Duane B. Thomas, MBA
Marshall University / WV State University
CHAPTER 9
CREATIVE STRATEGY: IMPLEMENTATION
AND EVALUATION
I.
APPEALS AND EXECUTION STYLES
Once the major selling idea has been agreed upon, the creative team then turns its attention to determining
the specific type of appeal and execution style that will be used to carry out the creative concept.
A.
B.
Advertising Appeals—The advertising appeal refers to the basis or approach used in the
advertisement to elicit some consumer response or to influence their feelings toward the product,
service, or cause. At the broadest level, these approaches can be broken down into two categories
or classes which are informational/rational appeals and emotional appeals.
1. Informational/rational appeals—these types of appeals focus on the consumer's practical,
functional or utilitarian need for the product or service and/or specific reasons for owning a
particular brand. Exhibit 9-1 provides an example of a rational appeal. Examples of a number
of product- or service-related appeals that would fall under the category of rational appeals
are discussed including:
1. Feature appeals
2. Competitive advantage appeals
3. Favorable price appeals
4. News appeals
5. Product/service popularity appeals
Emotional appeals—these types of appeals relate to consumers' social and/or psychological needs
for purchasing a product or service. Emotional appeals have become very popular in advertising
as marketers recognize that many purchase decisions are made on the basis of feelings and
emotions since rational, functional-based differentiation is often very difficult. Examples of
psychological states or feelings that can serve as a basis for emotional appeals are shown in
Figure 9-1 of the text and can be reviewed.
Another reason for using emotional appeals is to influence consumers' interpretations of their
product usage experience through the use of transformational advertising. This type of
advertising creates feelings, images, meanings and beliefs about the product or service that may
be activated when the consumer uses it and thus "transforms" their interpretation of the usage
experience.
1. Combining rational and emotional appeals—many purchase decisions are made on the basis
of both rational and emotional motives. Thus rational and emotional appeals may be
combined in the advertisement to attempt to influence both types of purchase motives.
2. Additional types of appeals—Other appeal types that are discussed in the text include
reminder advertising and teaser advertising.
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Duane B. Thomas, MBA
C.
Marshall University / WV State University
Advertising Execution—Creative execution refers to the manner in which an advertising appeal
is carried out or presented. A particular advertising appeal can be executed in a variety of ways
and a particular means of execution can be applied to a variety of advertising appeals. Some of
the more commonly used execution techniques include:
1. Straight-sell or factual message—this type of execution relies on a straightforward
presentation of information about the product or service such as specific attributes or benefits.
2. Scientific/technical evidence—a variation of the straight sell where scientific or technical
evidence or information is presented in the ad to support a claim.
3. Demonstration—this type of execution is designed to illustrate the key advantages or benefits
of a product or service by showing it in actual use or in some contrived or staged situation.
4. Comparison—this type of execution involves a direct or indirect comparison of a brand
against the competition.
5. Testimonials—many advertisers present their advertising messages in the form of a
testimonial whereby a person speak on behalf of the product or service based on his or her
personal use of and/or experiences with it.
6. Slice of life—this type of execution is often based on a problem/solution type of format. The
ad attempts to portray a real-life situation involving a problem, conflict or situation
consumers may face in their daily lives. The ad then focuses on showing how the advertiser's
product or service can resolve the problem. Slice-of-life executions are also becoming very
common in business-to-business advertising as companies use this approach to demonstrate
how their products and services can be used to solve business problems.
7. Animation—this technique used animated characters or scenes drawn by artists or on
computer. Animation is often used as an execution technique for advertising targeted at
children. Some advertisers have also been Roger Rabbit style ads that mix animation with
real people. For example, Exhibit 9-16 shows an image from a Star-Kist tuna commercial
featuring Charlie the Tuna that mixes animation with real people.
8. Personality symbol—this type of execution involves the use of a central character or
personality symbol to deliver the advertising message and with which the product or service
can be identified. The personality symbol can take the form of a person who is used as a
spokesperson, animated characters or even animals. IMC Perspective 9-2 discusses how
AFLAC has made effective use of this execution style by developing commercials that have
made a duck a popular personality symbol for the company.
9. Fantasy—this type of appeal is often used for image advertising by showing an imaginary
situation or illusion involving a consumer and the product or service. Cosmetic companies
often use fantasy executions although the technique has also been used in advertising for
other products such as automobiles and beer.
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Marshall University / WV State University
10. Dramatization—this execution technique creates a suspenseful situation or scenario in the
form of a short story. Dramatizations often use the problem/solution approach as they show
how the advertised brand can help resolve a problem.
11. Humor—humor can be used as the basis for an advertising appeal. However, humor can also
be used as a way of executing the message and presenting other types of advertising appeals.
12. Combinations—many of these execution techniques can be combined in presenting an
advertising message. For example, slice-of-life ads are often used to demonstrate a product or
make brand comparisons.
II.
CREATIVE TACTICS
Once the creative approach, type of appeal, and execution style has been determined, attention turns to
creating the actual advertisement. The design and production of an advertising message involves a
number of activities such as writing copy, developing illustrations and other visual elements of the ad and
bringing all of the pieces together in a finished product.
A.
Creative tactics for print advertising—there are three basic components of a print ad including the
headline, body copy, and the visual elements or illustrations. These elements are brought together
through a layout.
1. Headlines—the headline refers to the words in the leading position of the advertisement—
those that are likely to be read first or are positioned to draw the most attention. The most
important function of a headline is to attract the readers’ attention and make them interested
in the remainder of the advertising message. There are various types of headlines including:
Direct headlines – straightforward and informative in terms of the message presented
Indirect headlines—provoke curiosity and intrigue by using questions, challenges,
provocations, and other methods
2. Subheads—many ads also contain a main headline and one or more secondary headlines or
subheads. These subheads usually appear in a smaller type size than the main headline and
are generally larger the type size used for the body copy. They are used to break-up or section
off large amount of body copy and highlight key sales points in the ad.
3. Body copy—the main text portion of a print ad is referred to as the body copy. Body copy
content depends on the type of advertising appeal and/or execution style being used.
4. Visual elements—another major component of a print ad is the visual elements or
illustrations. Visual components often dominate print advertising and play a very important
role in determining effectiveness.
5. Layout—a layout refers to the physical arrangement of the various parts of the ad including
the headline, subheads, illustrations, body copy and any identifying marks.
B.
Creative Tactics for Television—As with print ads, television commercials have several
components which must work together to create the right impact and communicate the
advertiser's message.
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1. Video—the video or visual elements are what is seen on the television screen. Decisions have
to be made regarding the main focus of the visual such as the product, the presenter, action
sequences, lighting graphics, color and other factors.
2. Audio—the audio portion of a commercial includes several elements such as voice, music
and sound effects. Voices may be heard in several ways such as through the direct
presentation of a spokesperson or as a dialogue or conversation among people in the
commercial. A common method for presenting the audio portion of a commercial is through a
voice-over whereby the message is delivered or action on the screen is narrated by the voice
of an announcer who is not visible. A trend among major advertisers is to hire celebrities with
distinctive voices to do the voiceovers for their commercials.
3. Music—a very important part of many television commercials is music which plays various
roles and functions such as providing a pleasant background or helping create the appropriate
mood or setting. IMC Perspective 9-3 discusses how marketers use popular songs to help
deliver their advertising messages. Another important musical element in both television and
radio commercials is jingles, which are catchy songs about a product or service that usually
carry the advertising theme and a simple message.
4. Planning and production of television commercials—the various elements of a television
commercial are brought together in a document known as a script which is a written version
of a commercial that provides a detail description of its video and audio content. The script
indicates the various audio components of the commercial such as the copy to be spoken by
voices, music and sound effects. The video portion of the script provides the visual plan of
the commercial. Once the basic script has been conceived, the writer and art director get
together to produce a storyboard or a series of drawings used to present the visual plan or
layout of a proposed commercial. Once the client approves the storyboard, the commercial is
ready to move to the production phase. The production process for a commercial actually
involves three phases:
 Preproduction – all the work and activities that occur before the actual filming of a
commercial.
III.

