Advertising Strategy

Advertising Strategy

Advertising" strategy covers two major elements: creating the advertising messages and selecting the advertising media. In the past, most companies

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developed messages and media independently. Media planning was often seen as secondary to the message creation process. First the creative department created

the ad; then the media department selected the best media for carrying the adver­ tisements to the desired target audiences. Separation of the functions often

caused friction between creatives and media planners.

Today, however, media fragmentation, soaring media costs and more focused target marketing strategies have raised the importance of the media planning function. In some cases, an advertising campaign might begin with a good media opportunity, followed by advertisements designed to take advantage of that

opportunity. Increasingly, companies are realizing the benefits of planning these two activities jointly. Messages and media should blend harmoniously to create an effective overall ad campaign.

• Creating the. Advertising Message

A large advertising budget does not guarantee a successful advertising campaign. Two advertisers can spend the same amount on advertising, yet have very different results. The advertising messages can be more important to advertising success than the amount of money spent. No matter how big the budget, adver­

tising can succeed only if commercials gain attention and communicate well. THE CHANGING MESSAGE ENVIRONMENT. Good advertising messages

are especially important in today's costly and cluttered advertising environment. The average consumer has numerous television and radio stations and thousands of magazines to choose from. To these, add the countless catalogues, direct­mail ads and continuous barrage of other media. Consumers are bombarded with ads at home, at work and at all points in between!

If all this advertising clutter bothers some consumers, it also causes big prob­ lems for advertisers ­ it is very costly. Advertisers could pay tens to hundreds of thousands of pounds for a 30­second slot during a popular prime­time TV

programme. Also, their ads are sandwiched in with a battery of other commercials and announcements in any viewing hour. With the growth in cable TV, video

cassette recorders and remote­controlled technologies, today's audience can also tune out ads by either watching commercial­free channels or 'zapping' commer­

cials by pushing the 'fast­forward' button during taped programmes. With remote­ control, they can instantly turn off the sound during a commercial or 'zip' around

channels to see what else is on. Thus, just to gain and hold attention, today's advertising messages must be better planned, more imaginative, more innovative,

more entertaining and more rewarding to consumers. Creative strategy, there­ fore, will play an increasingly important role in advertising success.

MESSAGE STRATEGY. The first step in creating effective advertising messages is to decide what general message will be communicated to consumers ­ to plan

the message strategy. Generally, the purpose of advertising is to get target consumers to think about or react to the product or company in a certain way. People will respond only if motivated to do so. For example, they will reaet if they believe that they will benefit from doing so. Thus, developing an effective message strategy usually begins with identifying target customer benefits that can be used as advertising appeals. Ideally, advertising message strategy follows directly from the company's broader positioning strategy. The planner must also have in mind the target audience and the type of response the message should evoke among those that get the message.

Message strategy statements tend to be plain, straightforward outlines of benefits and positioning points that the advertiser wants to stress. This means the

Importctnt Decisions in Advertising • 799

advertiser must develop a compelling creative concept ­ or 'big idea' ­ that will bring the message strategy to life in a distinctive and memorable way. The creative concept may emerge as a visualization, a phrase or a combination of the two.

There are several creative message strategies that firms adopt: • The message focuses on the brand's positioning (e.g. 'Stella Artois.

Reassuringly expensive'; 'Simply years ahead', Philips; 'Have a break, have a Kit­Kat'; The world's most civilized spirit', Ilenessy cognac).

• The message taps one or other of the motivations that drive human consumption — for example, functional benefit ('Brain tood — every Friday', The Economist), pleasure ('Never simply required reading— it is desired reading', Wall Street Journal Europe), self­identity ('No FT Comment',

Financial Times), image ('Many Guardian readers are just like their newspaper ­ eloquent, incisive and successful'), admiration ('Top people read The Times') and altruism ('We don't eut down trees for our

newsprint'). 13 • The idea could be spawned by addressing the ways in which product sales

can be increased: current users must be encouraged to use more, or new users encouraged to start buying the product. For example, Reebok came up with a breakthrough idea of informing consumers that their running shoes are for everyday wear, thus creating a 'new use' for previous non­users of the product category.

• The message homes in on the differences between the advertised product and competitors' offering: for example, Burger King's message to consumers is that its burger is 'Broiled, not fried'.

• The idea for the message could have developed from an in­depth knowledge of the consumer's own experience with the product, particularly the buying process, die process and effect of consumption, and the benefits sought. The advertiser must come very close to the consumer and follow his or her experience with the product, usually through lengthy, labour­intensive qualitative research, including point­of­purehase observations and analysis. Thus Contac 400 shows sharp observation, with its ad which assures cold sufferers that the drug 'dries up the symptoms of a cold'.

