ad tips: strategies for creative development
by jane murray

Give Me Some Space!
Because we all want our money's worth, we have a tendency to want to fill up all that ad space we've paid for, cramming everything our business offers into that 1/8-page box. Ah, but there's the rub. By filling up the space, the reader is actually less likely to read our ads. Why? It's a simple matter of what's comfortable. In general, people are just not comfortable with clutter. You don't clutter up your store, do you? No, you probably want your customers to be able to find things. Same for an ad... We want the potential customer to easily spot the important messages in your ad. Give dear reader of WNC-Woman some space to rest her eyes. Give her some room to take in your message. Give her eyes something pleasant to peruse.

Get Connected
Think of your ad as just one of the many entities in your marketing cosmos. What's holding that cosmos together? Probably (hopefully) your logo. Choose typefaces, colors and graphics for your ad that complement your logo and other marketing materials. Instead of thinking, "Oh, gosh, that deadline's already here!" and throwing something together on the run, take a few hours each week to think and plan the creative and messages for your advertising.

It's important to the success of your business that you establish a brand and image your customers can immediately recognize. Making your materials work together is the first step down that road.

Remember the KISS
KISS is the acronym that advertising guru David Ogilvy came up with in the 1980s to stand for "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" He would chant this KISS mantra to his copywriters and graphic designers on Madison Avenue ad nauseam. His philosophy was this: get down to the core of things. Get at the center of what you want the consumer to do. Then develop words (catchy, quick, short) and graphics (ditto, with good white space) to attract the eye. Don't mess around with long-winded copy (that's for fiction writers, not advertisers!) and overly artistic design (that's for painters, not advertisers!). Keep it basic. Interesting, yes. But basic. You've got about 4 seconds before dear reader moves on to the next ad or article.

The Call to Action
What do you want the girl to do (to quote Boz Scaggs)? One thing is for sure, you aren't going to get it unless you ask! Many people simply forget the ever-important call to action in their ads. And it is so crucial. After encouraging dear reader with great body text about your product, you must tell her what you'd like her to do, and when. Here's a typical, albeit boring, call to action: "Visit before October 1 for a Complimentary Beverage". The more urgent your request, the better. The more specific, the better.

Once is Never Enough
About 90% of my clients expect the phone to begin ringing off the hook after their ad runs one time. Just like we expect the guy to call immediately after meeting us, in all our glory, for the first time. Ah, expectations. They can get us into trouble. The truth is, usually it takes more than one impression for him to pick up the phone. The truth is, an ad needs to run at least 3 (THREE) times (consecutively) for it to be truly effective, for your customer to pick up the phone or come by. Sure, you may get some interest after the first run, a little more after the second, but it's the third that does the trick. Studies upon studies show this to be true. If it comes down to dollars and you have the choice of running a larger ad one time, or a smaller size more often, go with the smaller size. Quantity matters. Size doesn't. Unless of course you can afford both!

JANE MURRAY has 18 years of extensive marketing experience for festivals, museums, attractions, accommodations, real estate, art galleries, restaurants, retail, home furnishings, and the wine industry. Her specialties include marketing plans, graphic design and copy writing. Her most recent position prior to starting her own business in 2000, was creative services manager for Biltmore Estate.

Carolina Creative Services[ janecoxmurray@mac.com;828-664-0442 ]