15 heading describes the class of goods or the needs to be offered, such as “Business
for Sale”, “Help Wanted”. Classified advertisements consist of some commercial messages of articles, services and opportunities of every type that are related to
the advertisers. The advertisers are not mainly big companies but mostly they are individuals.
3 Small Display
Like display, small displays are characterized by large size type, photos, art borders, white space, and sometimes color. What makes them different from
display advertisements is that the uses of those devices are simpler and in small size. If small displays are run in the classified section on news, they are called
display advertisements. 4
Public Notices Public notices or public announcements can be legal notices of changes in
business or personal relationship, or public governmental reports. Sometimes they are treated similarly to a small display that they require little creativity in
designing. 5
Preprinted Inserts Magazines and newspapers usually issue preprinted inserts or supplement,
although they are still rare. The inserts can be printed by the publishers.
d. The Format of Advertisements
This part is related to the design of the advertisements. Arens 2006: 417 mentions that “in print advertising, the key format elements are the visuals,
headlines, subhead, body copy, slogans, seals, logos, and signatures.” Further,
16 Arens 2006: 417-424 explains profoundly about the key format elements in print
advertising. 1
Headlines The headline contains the words in the leading position in the
advertisement – the words that will be read first and are situated to draw the most attention. Effective headlines attract attention, engage the audience, explain the
visual, lead the audience into the body of the ad, and present the selling message. If they have not been overused in a category, “power” words that suggest newness
can increase readership and improve the broom factor of an advertisement. They should be employed whenever honestly applicable. Examples include free, now,
amazing, suddenly, announcing, introducing, it’s here, improved, at last, revolutionary, just arrived, new, important development.
Copywriters use many variations of headlines depending on the advertising strategy. Headlines may be
classified by the type of information they carry. Benefit headlines are to promise the audience that experiencing the utility of the product or service will be
rewarding. The newsinformation headline announces news or promises information. Provocative headlines are used to provoke the reader’s curiosity – to
stimulate questions and thoughts. A question headline asks a question, encouraging readers to search for the answer in the body of the advertisement. A
command headline orders the reader to do something, so it might seem negative. 2
Subheads The subhead is an additional smaller headline that may appear above the
headline or below it. A subhead above the headline is called a kicker or an
17 overline and may be underlined. Subheads may also appear in body copy.
Subheads are usually set smaller that the headline but larger than the body copy or text. Subheads generally appear in boldface or italic type or a different color. Like
a headline, the subhead transmits key sales points fast. Subheads are important for two reasons: most people read only the headline and subheads, and subheads
usually support the interest step best. Subheads are longer and more like sentences than headlines.
3 Body Copy
The advertiser tells the complete sales story in the body copy or text. The body copy comprises the interest, credibility, desire, and often even the action
steps. Body copy covers the features, benefits, and utility of the product or service. There are six common copy styles. Straight-sell copy is where the writers
immediately explain or develop the headline and visual in a straightforward, factual presentation. Institutional copy is to promote a philosophy or extol the
merits of an organization rather than product features. Narrative copy is to tell a story. Ideal for the creative writer, narrative copy sets up a situation and then
resolves it at the last minute by having the product or service come to the rescue. Dialoguemonologue copy is when the advertiser can add the believability that
narrative copy sometimes lacks. Picture caption copy is especially useful for products that have a number of different uses or come in a variety of styles and
designs. Device copy uses figures of speech such as puns, alliteration, assonance, and rhymes as well as humor and exaggeration.
18 4
Slogans Slogans are also called as themelines or taglines. Slogans have two basic
purposes: to provide continuity to a series of ads in a campaign and to reduce an advertising message strategy to brief, repeatable, and memorable positioning
statement. 5
Seals, Logos, and Signatures A seal is awarded only when a product meets standard established by a
particular organization. Logotypes or logos and signature cuts or sig cuts are special design of the advertiser’s company or product name. They appear in all
company ads and, like trademarks, give the product individuality and provide quick recognition at the point of purchase.
3. Advertising Language
