Do Business Well

I began my advertising career in the mailroom of Ogilvy & Mather, Los Angeles. While it was a great introduction to how an agency runs, after six months I was still clueless when it came to creating ads. So I enrolled in an advertising concept course at Art Center College of Design, even though it was geared for want-to-be art directors and I was a want-to-be copywriter. The lessons I learned there helped me create my first portfolio, and they still serve me today when I need to step back and think straight. I have also used these basic touch-points with junior writers whom I have supervised, as well as with students to whom I taught advertising concepts at the Rhode Island School of Design. To my original teacher in LA, Bob Matsumoto of DDB, I remain indebted to this day.

So how can you tell if you have created a good ad, or just a tribute to your ego? Ask yourself these questions:

1. Is it unique?

Perhaps the toughest question to answer objectively. But look at the publications your ad will appear in. Will your ad stand out? I always ask to see the magazines or the newspapers where the ad will run. If it’s a TV spot, I find out what the competitive spots look like, as well as other spots on the same shows; same thinking when I write a brochure for a client. I want to see what the target audience has been exposed to. In a print ad, you have only two ways to stand out: the headline or the visual. One of them better be a stopper.

2. Is it clear?

This is undoubtedly the biggest problem with young writers. They’re so anxious to be clever that their headlines either make the wrong point, or no point at all. Remember, the challenge is not to be clever or poignant or provocative, but to do so and make a point for your client. Too often we try so hard on #1, we forget #2.

3. Is it honest?

Gee, everybody thinks ad people are just lying hucksters. Well, I guess some are. But no amount of lies can cover up a bad product or a false promise. You must promote what is true and good about your product/service, or the public will only resent you even more.

4. Is it believable?

People don’t believe ads to begin with. If you’re going to win them over, try not to overstate your beliefs. I don’t know about you, but I’m more apt to buy a toothpaste that’s recommended by the ADA (American Dental Association) than one that promises to improve my sex life. If I can, I also try to make a small confession in the body copy that will gain the reader’s trust. It can be as simple as “You probably never heard of us,” or, “You may think we’re too expensive.” A tiny confession can add a lot to your believability.

5. Is it relevant?

Facts can sell when the benefits are obvious. But many facts (128MB RAM, digital technology, torsion bar suspension) have meaning to an “informed” audience, but no meaning to a lay audience who may also be hot buyers. Think about whom you’re talking to in the ad. Relevance means understanding your audience and presenting them with the facts or the benefits that have the greatest impact on their lives.

6. Is it concise?

Smart, smooth and easy-to-read copy. That’s the goal. Just before I submit my copy, I look over my headline and body copy to see if there are any words

I can omit. Of course, you don’t want to edit out the key word in the headline that makes it fun, or delete any body copy that changes the meaning of a sentence or makes it awkward, but usually you can find a few words that can go.

7. Is it persuasive?

If you’ve done everything perfectly and there’s still something missing, this could be it. The answer could be as simple as revising your body copy to sell harder; or you may have to go all the way back to where you started—the basic selling message in your strategy. If it’s not strong, even an ad that magnificently passes all six checkpoints won’t do your client much good.

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