use ads as a lever – news types do not like it!
4. Look to your agency’s marketing and PR departments for help.
FEES, COMMISSIONS, CONTRACTS
The basic revenue source for advertising agencies is commissions (usually 15%) which are paid to them by the media in which they advertise on your behalf.
Similar 15% markups are also normally applied to advertising production costs incurred by the agency on your behalf. Most agencies also charge fees for “advertising related services” they may be asked to perform for which they are not able to receive payment through commissionable media billing. These are usually calculated by multiplying the direct labour costs by a factor (such as 2.5 times). Before you hire an advertising agency, be sure you have a clear understanding with them as to:
- Which services are covered by commissions and which will involve fee payments.
- The basis for calculation of fees.
It is not necessary to have an overall contract with your advertising agency. However, many organizations prefer to have a contract which spells out the details of the financial arrangements and commitments on both sides.