CHAPTER 8

Effective and Creative

Advertising Messages

2010 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook

All rights reserved. The University of West Alabama
Eighth Edition
 Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter you should be able to:
1. Appreciate the factors that promote effective, creative,
and sticky advertising.
2. Describe the features of a creative brief.
3. Explain alternative creative styles of advertising
messages.
4. Understand the concept of means-end chains and
their role in advertising strategy.
5. Appreciate the MECCAS model and its role in guiding
message formulation.
6. Recognize the role of corporate image and issue
advertising.
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 Creating Effective Advertising

Meaning of
Effective Advertising

Accomplishment Composition
(Output Perspective) (Input Perspective)

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 Effective Advertising

Extends from
Sound Marketing
Strategy

Takes the Breaks through

Consumers View the Clutter

Delivers on Doesnt Overwhelm

Its Promises the Strategy

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 Creativity: The CAN Elements

The CAN Elements

of Creative Ads

Connectedness Appropriateness Novelty

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 Getting Messages to Stick
Characteristics of Sticky Ads
Their audience readily comprehends the advertisers
intended message
They are remembered
They change the target audiences brand-related
opinions or behavior
They have lasting impact: they stick

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 Sticky Messages: SUCCESs

Simplicity

Unexpectedness Concreteness

Common Elements
of Sticky Ads

Credibility Emotionality

Storytelling

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Figure 8.1 Illustrations of the Aflac Advertising Campaign
with the Spokesduck.

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 Advertising Successes and Mistakes
Value Proposition
Is the essence of a message and the reward to the
consumer for investing his or her time attending to an
advertisement
The reward could be information about the product or
just an enjoyable experience
Research indicates that starting with a strong selling
proposition substantially increases the odds of
creating effective advertisements

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Figure 8.2 Combination of Message Convincingness
and Execution Quality

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 Advertising Successes and Mistakes (contd)

Successful Result from both the brand management team and

Campaigns the creative team having done their work well

Marketing Occur when the brand manager fails to distinguish

Mistakes the brand from competitive offerings

Result from the ad agencys inability to design an

Agency
effective execution, even though its brand
Mistakes management client has a convincing message

Complete Are caused by poor value propositions and

Disasters mediocre executions

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 Constructing a Creative Brief
Item Question
Background What is the background to this job?

Target Audience Whom do we need to reach with the ad campaign?

Thoughts and What do members of the target audience currently think and
Feelings feel about our brand?

Objectives and What do we want the target audience to think or feel about the
Measures brand, and what measurable effects is the advertising
designed to accomplish?

Behavioral Outcome What do we want the target audience to do?

Positioning What is the brand positioning?

Message and What general message is to be created, and what medium is

Medium most appropriate for reaching the target audience?

Strategy What is the strategy?

Nitty-Gritty Details When (deadline) and how much (budget)?

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 Alternative Styles of Creative Advertising
Functionally Oriented Advertising
Appeals to consumers needs for tangible, physical,
and concrete benefits
Symbolically or Experientially Oriented
Advertising
Is directed at psychosocial needs
Category-Dominance Advertising
Does not necessarily use any particular type of
appeal to consumers but is designed to achieve an
advantage over competitors in the same product
category

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Table 8.1 Styles of Creative Advertising

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 Creative Advertising Styles
Creative Style Strategy

Unique Selling Identifying an important difference that makes a brand unique

Proposition and supports a claim that competitors cannot match

Brand Image Developing an image or identity for a brand by associating the

brand with symbols that provide a transformational context

Resonance Attempting to match patterns in an advertisement with the

target audiences stored experiences

Emotional Aiming to reach the consumer at a visceral level through the use
of emotional strategy

Generic Making no attempt to differentiate the dominant brand from

competitive offerings or to claim superiority

Preemptive Making a generic-type claim but doing so with an assertion of

superiority

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Figure 8.3

Illustration of
Resonance
Creative Strategy

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Figure 8.4

Illustration of
Emotional
Creative Strategy

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 Section Summary
An advertiser might use two or more styles
simultaneously.
Some experts believe that advertising is most
effective when it addresses both functional
product and symbolic benefits.
Effective advertising must establish a clear
meaning of what the brand is and how it
compares to competitive offerings.

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 Means-End Chaining and the Method
of Laddering as Guides to Creative
Advertising Formulation
Means-End Chain
Represents the linkages among brand attributes, the
consequences obtained from using the brand and
consuming the attributes, and the personal values
that the consequences reinforce

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 Means-End Chain
Attributes
Features or aspects of advertised brands
Consequences
What consumers hope to receive (benefits) or avoid
(detriments) when consuming brands
Values
Enduring beliefs people hold regarding what is
important in life

Brand attributes and the consequences of

consuming these attributes are the means
whereby people achieve valued ends
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Table 8.2 Ten Universal Values

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Table 8.3 A MECCAS* Model Conceptualization
of Advertising Strategy

* Means-End Conceptualization of Components for Advertising Strategy

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Figure 8.5

MECCAS
Illustration for
Self-Direction
Value

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Figure 8.6

MECCAS
Illustration for
Hedonism
Value

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Figure 8.7

MECCAS
Illustration for
Achievement
Value

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Figure 8.8

MECCAS
Illustration for
Power Value

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 Identifying Means-End Chains:
The Method of Laddering

Laddering Research Technique

Is used to identify linkages between attributes (A),
consequences (C), and values (V)
Constructs a hierarchy, or ladder, of relations
between a brands attributes and consequences (the
means) and consumer values (the end).
Attempts to get at the root or deep reasons why
individual consumers buy certain products and brands

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 Practical Issues in Identifying
Means-End Chains
The laddering method forces interviewees to identify
hierarchies among attributes, consequences, and values
that may actually not exist for them
Consumers may perceive clear-cut linkages between
attributes and consequences but not necessarily
between consequences and values
The resulting aggregations of A C V chains are
assumed to represent all consumers in the target
audience

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 Corporate Image and Issue Advertising
Corporate Image Advertising
Attempting to increase a firms name recognition,
establish goodwill for the company and its products,
or identify the firm with some meaningful and socially
acceptable activity.
Corporate Issue (Advocacy) Advertising
Involves a firm taking a position on a controversial
social issue of public importance with the intention of
swaying public opinion.
Supports position and best interests of the firm while
expressly or implicitly challenging an opponents
position and denying the accuracy of their facts.
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Figure 8.9

Illustration of
Corporate Image
Advertisement

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