The
Style
Before
creating an advertising message, it is necessary to make a few basic
decisions, like defining the tone and style
of the campaign. Therefore, we have to decide the style and
environment of the advert. The tone should reflect the personality
of the product.
Adverts
can be made using a variety of different styles:
We can
make a very serious advert with a very formal tone. Some
insurance companies and banks create adverts with a serious tone.
Another
option is to make an easy going advert by incorporating simple
songs or phrases that can then become popular or funny/humoristic
elements. A few years ago Santander Bank created a succesful advert
when it moved away from the very serious and formal publicity usually
associated to banks and made an advert in which people sang and
danced.
Other
adverts can be very realistic and incorporate a great variety
of imaginative elements. Some perfume adverts are tremendously imaginative
and they present a fantastical world.
The
campaign can have a very modern style or opt for a classic setting.
Some products like certain drinks have the same adverts for years
and emphasize their homemade tradition and traditional manufacturing
procedures. Other products like to look modern and advanced and
the style and atmosphere of their adverts reflect this
It is essential
to clearly set the style of the advert.
Often, we can identify the brand simply by the colours, typography,
logo,etc. Think about how similar Coca-Cola adverts are. Many companies
maintain the same style for years and often without reading the brand
name we can recognize the company it is advertising.
Over the
years, maintaining the same style in the different press areas makes
communication easier and increases the efficiency of the publicity.
We can obtain better results with a lower budget if we maintain
certain visual codes in our communication.
Once we
have decided on the message and the style we need to think about the
composition of the advert or copy. For
example, in adverts for the press we usually use text and images.
What we have to do is elaborate the headline, make the text bigger
and add a photo. Later you will have to organize or place these elements
into the space you have.
One typical
mistake is trying to be too creative and therefore generating an advert
which is difficult to understand or read. If
the advert does not communicate its message in the small amouont of
time then it does not fulfill its function. We have to bear
in mind that the readers or spectators are usually lazy and don't
try and unravel complicated or difficult to understand adverts. Many
examples of adverts which do not increase sales are visually very
complicated and adverts which do not give reasons to buy the product.
The best
adverts are usually those that are easy to read and easy to understand.
Some adverts which have generated more sales are simple and visually
clear.
