Elements of Advertising - Volume 1

What’s the difference between a road sign and a good billboard? The answer is a concept. But this doesn’t stop thousands of brands from slapping some graphics together and calling it an ad.

The true secret sauce behind any good advertising agency is the ability to build and convey a concept. When done properly, this process includes a strategic phase which identifies the target market, their state of mind, and the way the product or service in question meets their need. Next, the creative cogs that power the agency explore options for how to express the brands benefit by brainstorming visual & verbal communication solutions. After weeding out the most obvious ideas, the cliché tropes, and the complicated metaphors, the creative team should be left with a handful of powerful advertising concepts. 

As an example, let’s use the most celebrated TV commercial of all time – Apple's 1984 Macintosh Super Bowl spot. (watch it here.) The strategy revolved around calming the average person's fears concerning technology (specifically the personal computer). In order to announce the launch of the Macintosh and communicate its approachability, the creative team came up with the idea to reference George Orwell‘s classic novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, which deals with a dystopian society controlled by "big brother."

So why is it more beneficial for a brand to have an advertising concept versus simply communicating the information in a straightforward manner? The reason is because ad concepts give viewers a small challenge. There's something to "get." And solving the challenge (getting it) makes them feel special. It makes them feel smart and relatable. When Apple referenced Nineteen Eighty-Four in that famous TV commercial, anyone who was familiar with the novel made the connection. The penny dropped. They "got" it. And all the positive feelings associated with the experience became linked with the brand.

Here's to respecting our followers enough to provide them with something to "get."

Cheers!