ADVERTISEMENT S Get out a piece of paper

ADVERTISEMENT S Get out a piece of paper

1 ■ Come up with a catchy, snappy tagline. – Keep it short and sweet; the average product needs no more than six or seven words. If you say it out loud and it sounds like a mouthful, edit it down. – Whatever it is, it should grab the consumer's attention and convince him or her that your product is different from everyone else’s. – Consider using:

■ Rhyme – “Do you Yahoo? ” ■ Humor – “Dirty mouth? Clean it with Orbit chewing gum!” ■ A play on words – “Every kiss begins with ‘Kay’” ■ Creative imagery – Yellow Pages: “Let your fingers do the walking” ■ Metaphor – “Red Bull gives you wings” ■ Alliteration – “Intel Inside” ■ A personal pledge – Motel 6: “We leave the light on for you”

2 ■ Make it memorable. – Your message needs to be top of the consumer's mind. – The second your ad borrows a familiar advertising phrase (for example, “new and improved, ” “guaranteed, ” or “free gift), it becomes interchangeable with thousands of others. – What matters most is how the consumer feels, not what they think. If they feel good about your brand, you've done your job.

■ Startling the reader into paying attention is especially useful if you have a lot to say. If the reader wants to get the joke, she or he has to read more. ■ Know how to walk the line between controversial and entertaining. Pushing the limits of good taste to help your ad grab attention is common practice, but don't go too far – — you want your product to be recognized on its own merits, not because it was tied to a tasteless advertisement.

3 ■ Use a persuasive technique. – Note that persuasion doesn't really mean "convincing. " – Again, the point is to make the consumers feel good about what you are advertising. – For most people, how they feel determines what they buy/go to. – Repetition: Getting your product to stick by repeating key elements. If you go this route, brainstorm a more creative, less obvious repetition technique. People think they hate repetition, but they remember and that's half the battle.

■ Common sense: Challenging the consumer to think of a good reason why not to purchase/go to a product, service, or event. ■ Humor: Making the consumer laugh, thereby making yourself more likeable and memorable. This pairs especially well with refreshing honesty. ■ Exigency: Convincing the customer that time is of the essence. Limited-time only offers, fire sales.

4 ■ Appeal to the target audience. – Take note of your target audience's age group and special interests. – Check in with your audience often to see how they are responding. Even if you have created the best ad ever, it won't be effective if it doesn’t appeal to the people looking at it.

– For example: Kids tend to be over -stimulated, so you will need to grab their attention on multiple levels, with color, sound, and imagery. – Young adults appreciate humor and tend to respond to trendiness and peer influence. – Adults will be more discerning and respond to quality, sophisticated humor, and value.

5 ■ Make sure all the relevant information is included. – If your consumer needs to know your location, phone number, or website (or all three) in order to have access to your product, provide this information somewhere in the ad. – If you're advertising an event, include the location, date, time and ticket price. – The most important element is what's called a "call to action". – What should the consumer do immediately after viewing the ad? Be sure to let them know!

6 ■ Choose a memorable image. – Simple but unexpected is often the best route to take. – For example, these stark, colorful silhouette ads that barely even show the i. Pods they’re peddling couldn’t get much more straightforward, but because they don’t look like any other ads, they are instantly recognizable.