Sandwiched between two chubby middle-aged women in a bus, I fumbled through my bag for my purse as I sang along to an advertisement jingle blaring from the radio. I remember telling a friend that I did not like this product, but here I was, humming to its jingle in a commercial vehicle of all places.
We come across varied advertisements every day, from all angles; television commercials, radio jingles, to billboard ads. Not forgetting the ads that pop up on our favourite apps and websites. For me, adverts invade my privacy, so I try to get away as quickly as I can when I am caught unawares. However, to every rule, there is an exception. There are a few adverts out there that have just worked their way to my heart and which I always look forward to.
The question is; why do I like and even look forward to some adverts and detest others?
Mostly, great jingles break the ice for me irrespective of what product or service is being advertised. There is an ad by an insecticide company with a very catchy song that I cannot seem to forget. I like it so much that I convinced my mum, who owns a provision shop, to patronise the product. Jingles help your audience to recall your brand when a product or service is needed.
I ignore most adverts because they are so predictable. They all follow a particular trend with nothing exciting or new about it. I can close my eyes and recite a great part of their scripts. Yes, we all know you are selling cars, could you find a creative way of capturing attention so that even people who are not interested in cars will listen to or watch your ad?
Now, let us talk about advertising concepts. Some of the concepts are just bad. I have come across ads whose concepts had nothing to do with the product or service being advertised; they were not even remotely connected: Thanks to the 21st century where nudity sells, and half-naked women pose as models advertising a product such as a refrigerator. What does a naked body have to do with a refrigerator? There is a saying that ‘sex sells’, but sex does not sell everything. To some people, it is even considered offensive and this affects the brand. Your advert should be able to tell your audience why you are the best. Come up with creative ways of flaunting your unique selling point.
An example of an excellent ad concept is the Vodafone GHS1 ad where a fat man is bathing and his friend removes GHS1 from his pocket. He runs after his friend from the bathroom covered in lather and starts singing to the entire house what he can do on Vodafone with GHS1. This concept works so well because it clearly tells the audience the central message and gives us something to laugh about too.
Imagine watching your favourite telenovela and painstakingly watching all the ads too because you do not want to miss anything, and then a poor-quality ad pops up. There are a lot of competitors out there vying for the same audience. You must stand out and sound clear in the midst of the clatter. Again, coming out with a great ad concept that lacks good visuals will not get you to the top.
In conclusion, advertisements are supposed to imprint your product or service in the minds of your audience; therefore, your ad should be nothing but the best. Research shows that GHS 184.9 billion was spent on advertising in Ghana in 2009, and it is even more now. Advertisement is not cheap; do not waste your time and money.
Here are a few tips to produce that winning ad:
- Come up with creative concepts to project your unique selling point.
- Have a central message that is controversial or uncontroversial, whichever, works for your brand.
- One may opt for celebrity endorsements. Sign on a celebrity who resonates, supports and believes in your brand.
- Use exciting graphics and high quality pictures and videos.
- Stick to time. No one wants to watch or listen to an ad as long as a movie or documentary.
By :Kopiah Esther Wepia
