I’m not saying we are shallow but if you are walking on the street and 4 people stroll by and one is stunningly beautiful – my pal Terrence tells me men are beautiful too – whom do you look at? If they are all similarly visaged and one has amazing clothes, whom do your eyes go to? This is the case for advertising. First impressions are important. The more beautiful, the more colorful and artful, the more the ad is likely to strike the consumer.
Many, many ads today are plain, especially those of the digital kind. Consumers have trained themselves not to look at ads. We’ve become immune. But a pretty ad, an incongruous or stylish ad, gets seen. And always will. Art directors get this more than copy writers. Great copy writers are on board. (A punk rock aside, did anyone know the Bush Tetras are in town?) Once seen, an ad has to sell. If an ad is good enough to borrow your interest and register a product name, some say its job is done. That’s lazy ad craft. A great ad attracts interest, makes you feel something, then makes you do something.
A mother and father always think their babies are cute…even if they are not. Brand planners and brand managers always think their ads are cute, even if they’re not. They feel a love others don’t.
Art, Science and Strategy must come together for an ad to be great. That’s ASS. Get you some. (See it works.)
Happy Independence Day. Peace.
