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”

Dry understatement – Carlsberg beer has a big sign in downtown Copenhagen that
reads, “Probably the best beer in town”.
2.
Avoid the same old. The key to a good advertisement is being memorable. The second your ad borrows
a familiar advertising phrase (for example, “new and improved,” “guaranteed,” or “free gift” — is there
any other kind?), it becomes interchangeable with thousands of others. What’s more, listeners are so
used to ad clichés that they don’t even hear them anymore. (Just listen to Tom Waits’s Step Right Up to
hear how meaningless clichés sound when strung together.) •Startling the reader into paying attention
is especially useful if you have a lot to say. For example, this long, environmentally-oriented
announcement wouldn’t turn many heads if it weren’t for the unusual, confrontational tagline; 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. There are tried and true methods that advertisers rely on to make their ads
stick. These include:

Common sense: Challenging the consumer to think of a good reason why not to
purchase a product or service.

Humor: Making the consumer laugh, thereby making yourself more likeable and
memorable. This pairs especially well with refreshing honesty. Not the most successful
business in your class? Advertise that your lines are shorter.

Repetition: Getting your product to stick by repeating key elements. Jingles are the
most obvious way to do this, but unless they’re very good, they’re also the most
annoying. If you go this route, brainstorm a more creative, less obvious repetition
technique such as the one that was used in the Budweiser frog commercials (“bud-weiser-bud-weis-er-bud-weis-er”).

Exigency: Convincing the customer that time is of the essence. Limited-time only offers,
fire sales, and the like are the commonest ways to do this, but again, avoid meaningless
phrases that will slip under your customers’ radar.
4.
Know the customer. Even the cleverest ad won’t work if it doesn't appeal to the target audience. Are
you looking for a certain age group? Do you want people with a set income level? Or maybe you're
looking for a population with a special interest? Whatever it is, try to get a clear picture of who your
dream consumer is and why he or she would be interested in what you're advertising.

Keep your target customer in mind when you're developing the tone and look of your
ad. Remember: it needs to appeal to your audience as much as possible and avoid
offending or talking down to them. Kids tend to be over-stimulated, meaning you will
need to grab their attention on multiple levels (color, sound, 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.
6.
Decide where and when to advertise. If you're advertising for an event, start promoting it at least 6 to 8
weeks beforehand if it's going to accommodate more than 100 people; if it's less than that, start
advertising 3 to 4 weeks ahead. If you're advertising a product, think about the time of year when
people are more apt to buy what you're selling. For instance, if you're promoting a vacuum cleaner, it
might sell better in the spring, when people are undertaking spring cleaning.