Production –the period during which the commercial is filmed or videotaped and
recorded.

Postproduction – activities and work that occur after the commercial has been filmed and
recorded.
CLIENT EVALUATION AND APPROVAL OF CREATIVE WORK
While the creative specialists determine the advertising appeal and execution style that will be used in the
campaign, the client must evaluate and approve the creative approach before any ads are actually
produced. A number of different people on the client side may be involved in evaluating and approving
the creative work of the agency. The amount and influence of these individuals will depend on the
company's organization and policies, the importance of the product to the company, the role of
advertising in the marketing program, and the nature of the advertising approach being recommended.
There are two basic stages in the development of advertising—creation and production. Most of the
attention in this chapter has focused on the creation stage and creative process. Once the creative
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Duane B. Thomas, MBA
Marshall University / WV State University
approach has been determined and approved, the attention turns to the production process, which involves
a variety of functions needed to produce the ad or commercial and put it into a finished form suitable for
use by the media. The client will have the opportunity to review the final version of the advertisement
after the production stage. However, it is important that a careful evaluation be made before the ad
actually enters production as this stage requires a substantial investment of time and money.
A.
Guidelines for Evaluating Creative Output—There are a number of guidelines that personnel on
the client side might use to evaluate the creative approaches suggested by the agency. Some of
the most important and basic criteria or guidelines that might be used in evaluating creative
approaches are discussed in the text and include the following:
 Is the creative approach consistent with the brand's marketing and advertising objectives?

Is the creative approach consistent with the creative strategy and objectives and does it
communicate what it is supposed to?

Is the creative approach appropriate for the target audience?

Does the creative approach communicate a clear and convincing message to the customer?

Does the creative execution overwhelm the message?

Is the creative approach appropriate for the media environment in which it is likely to be
seen?

Is the advertisement truthful and tasteful?
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