How to design a good advertisement

MỤC LỤC


A. HEADER
For an advertisement to be effective and successful, it should catch the readers’
attention, keep the more curious, and lead them to buy that advertisement product
or service. Good and catchy advertising involves manipulating the emotions of
your customers. Selling is a blatant form of emotional manipulation that involves
convincing your customers that they want to buy your product or service, and they
want to do it now. You can call it as, an advertisement or promotion or marketing.
But whatever you call it, every business depends on words with impact in their
advertisement and branding.
Advertisement helps you to build a strong brand and expand a strong business
branding. Let see, How to design a good advertisement ?
B. CONTENT
I.

Advertising overview
I.1 What is advertising ? Characteristics of Advertising
What is advertising ?
- Advertising is process of developing a paid communication message intended to
inform
-

people about something or to influence them to buy, try or do

something.
Advertising is the actor or practice of calling attention to one’s product , service,

need … of target customer
Characteristics of Advertising:

- Tool for market promotion : Advertising
-

is popular ways and important

function of marketing, Advertising is powerful tool for market place too
Non-personal or personal : advertising can be non-personal as in the case of TV,
radio or newspaper advertisements or highly personal as in the case of social

-

media and other cookie-based advertisements
Paid form : advertising is not free of costs. Advertiser, called as sponsor, has to
spend money for preparing message, buying media, and monitoring advertising
efforts It is the costliest option of market promotion. Company has to prepare its

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advertising budget to response advertising costs.
One-way communication : advertising is the one-way communication. Message
moves from company to customers, from sponsor to audience through different
mediums. And customer or audiences can not response through advertising.
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-

Element of truth : it is unbelievable to say that advertising is truth. Almost,
facts are exaggerated in advertising. However, due to certain legal provisions,
the element of truth can be fairly assured.

I.2 What are the objectives of advertising?
To

inform:

Advertisements

are

used

to

increase brand

awareness and brand exposure in the target market. Informing potential
customers about the brand and its products is the first step towards attaining
business goals.
To persuade : Persuading customers to perform a particular task is a prominent
objective of advertising. The tasks may involve buying or trying the products
and services offered, to form a brand image, develop a favourable attitude
towards the brand etc.
To remind : Another objective of advertising is to reinforce the brand message
and to reassure the existing and potential customers about the brand vision.
Advertising helps the brand to maintain top of mind awareness and to avoid
competitors stealing the customers. This also helps in the word of mouth
marketing.
I.3 Importance of advertising
To the customers

- Convenience : advertising give useful information about product so customer
get to know what suits their requirements and budge. The customer can make
-

decision easily and quickly. They don’t have to research more and more.
Better quality : It is absolutely essential to improve the quality of the product to
maintain confidence of the customers and ensure brand loyalty. Hence,

-

advertised goods are usually of good quality.
Awareness : advertising informs the customers about different product available
in the market. This knowledge helps customers compare different products and

-

choose the best product for them.
Enables comparison : Advertising helps consumers find best product for
themselves by facilitating comparison among various products available in the
market. They are able to compare the prices, qualities and characteristics and
pick up the best from among them.
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To the business
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Introduce the new product : Advertisement of the new product is necessary so
that consumers become aware of the product, its availability, its utility, its

-

price… So, advertising is important to promote the sale of a new product.
Attend potential customers : Advertising should emphasize the usefulness of the
product, its quality, price advantages, etc., so as to win over the potential buyers

-

and make them actual buyer and increase sales
Product Differentiation: Advertising helps the business to differentiate its product
from those of competitors’ and communicate its features and advantages to the

-

target audience.
Brand Image: Clever advertising helps the business to form the desired brand
image and brand personality in the minds of the customers.

II.
Elements of an advertisement
II.1
The offer
A good advertisement offers readers an immediate benefit or reason to learn more
about your product. This can be anything from a hot new product to a sale or
limited-time discount. Your offer is the hook that draws the reader in and it
should be the focus on your ad.
II.2 The headline
The ad title offers a short, snappy preview of what the reader will find in your
product or your store. Your headline explains to the reader the key benefit or offer
you are providing. In general, headlines are the largest part of the advertisement.

