How to create advertising that sells 💸

Have you ever seen some advertisements and thought - why can’t I write such great advertisements? 

Or did you wonder about Amul's excellent and nostalgic billboards that have captured our attention over the years? Get ready for some INSANE tips from the OG of Marketing.

Ogilvy & Mather is the OG of advertising who created value worth $1.4 billion and meticulously tracked what worked and what did not. Let me share the TOP lessons as shared by the father of advertising himself.

I don't want you to find my advertisement ‘creative’. I want you to find it so ‘interesting’ that you buy the product. - Ogilvy

Do psychological segmentation of your users

Divide your target market into segments based on psychological characteristics, such as personality, values, attitudes, and lifestyle. Create more personalised and effective advertising campaigns that resonate with specific market segments. 

Nike appeals to the sense of self-empowerment and pushes people to their limits with the tagline - ‘Just Do it’.  Dove's branding is focused on promoting positive body image and self-esteem. Harley-Davidson's branding appeals to consumers' sense of freedom and rebellion. 

‍Burr of Singularity

An average person sees around ~10k ads per day. And they don't stand out at all.  

Give your ads a singularity to make them more memorable, like McDonald’s jingle at the end of their ads. A mascot like Amul does. A mnemonic like tudum for Netflix. 

Simple Headlines

Be simple. Don’t be clever. Focus on getting the message across in the simplest way possible.

Think Apple - “Privacy - That’s iphone.” and Coca-Cola - “Open happiness”. 
 

If you and your competitors all make excellent products, don’t try to imply that your product is better. Just say what’s good about your product—and do a clearer, more honest, more informative job of saying it. - Ogilvy

Frame the problem. Offer the solution.

A prospect has come to you with a specific problem. So your ad must set up the problem and prove your solution. Consumers are there for a purpose and it’s your job to show them you’re the answer.

Eno ads do this well - they highlight the problem and tell that they can be solved in few seconds. Asian paints provides clear messaging that their paint is like a lamination and provides great protection. 

 Make it interesting

If people are bored with the ad, they won’t see the ad, and they won’t remember it too. Find a way to make the ads enjoyable. Sell the appeal of paying attention, then sell the product.

Sometimes, the best idea is to show the product—with utter simplicity. 

Ogilvy's golden rules for advertising

1. Your role is to sell. Don't let anything distract you. 
2. Clearly define your brand positioning - your product, service and audience.
3. Do your homework. Study your consumer in detail.
4. Give all the information you can give to the consumer.
5. Talk to them in the language they use every day.
6. Write great headlines.
7. Highlight the product by making it the hero.

Did you know?

Customers who experience your products offline spend 60% more online, shop 28% more often and are much less likely to return items. Setting up an experience store where the customer can try the product and talk to a product expert builds more trust.

Source: Bell, D. R., Gallino, S., & Moreno, A. (July 2020). Customer supercharging in experience-centric channels. Management Science