4.4.2 Mastery

Creating copy for the testimonial ads this month was not as I expected. Typically when I create something I try to make the ad obviously related to the topic, but also try to do so in a way that is scary or at least in a way that gets people to think. In chapter one of Advertising: Concept and Copy, Felton describes different scenarios for creating copy. He states that when creating an ad that a lot of people will create typically the same thing, for example drinking and driving ads are pretty much telling you not to drink or drive or you could die. Felton states that another and possibly more effective approach is getting the audience to think about what would happen if they were to live after drinking and driving, such as losing your license etc. (Felton, 2013)

After reading this it really got me thinking that I should pay better attention to the company and the message I am trying to convey, because cliches are used often and may not actually get the viewer to pay attention to the message. Instead of a typical approach to a serious manner I tried to use humor to see a way to grab the audiences attention. After reading some of the reviews from my peers this approach may not have been totally affective, but could work in some situations.

So far from my experience when creating copy you need to think outside the box, but also make sure that the message you are trying to convey is stated and is written in terms that the target audience will understand. You also need to make sure that the headline will catch the attention of the audience enough to persuade the audience to read the copy.

According to the lynda.com tutorial Developing Ideas and Design Concepts by Craig Smith in the chapter What is Concepting? When creating concepts designers will typically use a cliché or shock value, which could mean that the designer has lack of interest in the project or not enough time, however it is important to remember that to get the best result from the copy one must truly research and come up with original ideas. (Smallish, 2013)

Target Audience Profiles:

While creating my personas I had to really think about the people who were to be the target audience. There are two people one a female and one a male. I chose them tailored them specifically to the Earth Island institutes beliefs and work. According to the book Advertising: Concept and Copy, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can help you, the designer solve more than one problem at a time when thinking about the consumers behavior and catering your work to those needs. They are in order Physiological needs, Safety needs, Love and belongingness needs, Esteem needs and Self-actualization needs. After creating my personas I went back and viewed these needs and catered my ads to first the Earth Island Institute and second the needs and wants of the personas I have created. (Felton, 2013)

Original Six Sketches:

In my six sketches I used an image of the Earth, Cat and Dog, Sad Shark, Deer, Polar Bear and a Factory. When deciding which three to keep and make into a full blown ad, I had to choose what would be the best way to portray the company. I narrowed it down to the Earth, Sad Shark and the Deer. I chose not to go with the Polar Bear and Factory because they both are somewhat overused. I went against the Cat and Dog, because it doesn’t fully represent the company how I envisioned. In Advertising: Concept and Copy we the designers should keep two things in mind:

1. Finding a likely candidate is only half the job.

2. Decide whether you’ll press the truth button or the whimsy button. (Felton, 2013)

I dabbled in the whimsy bit of things. I created characters that don’t really exist, but is a character that the audience could relate with, such as Sad Shark. I got Sad Shark from the currently relevant Baby Shark. I thought that it would be neat to bring up a serious topic about saving the oceans and making it seem as though Sad Shark was upset by the destruction of the ocean.

The First Three Initial Comps:

The original comps were to be honest not that great. I developed them with a headline, body copy and call to action, but there really was no depth in the body copy. It was just one to two sentences with very little information. I did try and make them connect to my audience by ensuring that they were relevant to what the personas believe in and what the company stands for, however they could have been so much better. The headlines I do believe were alright, I did try and make them catchy as it states in Advertising: Concept and Copy page 203 Emphasize Repetition. It states that people like to hear repetition and that alone can make a headline work. (Felton, 2013)

The Three Revised Comps:

When recreating my ads, I thought about everything I had learned in the class as well as the feedback from my three initial ads. I discovered that my headlines weren’t the best they could be and that the body copy needed more depth and facts that would in turn, turn the audience into followers of Earth Island. For the Baby Shark ad I created a body copy that was based more towards saving sharks and the oceans rather than just the ocean. I also recreated the imagery by using photographs instead of clip art. For the Deer ad I changed the headline and the body copy which now includes facts about climate change and it’s affect on forests. I also changed the color scheme a bit. Finally, for the Earth Ad, the main change was the Font at the top of the Page and the Bottom as well as more information in the body copy. Overall, I think that the change made a tremendous positive change in the ads.

What I learned in Effective Copywriting will stay with me for the rest of my career. I learned so much that will be useful to me in the future, however three of the most important takeaways are to always be vigilant in research, to have original ideas and check out the competitors. Having this information will insure that I create more effective and better designed ads and other forms of digital creation.

Resources:

Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and copy. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Smallish, C. (2013, August 16). What is concepting? Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/Design-Business-tutorials/What-concepting/126121/145382-4.html?org=fullsailold.edu