A good headline keeps a potential customer reading; a weak headline will make
the customer pass over.
II.3 Image
A ad includes one or two striking pictures that illustrate your offer. If you are
offering a free product, your ad should include an attractive photo of the product.
it can be Any drawing, photograph, illustration, chart or other graphic that is
designed to affect the audience in some purposeful way. If you are highlighting a
hot new product or sale, your image should be of that hot new product.
II.4 The body
The body of your ad includes information about your offer, about your store or
product and any other information you want to highlight. Keep your body text
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short and easy-to read. Use bullet points or subheadings to break up the text.
Readers want to get the information they need as quickly as possible.
II.5 Call to action
Include a sense of urgency in your ad. Don't just tell readers about your product,
urge them to take action in order to benefit from your offer. Set a time limit and
clear, concise instructions for what readers should do. Call to action statements
include words such as: "Buy now to take advantage of this great offer”, "Only the
First 50 Customers Receive a Free T-Shirt."
II.6 Contact information and Store logo
Your ad should include the address and phone number for your store, along with
any other information a reader needs to follow through on your call to action.
Also include a logo for your product to build up brand recognition.
III.
Stages to design a good advertisement
III.1
Before design

III.1.1 Understanding your audience
Your business or product may appeal to a broad range of consumers, but
for the purpose of advertising, it is usually helpful to think only about a specific
subset of this potential audience. A single ad cannot appeal to or target every
single person - accept this and then consider which consumers are most
important for this project.
The people who are most likely to buy your products or services share
certain characteristics. The first step toward identifying these prospects is
putting together an ideal customer profile, sometimes called a buyer persona.
This is essentially a detailed description of your target demographic that
includes the following characteristics.
Age: Do your potential customers mostly fit in a millennial age bracket, or are
they more often middle-aged? This is important to understand because
customers in different age groups will respond differently to how your product
is designed and marketed.
Gender: Depending on the types of products you sell, gender can play a role in
how your audience reacts to your messaging. Generally speaking, the needs and
goals of specific genders are often strikingly different. If you promote your
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business in a way that fails to address these differences, you could end up
reducing the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Income level: Knowing how much disposable income your customers possess
should directly influence your marketing strategies. Low-income families may
be drawn to products or services that help save them money. Customers in
higher-income brackets, on the other hand, may respond more favorably to
marketing that emphasizes luxury and exclusivity.
Location: Broadly speaking, the buying habits of urban residents often differ
from those of people living in rural areas. Where people reside and the types of

communities they live in influence their purchasing preferences.
Other key characteristics include marital status, occupation or industry, families
with (or without) children, ethnic groups, hobbies, and interests. Use your own
financial and business data to determine who your ideal customers might be.
Then use market research to see how your actual customers measure up.

III.1.2 Identify the competition
There are several methods you can use to find them, including through
social media and forums, looking through the pages of Google, and market
research.
First Page of Google Search and Bing
Perhaps the easiest way to discover the competitors in your area is through
doing a Google search for your keyword. Most of your customers will search
for you through a simple search like ‘<service you provide> + city name,’ so
you might search “painters in atlanta” or “atlanta painters” to start.
Social Media and Forums
Search Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for your keywords if that
makes sense. These places will give you a better view of the competitive
landscape – and may even be more up fresh than the original search that you
did using your original search parameters.
It’s easy to forget that there have been searches for everything out there and that
the answer was most likely recorded on Quora, Reddit, or another similar
forum.
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Real World Competitors
Of course, you can’t ignore your direct competitors in town. You’ll want to pay
special attention to these. Go to their websites and study how they do business.
Read their reviews. You can even do real-world research by going to their

stores.
Market Research
Some companies hire market researchers and do surveys to discover their list of
their client’s competitors and where they fit into the ecosystem. You can
perform your own market research by digging into searches, looking through
trade journals, and more, but if you have a lot of competitors then it may be
faster to leave it up to the experts.
III.1.3 Describe the current market, Develop a strategy
Describe the current market
Consider how your product is currently positioned. It is a hot and popular item
right now? If so, ask yourself if and how you can distinguish your product from
what is already available on the market. You should also consider the
competitive landscape and the customers who are currently in play. Ask
yourself the following:
Do customers recognize/trust your brand already?
Are you hoping to convert people currently using the competition product?
Will you target those without a current solution? If your product the only one
like this?
Develop a strategy
Every business or product needs promotion for reaching out to the consumers.
Advertising strategy is created to fulfill this very purpose. The period of an
advertising strategymay range from a few months to a year.
Steps to develop an advertising strategy:
1. Defining the Product or Service – Before developing the plans and
strategies for advertising, the product or service offered by the company is
clearly defined. This means that the position of the product in the market is
determined. You have to understand the product and its customer base for
effectively marketing it to the people at large.
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2. Understanding the target audience – This is an important step in creating a
strategy for advertising. Various factors are to be considered for
determining

the

target

audience

such

as

demographic

factors,

psychographic factors, behavioral patterns, etc. The advertising plan is
created after considering these factors.
3. Market research – Once the target market is determined, the next step is to
study the market for that particular product. Research about the products
already available in the market, what problems are faced in getting those
products, what does the consumer desire from such products and such
other issues.
4. Developing a marketing plan – The strategies formed with the help of
market research can be put down as the plan of action for marketing the
product. This means, a marketing plan is created after determining the
current trends in the market. The marketing plan aims to create a niche of

