Creativity and IMC

Kinds of messages

Message consistency

Messagestrategy and

execution

Message structure

Messages and IMC

Guidelines for

evaluation

Barriers to big ideas

Client inspiration and

evaluation

Message strategy

The big idea

Creative process

How to say it

Appeals ExecutionTypes of strategies

Message strategystatement

Strategic triad

Creativity

Persuasive Communications The ‘right’ message:

connects emotionally with the target audience

may need to connect in different ways for different audiences

contains a key insight or big idea

is distinctive, memorable and creative.

• Independent variables: Controllable components of communication process

• Dependent Variables: Steps a receiver goes through in being persuaded

• This helps a marketer see how each controllable element interacts with the consumer’s responsive process

Types of messages

The Consistency Triangle

Message ArgumentsOne-sided messages

Mention only positive attributes or benefits

Two-sided messages

Present both good and bad points

Refutational messages

Present both sides of an issue, before refuting the opposing viewpoint

The Creative Process

Message strategy

• What to say • Major selling argument

Big idea

• Brings strategy to life

Execution

• How to say it• Appeals and techniques

Creative Inspiration

Talking to customersSources Of Creative

Insight

Ruminating on Data

Store visits

Market research

Ask

QuestionsObse

rvat

ion

Use the product

Strategic Triad

Message Strategies

Creative Principles

To influence consumer feelings toward a product, service or cause

To influence consumer feelings toward a product, service or cause

The approach used to attract the attention of consumers

The way an appeal is turned into an advertising message

The way the message is presented to the consumer

The approach used to attract the attention of consumers

The way an appeal is turned into an advertising message

Defining Appeals and Execution

AdvertisingAppeals

ExecutionStyle

3. Others: Reminder ads, Teaser ads, Image ads

2. Emotional

1. Informational/Rational

Types of Appeals

Popularity: Stresses the brand’s popularity

News: News announcement about the product

Price: Makes price offer the dominant point

Competitive: Makes comparisons to other brands

Feature: Focus on dominant traits of the product

News: News announcement about the product

Price: Makes price offer the dominant point

Competitive: Makes comparisons to other brands

Feature: Focus on dominant traits of the product

Types of Informational/Rational Appeals

Achievement AccomplishmentActualization Affection

Ambition ArousalStimulation ComfortExcitement Fear

Grief HappinessJoy Love

Nostalgia PleasurePride Safety

Security Self-esteemSentiment Sorrow

Achievement AccomplishmentActualization Affection

Ambition ArousalStimulation ComfortExcitement Fear

Grief HappinessJoy Love

Nostalgia PleasurePride Safety

Security Self-esteem

Bases for emotional appeals(Appealing to Personal States or Feelings)

Status

Acceptance

Respect

Approval Affiliation

Belonging

Rejection Recognition

Embarrass-ment

Involvement

Acceptance

Respect

Approval Affiliation

Belonging

Rejection Recognition

Embarrass-ment

Involvement

Bases for emotional appeals(Appealing to Social-Based feelings)

Social-BasedFeelings

Message appeals

Comparative Advertising •The practice of either directly or indirectly naming competitors in an ad and comparing one or more specific attributes

Fear Appeals • Ads sometimes use fear appeals to evoke this emotional response and arouse individuals to take steps to remove the threat

Humor Appeals •Humorous ads are often the best known and best remembered of all advertising messages

Message Appeals

Personality Symbol Personality Symbol

Straight sell

Scientific

Demonstration

Comparison

Testimonial Humor

Slice of life

Imagery

Animation

DramatizationDramatization

Testimonial

Comparison

Animation

Demonstration Imagery

Scientific

Slice of life

Straight sell

3. Ad Execution Techniques

Humor

Combinations

Executional techniques

Execution technique

Brief description Type of appeal

Straight sell Straight presentation of product information

Rational

Scientific/ technical

Provides technical information or endorsements by scientific organisations

Rational

Demonstration ‘Seeing is believing’: shows product in operation

Rational/ emotional

Comparison Compares product advantages with competitors or substitutes

Rational/ emotional

Testimonial/endorsement

Person, staff or celebrity discusses personal satisfaction

emotional/ Rational

Executional techniques (cont.)

Execution technique

Brief description Type of appeal

Slice of life Product solves a problem in a real-life, everyday situation

Emotional/rational

Animation Stylised execution Emotional

Imagery Focus on visual elements: pictures, illustrations and symbols

Emotional

Dramatisation A narrative where the product is the hero

Emotional/ rational

Humour Uses humour to appeal to the target audience

Emotional

Ads for High Involvement Products Often Use Straight Sell Executions

Mentadent Uses a Demonstration

Apple Uses a Testimonial

Listerine Uses a Slice-of-Life Execution

Jeep Uses Imagery for the Wrangler

Layout:How Elements Are Blended Into a Finished Ad

Visual Elements: Illustrations Such As Drawings or Photos

Body Copy:The Main Text Portion of a Print Ad

Subheads:Smaller Than the Headline, Larger Than the Copy

Headline:Words in the Leading Position of the Ad

Visual Elements: Illustrations Such As Drawings or Photos

Body Copy:The Main Text Portion of a Print Ad

Subheads:Smaller Than the Headline, Larger Than the Copy

Headline:Words in the Leading Position of the Ad

Creative tactic for Print Ad Components

Print ad layout

Format Arrangement of the elements on the printed page

Size Expressed in columns, column inches or portions of a page

Colour Mono, spot colour or four colour

Whitespace

Marginal and intermediate space that remains unprinted

Creative tactics for video and digital

Audio Jingles

Voiceovers

Interactivity

Click throughs

Advergames

Planning and production of TVCs

Barriers to big ideas

The copy platform

1. Advertising problem2. Advertising objectives3. Distinctive feature4. Target audience5. Target competitor6. Positioning7. Creative strategy8. Execution9. Supporting copy points

The copy platform, also known as

creative platform or work plan, focuses energy and keeps

the creative team ‘on strategy’.

