How The Advertising Industry Thinks

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This presentation takes a closer look at what ad agencies consider “good” advertising, how they interpret “concept,” and why the web designer's notion of “proof of concept” is completely nonsensical in the world of advertising. I examine some successful campaigns and some award-winning campaigns -- these are not necessarily the same thing -- and explain why these are admired by so-called “creatives” at ad agencies. I also explore why advertising creatives despise web types in general and usability folks in particular. You’ll discover why stuff that “works” on screen doesn’t work in print ads -- and vice versa. And I dispel some of the popular myths about advertising, such as “all advertising is good advertising.”

Transcript of How The Advertising Industry Thinks

How the ad industry thinks

Eric ReissIA Summit

25 March 2007Las Vegas, Nevada

A politically incorrect review

Jacques Séguéla

“Don’t tell my mother I work inan advertising agency. She thinksI play piano in a whorehouse.”

Jacques Séguéla

Big Al’s Brothel(one flight up)

ad· ver· tiseverb

1 : inform, notify2 : to call public attention to esp. in order to sell

A brief history of advertising

where the best cloth is woven to your desires,a whole gold coin is offered”

“For the return of my slave to the shop of Haputhe Weaver,

A brief history of advertising

Tactical Strategic

Technical issues

Business issues1996

Tactical Strategic

Technical issues

Business issues1999

Tactical Strategic

Technical issues

Business issues1999

Tactical Strategic

Technical issues

Business issues20042005-6

Business analysts understand the boxes.

But only we understand the arrows.

We can’t expect ad agencies to understand how we thinkuntil we understand how they think

Three ways that guaranteewe lose our place at the table

Insisting we invented user research

Misunderstanding “concept”

Humiliating established art directors

We all know that Jakob invented user testing...

1925

John Caples

1932 >

“Accept nothing as true aboutwhat works best in advertisinguntil it has been scientificallytested.”

John Caples

OK. But we really understand research, don’t we?

1908

Claude Hopkins

1930 >

“Talk to the people who are goingto buy your product. This is thefirst step in any successful campaign”

Claude Hopkins

Well, B.J. taught us about trustbuilding ...

1960

1962 >1983 >

David Ogilvy

“What really decides consumersto buy or not to buy is the contentof your advertising, not its form.”

David Ogilvy

A few other advertising legends ...

Rosser Reeves

“Find the USP.”

Leo Burnett

“Find the drama.”

Bill Bernbach

“Tell the story”

Meet the Mattel See ’n Say

problem ?

Jeez, Eric, what’s the

Awareness

Interest

Desire

Action

AIDA

“The secret of all effective originalityin advertising is not the creation ofnew and tricky words and pictures,but one of putting familiar wordsand pictures into new relationships.”

Leo Burnett

but one of putting familiar wordsand pictures into new relationships.”

Winter landscape(see ’n say)

Scene of the crime(effective juxtaposition)

What makes the See ’n Say the lowest form of advertising?

It relies on an eyecatching irrelevancy!

The Australian tourist board understandswhat the chamber of commerce doesn’t

Forcing a see ’n say

See ’n Say is acceptable for illustrations

(but only just)

See ’n Say is fine for logos

(because they are icons)

Babies, boobs, and beagles

(the three not-so-secret weapons of bad advertising)

For art’s sake...

Tell the story

Find the drama

Photo courtesy of Mark Hurst

Apogee – a lesson learned ... and forgotton

Before(see ‘n say)

After(elegant)

“We don’t need no stinking ad agency”

Back tosee ‘n say

Boring doesn’t sell

The ad agencies don’t always get it right either

“Too clever” “This is funny!”

“Do you want fine writing?Or do you want your goddamnsales to go up?”

Rosser Reeves

Let’s turn to the concept of concept

In advertising, concept represents the big idea

In the web world, concept represents ... er ...

In advertising, there is only one proof of concept

Crap B2B

Effective B2B

Now entering the mind of the art director

Boring bluecorporate color

Modern color.And a graphic swish

Yin and Yang?Hmm…

Wildly differentcustomers…

Let’s kill a myth

“All advertisingis good advertising.”

They

Think of the advertiser as a person ...

Now consider this:

Do you befriend liars?

Do you admire fools?

Do you trust strangers?

Do you respect incompetence?

Fact:

A Milwaukee brewer found out sales fell among target audiences that could remember their advertising.

1972

Popular tag(second-largest brewer in USA)

1982

Crap concept(sales decline in

all markets)

1984

Out of business

Thanks!

Eric Reiss can (usually) be found at:

The FatDUX Group ApSStrandøre 152100 CopenhagenDenmark

Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44Twitter: elreissinfo@fatdux.comwww.fatdux.com