the product so that it stands out among the competition.
5. Deciding communication media – The marketing plan is put to action using
various channels of communication. It is important to choose the right
media or a media mix for advertising. The choice of the medium is made
after considering the target audience and market research.
6. Budget - The budget may be determined either before or after creating an
advertising strategy. It can be based on the resources available to the
company. If the company has an expensive budget, they can carry out high
impact advertising extensively. They can create effective advertising
strategy without worrying about the finance. On the other hand, if the
company has limited budget, that alone dictates the advertising strategy.
7. Marketing methods – Company can consider from among two types of
methods to advertise while creating the strategy. They are push method and
pull method. They can decide to go with either depending on their strategy
and objective.
8. Modifying advertising strategy - This process does not end on creating and
implementing the advertising strategy. One has to stay in touch with the
trends in marketing and modify the marketing strategy time to time.
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III.2
Writing the advertisement
III.2.1 Write attention-grabbing headlines
Headlines are so important that a single word can impact a campaign
dramatically. So why are headlines so important? It’s because they’re the first
lines of your copy that customers read. They create an initial impression that
either draws readers in or pushes them away. Even if the rest of the copy is
amazing and would convince 3 out of 10 people to buy, if the headline puts
them to sleep, only a fraction of the customers who would have bought

something will read your copy and make a purchase.
Your headline should be unique.
The first thing you want to consider is how to make your headline unique. If
yours is just like everyone else’s, then your company won’t stand out. Your
customers won’t have any reason to think you’re different than your
competitors, which means they won’t have any reason to buy from you than
from someone else.
Your headline should be ultra-specific
In addition to being unique, your headline should be ultra-specific. It should
provide enough information to let customers know whether or not the offer
you’re presenting is interesting to them. If your headline isn’t specific enough,
customers won’t know whether or not what you’re selling is something they’re
interested in.
Your headline should be convey a sense of urgency.
When possible, your headline should convey a sense of urgency. It should
include something that compels readers to continue reading so they don’t miss
out. This isn’t a rule that can always be used, but when it can, it works really
well.
Your headline should be useful.
This may be the most important tip of all. If your headline isn’t useful and
doesn’t convey a benefit, then it may not give people a reason to continue on
past the headline. People want to know what benefit they’ll receive from
reading what you’ve written.
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III.2.2 Make advertisement memorable
Make it memorable
This may seem easier said than done, but one of the key elements of any
successful TV advert is that it is memorable. To help you create a memorable

advert, you need to take the time to prepare properly, and plan out exactly what
you want your advert to achieve. Once you have figured out what you want to
achieve or what your key message is, then you can work on how you are going
to get this message across to your audience in a memorable way.
•

What matters most is how the consumer feels, not what they think. If they
feel good about your brand, you've done your job.

• Startling the reader into paying attention is especially useful if you have a
lot to say
• 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.
Make them laugh
Emotion is a powerful force, and one of the easiest ways to make a memorable,
engaging advert is through the use of humour. Funny adverts appeal to and
engage with the viewer, making them memorable, but that’s not all! If
somebody finds an advert amusing, they will be more likely to speak to friends,
family, or colleagues to ask if they have also seen it, furthering your overall
reach.
Tug at the heartstrings
While humour can help create a memorable advert, this would not be a suitable
approach in certain industries – if this is the case, try utilising a different
emotion in your advert. Many successful businesses have used nostalgia to
create a memorable advert. By reminding your audience of times gone by, they
will instantly relate with the advert, further cementing the advert’s place in their
mind.
Have a clear message

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It can be all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of making an amazing
TV advert and forget to focus on your actual message. While you want your
advert to be memorable, you want people to remember your business and your
message, not just the advert. Make sure you include a clear message, and a call
to action at the end of the advert, advising the viewer on what they should be
doing next.
III.2.3 Use a persuasive technique
The point is to make the consumers feel better about your product than
anyone else's. For most people, how they feel determines what they buy. Here
are some tried and true methods that advertisers rely on to make their ads stick.
[9] These include:
Repetition: Getting your product to stick by repeating key elements. People
often have to hear your name many times before they even know that they
heard it (Jingles are one way to do this, but can also be 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-weis-er-bud-weiser-bud-weis-er”). people think they hate repetition, but they remember and
that's half the battle.
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.
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.
III.2.4 Appeal to the target audience
Take note of your target audience's age group, income level, and special

interests. We should also consider the tone and look of the ad. Check in with
your audience often to see how they are responding. Even if we have created
the best ad ever, it won't be effective if it won't appeal to the people buying your
product.
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For example:
-

Kids tend to be over-stimulated, so you will need to grab their attention on

-

multiple levels, with color, sound, and 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.

