Chapter 6
Creative Strategy Decisions
Chapter Objectives
• To discuss the importance and definition of
advertising objectives.
• To examine the creative strategy planning
process.
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Chapter Objectives
• To identify three key decisions that comprise a
creative strategy: creative theme/idea, message
appeal, and message source.
• To explore various approaches used for
determining the creative theme/idea that forms
the basis of an advertising campaign.
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Chapter Objectives
• To summarize the different types of message
appeals that advertisers use to persuade their
target audience.
• To highlight the source or communicator options a
marketer has for a promotional message.
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Importance of Advertising Creativity
• Good creative strategy is often central to
determining the success of a product or service.
• Advertising campaign that is poorly conceived or
executed can be a liability.
• An ad or commercial that is creative does not
mean it will effectively communicate the intended
message.
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Burger King Tries Again . . .
and Again and Again and Yet Again
76
Have it your way.
86-87 This is a Burger King town.
77-78 America loves burgers and
we’re America’s Burger
King.
87
78-80 Who’s got the best darn
burger?
89-91 Sometimes you gotta break
the rules.
80-82 Make it special. Make it
Burger King.
91-92 Your way. Right away.
82
Aren’t you hungry for
Burger King now?
82-83 Battle of the burgers.
83
Aren’t you hungry?
The best food for fast times.
88-89 We do it like you’d do it.
92-94 BK Tee Vee: I love this
place!
94- 98 Get your burger’s worth.
98-99 It just tastes better.
99-?? Go the distance
83-85 The big switch.
85-86 Search for Herb.
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Definition of Advertising Creativity
• Ability to generate fresh, unique and appropriate
ideas to solve communications problems.
• To be appropriate and effective the idea must be
relevant to the target audience.
• Break through the clutter.
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Planning Creative Strategy
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Creative challenges
Creative personnel
Creative process
Preparation incubation, illumination
Verification and revision
Copy platform
Creative theme/idea
Message appeals
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Creative Challenges
• Creative specialists face challenge of taking
research, creative briefs, strategy statements,
communication objectives and other input and
transforming them into an advertising message.
• Many people follow a proven formula when
creating ads, because they are safe.
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Creative Personnel
• Use their artistic talents to translate
communication objectives into advertising
campaign.
• Account planning: plays important role during
creative strategy development by driving process
from the customers’ point of view.
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Creative Process
• Wallas’ Four-Step Approach:
– Preparation
• Gathering background information
– Incubation
• Idea development
– Illumination
• Seeing the solution
– Verification
• Refining the idea and finding the appropriate solution
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Preparation, Incubation, Illumination
• Learn as much as possible about product or
service, target market, competition and any other
relevant research
• Focus groups:
– Give insight as to why and how consumers use a
product or service
– What is important to them in choosing a particular
brand
– What they like and dislike about certain products or
services
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Verification and Revision
• Evaluate ideas generated
• Reject inappropriate ideas
• Refine remaining ideas
• Give them final expression
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Verification and Revision
• Techniques used:
–
–
–
–
Directed focus groups
Message communication studies
Portfolio tests
Viewer reaction profiles
• Storyboard
– Series of drawings used to present the visual plan or
layout of a proposed commercial
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Copy Platform
1. Basic problem or issue the advertising must
address
2. Advertising and communications objectives
3. Target audience
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Copy Platform
4. Major selling idea or key benefits to
communicate
5. Creative strategy statement (campaign theme,
appeal, execution technique)
6. Supporting information and requirements
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Creative Theme/Idea
• Campaign theme
– Should be a strong idea
– Central message that will be communicated in all
advertising and other promotional activities
– Short term in nature, done on annual basis
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Successful Long-run Campaigns
• Nike
– Just do it
• Allstate Insurance
– You’re in good hands with Allstate
• Hallmark cards
– When you care enough to send the very best
• De Beers
– A diamond is forever
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Successful Long-run Campaigns
• Intel
– Intel inside
• State farm insurance
– Like a good neighbor, state farm is there
• Timex watches
– It takes a licking and keeps on ticking
• Dial soap
– Aren’t you glad you use dial?
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Creative Theme/ Idea
• Best approaches for developing effective
advertising:
– Using a unique selling position
– Creating a brand image
– Finding the inherent drama
– Positioning
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Unique Selling Proposition
• Each advertisement makes a proposition to the
customer
• It must be one the competition cannot or does not
offer
• It must be strong enough to pull over new
customers to the brand
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Unique Selling Proposition
• Benefit
– Buy this produce and you'll benefit this way or enjoy
this reward
• Unique
– Must be unique to this brand or claim; Something rivals
can't or don't offer
• Potent
– The promise must be strong enough or attractive
enough to move people
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Creating a Brand Image
• David Ogilvy’s approach
– Brand image or personality is particularly important
when brands are similar
– Every ad must contribute to the complex symbol that is
the brand image
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Finding the Inherent Drama
• Characteristic of the product that makes the
consumer purchase it
• Leo Burnett’s approach
– Find the inherent drama or characteristic of the product
that makes consumers buy it
– “(Inherent drama) is often hard to find but it is always
there, and once found it is the most interesting and
believable of all advertising appeals.”
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Positioning
• Establish the brand position in the consumers’
mind
• Done for companies as well as brands
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Message Appeals
• Approach used to attract the attention of
consumers and /or influence toward the product
or service
• Types of appeals:
–
–
–
–
Rational appeals
Emotional appeals
Fear appeals
Humor appeals
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Rational Appeals
• Persuade the target audience to buy the brand
because it is the best available or does a better
job at meeting needs
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Rational Appeals
• Examples:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Feature appeal
Comparative appeal
Favorable price appeal
News appeal
Product/service popularity appeal
Reminder appeal
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Emotional Appeals
• Relate to the customers’ social and/or
psychological needs for purchasing product or
service
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Fear Appeals
• Evoke emotional response and arouse individuals
to take steps to remove the threat
• More effective among nonusers of a product than
users
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Relationship Between Fear Levels
and Message Acceptance
• Figure 6-6
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Humour Appeals
• Often the best known and best remembered of all
advertising messages
• Do not aid in persuasion in general
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Source Characteristics
• Source credibility
• Source attractiveness
• Source power
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Source Credibility
• Credibility: 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
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Source Credibility
• Applying expertise
– Use communicators with high credibility
• Applying trustworthiness
– Target audience must find the source believable
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Source Credibility
• Using corporate leaders as spokespeople
– Use company president or chief executive officer in
firm’s advertising
• Limitations of credible sources
– High and low credibility sources are equally effective
when arguing a position opposing their own best
interest
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Source Attractiveness
• Applying similarity
– Marketers recognize that people are more likely to be
influenced by a message coming from someone with
whom they feel a sense of similarity
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Source Attractiveness
• Applying likeability: using celebrities
– Draw attention to advertising message
– Popular celebrity will influence consumers’ feelings,
attitudes and purchase behaviors
• Understanding the meaning of celebrity endorsers
• Applying likeability: decorative models
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions
Source Power
• Source has power when he or she can actually
administer rewards and punishments to the
receiver
Chapter 6 : Creative Strategy Decisions