Young’s Creative Process

Get raw material and data, and immerse yourself in the problemImmersion

Take the information, work it over, wrestle with it in your mindDigestion

Turn the information over to the subconscious to do the workIncubation

“Eureka! I have it!” phenomenonIllumination

Study the idea, evaluate it, reshape it for practical usefulnessVerification

Guidelines for evaluating creative Strategy/Work

Consistent with brand’s marketing objectives?

Consistent with brand’s advertising objectives?

Consistent with creative strategy, objectives?

Does it communicate what it’s supposed to?

Approach appropriate to target audience?

Communicate clear, convincing message?

Does execution overwhelm the message?

Appropriate to the media environment?

Is the advertisement truthful and tasteful?

Source Factors

Source: The person involved in communicating a marketing message

Direct Source: A spokesperson who delivers a message and/or demonstrates a product or service

Indirect Source: Doesn’t actually deliver a message but draws attention to and/or enhances the appearance of the ad

Three basic categories of source attributes: credibility, attractiveness and power

Source Credibility

Credibility is the extent to which the recipient sees the source as having relevant knowledge, skill, or experience and trusts the source to give unbiased, objective information

Expertise and trustworthiness are two important dimensions to credibility

Information from a credible source influences beliefs, opinions, attitudes, and/or behaviour through a process known as internalization, which occurs when the receiver adopts the opinion of the credible communicator since he or she believes information from this source is accurate

Source Attractiveness

Attractiveness encompasses similarity, familiarity, and likability

Source attractiveness leads to persuasion through a process of identification, whereby the receiver is motivated to seek some type of relationship with the source and thus adopts similar beliefs, attitudes, preferences, or behaviour

Source Power

A source has power when he or she can actually administer rewards and punishments to the receiver

The source must be perceived as being able to administer positive or negative sanctions to the receiver (perceived control)

The receiver must think the source cares about whether or not the receiver conforms (perceived concern)

The receiver’s estimate of the source’s ability to observe conformity is also important (perceived scrutiny)

When a receiver perceives a source as having power, the influence process occurs through a process known as compliance

Message structureAn important aspect of message strategy is knowing the best way to communicate these points and overcome any opposing viewpoints audience members may hold

Order Of Presentation

Ad message recall as a function of order of presentation

• Presenting the strongest arguments at the beginning of the message assumes a primacy effect is operating, whereby information presented first is most effective.

• Putting the strong points at the end assumes a recency effect, whereby the last arguments presented are most persuasive

Conclusion Drawing: • Messages with explicit conclusions are more easily understood and effective in

influencing attitudes• The effectiveness of conclusion drawing may depend on the target audience, the type of

issue or topic, and the nature of the situation

Message Sidedness:• A one-sided message mentions only positive attributes or benefits• One-sided messages are most effective when the target audience already holds a

favourable opinion about the topic• A two-sided message presents both good and bad points• Two-sided messages are more effective when the target audience holds an opposing

opinion or is highly educated

Refutation:• The communicator presents both sides of an issue and then refutes the opposing

viewpoint• They are more effective than one-sided messages in making consumers resistant to an

opposing message

Verbal vs. visual messages:• The use of a visual that is inconsistent with the verbal content leads to more recall and

greater processing of the information presented

Channel factors

While a variety of methods are available to transmit marketing communications, they can be classified into two broad categories, personal and non-personal media. Information received from personal influence channels is generally more persuasive than information received via the mass media.

Effects of Alternative Mass Media:• The various mass media that advertisers use to transmit their messages differ in many

ways, including the number and type of people they reach, costs, information processing requirements, and qualitative factors

• Information from ads in print media, such as newspapers, magazines, or direct mail, is self-paced; readers process the ad at their own rate and can study it as long as they desire.

• In contrast, information from the broadcast media of radio and television is externally paced; the transmission rate is controlled by the mediumEffects of context and environment:

• A qualitative media effect is the influence the medium has on a message media• Buyers are advised to follow the conventional wisdom of placing their ads during “feel-

good” programming, especially if the message is intended to work through a central route to persuasion.

• Messages intended to operate through a peripheral route to persuasion might be more effective if they are shown during more negative programs, where presumably viewers will not analyse the ad in detail because of their negative mood state

Clutter:• Clutter is the amount of advertising in medium• Clutter is of increasing concern to advertisers since there are so many messages in

various media competing for the consumer’s attention• Clutter has become a major concern among television advertisers as a result of increases

in non-program time and the trend toward shorter commercials

Advertorials Vs InfomercialsInformative advertisements in Print are called Advertorials and when informative advertising is done on television it is called as Infomercials.

Information may include anything and everything from productusage to product features to product demonstrations