Keep your eyes open for ideas

Over the weekend I received a coupon mailer from Half Price Books. This mailer provided me with something more valuable than a few bucks off a book--an idea. The headline on the mailer was "Give your wallet a spring break!" I put a copy of this in my headline file. This is a headline that I can borrow (Steal?) for one of my customers. I am always on the look out for useful or adaptable lines that can be used to create good ads for my clients. I may not use this for years or I might use it next week. Of course you need to be careful of copyrighted terms like "You deserve a break today." but in most cases doing this is fine. For example if I was working with a restaurant I could use "Give your kitchen a spring break, let us cook dinner for you." An idea file can be a great tool to jog your creativity. Keep Smiling, Keep Selling! Thanks Jim Busch

Be Specific

When using numbers, the more precise you are the more believable you will be. I was working with a "Cash for Gold" company whose ad read "We Pay More For Your Items." This sounds too much like a boastful claim to be believable. In the meeting I asked them what they pay out to an average customer. Using this data we came up with a new headline: "What would you do with an extra $404.36?" The odd number not only sparks the reader's curiosity, but also is much more credible than some vague "big bucks!" statement. This also works when you are presenting data to a customer, whenever possible be specific.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Consistant varety

Today I saw a piece on CBS Sunday morning about the team of artists would design the "Google Doodles." These are the creative treatments of the Google logo that they feature on their home page. This is a good illustration of what I call "consistent variety." We tell our customers about the benefits of consistency but the downside is that the ad can get boring. Like the billboards we pass everyday, after the first time or two they fade into the landscape. I like to use a standardized format for an ad using a logo and the same basic layout. This makes the ad easily recognizable to the regular reader. The key is to change our the offer to keep the ad fresh. Using this combination helps the reader to find the ad quickly and makes them to want to find it by offering them something new. If it is good enough for Google, it is good enough for your advertisers.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim B.

Where is the "Why"

I may have just found the worst print ad in history. It is a full page process color ad for a restaurant. The name/logo of the establishment takes up approximately 25% of the space. The phone number and address plus a huge Free Delivery take up about another 15%. The balance of the ad is their entire menu set in about 6 point type against a dark beige background. My middle age eyes can not decipher this copy even with the aid of my bifocals. While the ad lists and describes every item on the menu, one thing is notably missing from this ad--the "WHY". The ad doesn't tell a potential customer why they should give this restaurant a try. No where does it tell them that the "food is delicious" or that the "prices are unbeatable". There is nothing that distinguishes this restaurant from its' competitors. A strong benefit oriented headline would make this ad much stronger. As it stands the ad is a very expensive way to deliver a menu to their existing customer base.

Keep Smiling Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Great copy idea

As a student of advertising, I like to collect ad ideas that I like and can use. I just saw a great ad for a funeral home designed to position them against their lower price competitors. The ad features two graphics, a night sky and a daytime sky. These graphics work in conjunction with this headline and sub headline:

Is Value More Important Than Price?

The Difference Can Be Night & Day

Body copy under the "Sun" graphic explains the customer's value proposition. Copy under the "Moon" graphic addresses the risks of going with the low price competitor. The use of the headline and these graphics communicates the advertiser's message clearly and dramatically.

Keep selling, keep smiling

Thanks Jim Busch