III.2.5 Find a way to connect the desires of consumers to what you’re
advertising
Check back in with your strategy. Make sure you are focusing on the most
appealing aspect of your product. Why should it entice people? What sets it
apart from other similar products? What do you like best about it? These can all
be good starting points for an advertisement.
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Ask yourself if our product or event is aspirational. Are you selling
something that people would buy in order to feel better about their social or
economic status? For instance, you might be selling tickets to a benefit gala
that is designed to feel elegant and luxurious, even if the ticket price is well
below what most wealthy people would be able to pay. If you are selling an
inspirational product, try to make your advertisement exude an air of

-

indulgence.
Determine whether or not our product is for practical means. If you are
selling something like a vacuum cleaner, designed to perform common tasks
or make life easier for the consumer, spin it in a different direction. Instead
of emphasizing luxury, focus on how the product or event will provide

-

relaxation and peace of mind to your consumer.
Is there an unmet desire or need, any frustration in the mind of our
consumer, that will create a market for your particular product? Assess the
need gap that exists for the product or service.

III.2.6Make sure all the relevant information is included ( Contact Info )
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

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somewhere in the ad. If you're advertising an event, include the location, date,
time and ticket price.
The most important element is what's called a "call to action". What should the
consumer do immediately after viewing the ad? Be sure to let them know!
III.2.7Close your statement with calls your readers to action
Whenever you create a piece of content, you likely want to insert a call to
action. This is true for blog posts, YouTube videos, social media posts, podcast
episodes, and more.
But here are 5 of the most common places you’ll see CTAs online:
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Web page buttons

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Optin campaign buttons

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Anchor texts in blog posts

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Buttons or text in emails

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Text in social media posts

Let’s quickly look at each type.

III.3 Designing an advertisement
III.3.1 Choose a memorable image
Simple but unexpected is often the best route to take. For example, these
stark, colorful silhouette ads that barely even show the iPods they’re peddling
couldn’t get much more straightforward, but because they don’t look like any
other ads, they are instantly recognizable..
III.3.2 Make your advertisement stand out from your competition
A burger is a burger, but if you let yourself think like that, you’ll never
make your sale. Use your ad to highlight your product’s advantages over that of
your competitors. To avoid lawsuits, keep to statements about your product, not
theirs.
For example, this Burger King ad mocks the size of the Big Mac while
speaking the literal truth: that is a Big Mac box, after all, leaving McDonald's
no legal ground from which to retaliate.

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III.3.3 Design a business logo
A picture says a thousand words, and if a logo is effective enough, it can
render text unnecessary (the backwards Nike check mark, the Apple bitten
apple, the McDonald's arches, the Chevron shell). If you're running a print or
television advertisement, try to develop a simple, appealing image that will
stick in the minds of viewers
III.3.4 Find software or a technique to create your advertisement
How you create your ad will depend on which medium you're using to
advertise. Note that if starting from zero, it takes a long time to acquire skill
with a design app, or with design itself. In these cases it may be more helpful
(and less frustrating) to browse freelance sites like craigslist and designs for
design help.

III.4 After design
III.4.1 Test an advertisement
This is also an important step in the campaign, maybe the most important
of all. You need to start analyzing how your audience reacted to your banners
and whether or not the entire process was a successful one.
Besides, quantitative interviews are of an informal nature and may be
conducted individually, or in groups from amongst people drawn from a cross
section of age, occupations and income levels. This data is also important for
your future campaigns. You will start your future design processes based on
your initial results and try to improve them.
III.4.2 Choose the best way to advertise based on budget and suitability
Companies have to choose the best way to advertise based on budget and
suitability. TV adverts are the most expensive form of advertising, and only
larger companies can afford them. A radio advert is cheaper to produce, and is
often more effective for smaller companies with a limited budget. Local radio
reaches more people and its message can be more direct.
Print ads in magazines, newspapers, and on billboards are one of the
easiest to reach people. Advertising space in local newspapers costs less than in
national papers and is often very effective. Even big stores place adverts in
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local papers, although they have larger adverts than the local shops. Advertisers
spend time selecting the most suitable publication. Therefore, that is the best
way for companies to advertise suitably.

C. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it takes a lot of time and effort to design a good advertisement.
Designers have to clearly define advertising purposes, customer-oriented goals, and
budget to work out the best products that satisfy customer's demands. Besides, it is

also necessary to listen to customer feedback on your products, which helps you create
more and more high-quality ads. This will lead to an increase in revenue and customer
loyalty.

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