Best: Toyota Camry – “Leadership is an art of Persuasion, not Domination”
The price of the The All New Camry being 23.5 lakhs (ex-showroom), it definitely has a niche market. The well executed ‘leadership’ campaign carries an aspirational factor, as it subtly states that it is designed only for leaders. Also, they have represented the right idol for the brand – Abraham Lincoln. This helps elevates the positioning of the brand.
The media planning is perfect and adds to the brand recall. All in all, this is one well executed print ad.

Bad: Nature’s Essence Age Defense Ad
This one is a full page ad, yet looks very shabby. The use of three different fonts adds to the shabby look of the ad. Use of scientific terms seems to be invalid in this case as the potential consumer wouldn’t really understand such terms. Therefore, this is certainly not the right strategy for the creative. Instead, focusing on the glamour quotient alone would have worked wonders.
I believe when you spend on a full page ad, you must make sure you have the right thing to show. Nature’s Essence fails to impress on all counts. Hope the product isn’t as bad the ad though!

When it comes to advertising, the effectiveness of the print ads in the business is undeniable. Be it any type of product, be it for the general public or for a niche customer base, print ads are the way to go when you want to impress your customer. But given the sheer number of print ads that the customer is exposed to daily, it becomes very difficult to impress him/her. Therefore, it becomes imperative to develop the ad in such a way that it Stands Out.

1. Strong Opening Line: This is the first thing that a customer reads when exposed to the ad. If the opening line is strong enough, the person will continue reading. So if you want to get your whole ad and the message it holds to get noticed you have to have a strong opening line. The first paragraph of the copy must captivate the reader.

2. Colour Combination: The right colour combination will make your ad stand out and get noticed. It is not about being flamboyant but about getting observed by being different from others. Use colours that go with your brand colour palette and make your ad visually appealing.

3. Give away a sample: Today print advertising is not only about talking about your products features; it has moved further to displaying your product. Many companies actually distribute free samples of products along with the print ad. This helps build greater connect and gets people to use your product and see its benefit for themselves.

4. Ask Provocative Questions: When you include the provocative questions in your ad, it gets people thinking. Questions could be like: Is your tea as healthy as this (brand name)? or Want to be bald at 30? No? Then use this product.

5. Create An Appeal: The first step in creating a good advertisement is to establish an appeal – the reason the reader will buy your product, or request more information on it. The four main appeals are; sex, which includes love, affection and friendship; greed, things money can buy; fear, fear of not getting what you want, or losing what you have; and, duty or professionalism, what’s best for those you serve (best for the family, patients, etc.)

6. Use Simple Words and A Simple Writing Style: Readers are no analysts to scrutinize your ad and find meaning in it. You have hardly got a couple of seconds to captivate them and the only way it can be done is by being simple. Using simple words and writing style will help engage your audience and hold their attention.

7. Use Testimonials: It’s assuring to see a real person satisfied with the product. Testimonials (displaying positive reviews from users) make it easy to reach the desired audience. If your target group is housewives, then you can paste the picture of a housewife and your copy can talk about how she likes your product and so on. You can even target specific age groups stating the age of the depicted personality.

8. Use Pictures: Pictures can be helpful, but you must not use pictures that have nothing to do with the product or service. You want the pictures to attract buyers, not curiosity seekers. Pictures of the product, of the product in use, and of people using the product work best.

Every week I’ll be reviewing ads – TVCs, print ads, banners, hoardings – and bringing to you the best and bad of the lot. The battle of the ads has begun and it is time you start to take sides! You can agree or disagree with me, but you must feel free to express that.

Bad: Hero Maestro

The tagline for Hero Maestro reads ‘Such a boy thing’ and it tries to portray the image of a scooty being the perfect ride for young boys. The idea has potential but it has not been well executed. The presence of the old man does not make much sense. The USP of the product are not highlighted and the viewer is left confused as to what the product actually is about. I’m sure the potential consumer would appreciate something better that would help increase the brand recall and increase his inclination towards the product. Overall, the does not impress. Proper justice hasn’t been done to the product and idea. Link – http://indianadforum.com/ad-categories/viewvideo/1596/automobile-ads/hero-maestro-tv-ad-such-a-boy-thing

Every week I’ll be reviewing ads – TVCs, print ads, banners, hoardings – and bringing to you the best and bad of the lot. The battle of the ads has begun and it is time you start to take sides! You can agree or disagree with me, but you must feel free to express that.

Here we go!

BEST: Surf Excel Cricket Commercial

The Surf Excel Cricket Commercial complements the ‘Daag Acche Hai’ tagline really well. The message is kept really simple, the ad focuses on the USP of the product, with a really touching concept that makes the viewer smile. Eventually, along with the concept, the product attains a recall value among the potential consumers i.e. the mothers. Agency – Lowe Lintas. Link –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdLCKECd9M

BAD: Lays Baked Chips

The Lays Baked commercial could have been improved upon. Since it is the product is baked, the price is higher and it targets the higher middle and higher class of the society.  Thus a more thorough and mature concept would have been appreciated by the TG and that would help increase sales as well. It is the concept that sells the product, especially if you’re dealing with a niche audience. Also, I think more is expected out of Lays as a brand. This simply does not cut it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Agency – JWT India. Link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOd9Q3_VkBI

In our day to day life we see numerous TV commercials. If I ask you how many do you remember distinctly, you might not be able to answer my question. The reason for this is simple as most advertisements are just ordinary and mediocre and they fail to catch the attention of the viewer.

1) Evoke an emotion: Most of the award-winning commercials are successful because they managed to connect with the audience. So whether you shock them, surprise them or make them laugh or cry, the emotions are what will make your ad unforgettable.

2) Don’t try to please everyone: Some businesses make the mistake of trying to appeal to everyone at the same time.  Choose a segment of people you want to reach out to and then craft your message to fit their needs and expectations.

3) Know where to reach your customers: All your branding efforts will be for nothing if your target audience is never exposed to them. You need to know where your target audience is so you can reach them more effectively. Which social networks are they members of? Which magazines do they like to read? Which TV shows do they watch? Which blogs do they read? Knowing all of this will help you reach your target audience in the places they frequent most.

4) Focus on your TG: The first thing that a brand should do is to focus on their target group’s lifestyle. The study of this would make it easy to design ads that are in sync with the TGs likes and choices.

5) Make your name synonymous with the industry: When you think of tissues, you think Kleenex. When you think of soda, you think Coca Cola or Pepsi. When you think burgers, you think McDonalds. You want to create this same inseparable association between your brand and the industry you function in.

6) It should have viral qualities: There is no secret to creating a good viral campaign. But you must make an ad that appeals to the masses and one they cannot stop talking about. If you can do that, then you have a winner of a campaign on your hands.

7) Have a USP: FedEx promises to deliver your packages on time. BMW promises to be the Ultimate Driving Machine. You need to create a unique promise that customers instantly associate with your brand. This promise needs to be something your target audience cares about and something that your competitors can’t offer.

8) Video & Audio: The images and sounds you use in your ads must function in sync. Make sure the images are in accordance with the message and so are the sounds. Make use of colour, celebrities, and/or exotic locations that are backed by catchy jingles, tunes, voice-overs etc.

9) Be consistent: It amazes me whenever I come across a company that has different designs/themes for their website, brochure, business card, billboards, TV ads, etc. Everything should be unified in style and theme. That’s how people will start to immediately recognize your brand