Creative ad people therefore have different ways of finding advertising­ message ideas that will engage the attention of viewers. Many creative people start by talking to consumers, dealers, experts and competitors. Others try to imagine consumers buying or using the product and then work out the benefits that

consumers seek when buying and using the product. Usually, the copywriter and art director team up to generate many creative concepts, hoping that one of the concepts will turn out to be the big idea. Logically, it makes sense to generate alternative themes, evaluate the appeal of each and select a preferred strategy. But how should advertising planners evaluate advertising messages?

The creative concept should guide the choice of specific appeals to be used in an ad campaign. Generally, the appeals should have three characteristics. First, they should be meaningful, pointing out benefits that make the product more desirable or interesting to target customers. Second, appeals must be believable. This objective is difficult because many consumers doubt the truth of advertising

in general. One study found that a full one­third of the public rates advertising

messages as 'unbelievable'. 1 ­ 1 Furthermore, the most meaningful and believable

benefits may not be the best ones to feature. Appeals should be distinctive in terms of telling consumers how the product is better than the competing brands.

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For example, the most meaningful benefit of owning a wristwatch is that it keeps accurate time, yet few watch ads feature this benefit. Instead, based on the distinctive benefits they offer, watch advertisers might select any of a number of advertising concepts. For years. Timex has been the affordable watch that 'Takes a lickin' and keeps on tiekin". In contrast, .Swatch lias featured style, fun and fashion, whereas Rolex stresses luxury and status. Advertisers should therefore pretest each ad to determine that it has the maximum impact, believability and appeal.

MESSAGE EXECUTION. The impact of the message depends not only on what is said, but also on hcrw it is said. The advertiser has to turn the 'big idea'

into an actual ad execution that will capture the target market's attention and their interests. The advertiser usually begins with a statement of the objective and approach of the desired ad:

For example, in France, McClan's Whisky planned to use advertising to increase awareness and familiarity and to create an image as a real whisky with a distinct personality which was clearly within the values of the French whisky market. The target segment is regular whisky drinkers who are currently buying standard brands such as Johnny Walker and Ballantines, and who want good value but not the prestige of a premium or the money­saving value of a cheap brand. The 'how' or advertising message proposed that McClan is the whisky that embodies the spirit of

France today. It is the whisky for the 'new adventurers', who are dynamic and aspirational, but their ambition is directed to a full and varied experience of life, self­expression and appreciation of art and culture, not the desire for social standing or political power. The message was executed via an evocative visual campaign. It exploited the physical elements of the brand, which already evoke positive images among French whisky drinkers ­ die short, sharp, powerful name, the golden

Important Decisions in Advertising • 801

label, distinctive bottle shape and red typography. Since it is illegal to advertise spirits on French TV, luxury magazines which gave colour and a prestige environment were chosen. 34

The creative people must find the best style, tone, words and format for executing the message. Any message can be presented in different execution styles, such as the following: ­

• Slice of life. This style shows one or more people using the product in a normal setting (e.g. the 'Oxo' gravy commercials which show the role of the mother who is tolerant of the domestic impositions of other members of her

family). • Lifestyle. This style shows how a product fits in with a particular lifestyle.

For example, the 'After Eight' mints UK advertisement (elegant dinner party in a period house) appeals to aspirations more than anything else.

• Fantasy This style creates a fantasy around the product or its use. For instance, 'Anything can happen after a Badedas bath' usually meant the arrival of a 'Prince Charming' with a romantic style of transport just after his mistress emerged from the bath.

• Mood or image. This style builds a mood or image around the product, such as beauty, love or serenity. No claim is made about the product except through suggestion. Timotei shampoo employs the mood for nature and simplicity ­ a strategy that has worked successfully in many countries across the globe.

• Musical. The ad is built around a song or some well­known music, so that emotional responses to the music are associated with the product. Many soft­drink commercials (e.g. Coca­Cola, Pepsi­Cola) use this format.

• Personality symbol. This style creates a character that represents the product. The character might he animated (e.g. the Jolly (ireen Giant,

Garfield the Cat) or real (e.g. Eric Cantona and Les Ferdinand for Nike's 'Kick It' campaign).

t Technical expertise. This style shows the company's expertise in making the product. Thus Maxwell House shows one of its buyers carefully selecting the coffee beans, and Audi ears implies superiority with 'Vorsprung dureh Technik'.

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