Download Writing About Advertising

WRITING IN ADVERTISING
I. PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE
Writing in advertising is used mainly to attract customers and keep them. Effective
advertising gets people interested in a business or service quickly and explains it
clearly. Eye-catching, persuasive ad copy is necessary for advertising to be effective,
and copy will be clear and simple while at the same time being creative, relevant
and memorable. Effective copywriting uses oral or written rhetoric that compels
people to act. It may explain facts and benefits, educate the public, sell a product or
idea, pose challenges and offer solutions, create dialogue between buyers and
sellers, use testimonials and endorsements, or utilize imaginative copy. Advertising
combines art (using creativity and style) and science (employing tests, trial and
error, breakthroughs, discoveries, and education). Audience is a crucial component
of advertising as are the image and personality of a company, the availability and
accessibility of a product or company, the service options provided by a company,
and the uniqueness of the company, as well as the price of the product(s). In
creating advertising copy, a writer should be aware of rhetorical concepts such as
the rhetorical triangle of speaker, audience and purpose; the appeals to ethos
(appeals based on the credibility of the provider), pathos (appeals to emotion), and
logos (appeals to logic and reason); and any contexts necessary to convince a
customer.
II. TYPES OF WRITING
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TV storyboards
Radio scripts
Print ads
Newspapers and magazines
Sunday supplements and inserts
Direct mailings
In-store demonstrations and displays
Cross marketing promotions
Web Ads/ Websites/ Links to sites or products
Trade shows
Product placement in TV shows/movies
Plan Book which may entail the following elements:
o Situation analysis (of users, geography, seasons, media, etc.)
o Research (strategies, summaries of findings, objectives, etc.)
o Problems and opportunities
o Marketing objectives (numbers and rationale)
o Marketing strategies (promotion, advertising, public relations, direct
marketing, telemarketing, event marketing, packaging and
merchandising)
o Budget
o Pricing, distribution, target audiences, support, tone, tactics
III. TYPES OF EVIDENCE
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Quantitative Research
Qualitative research
Cumulative audience (media audience accumulated over time)
Cumulative ratings (rating of a radio or TV program or station’s range of
audience)
IV. CONVENTIONS
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Follow AP (Associated Press) style guidelines.
Use the "inverted pyramid" when writing for news outlets.
Avoid passive voice whenever possible.
Be honest and fair and don’t mislead people.
Provide claims and support the claims with evidence.
Write the way people think; a down-to-earth approach works best.
Before writing an ad, do research that will show why people buy your
products or services.
Keep it simple; the consumer doesn't have time for complex copy.
Ad copy should be clear, concise, to the point; avoid jargon and hype.
V. TERMS
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Ranker (report of a selected demographic audience in a given market)
Day-parts (time periods when radio and television stations sell ads)
Column inch (standard print media measurement)
Ethos (appeal to credibility and authority)
Pathos (appeal based on emotions)
Logos (appeal based on logic and reason)
Rhetorical triangle (speaker/ audience/ purpose)
VI. DOCUMENTATION STYLE
Associated Press (AP) is most common, but the documentation style often
depends on the audience. When writing in academics, a writer should always
check with instructors about what citation style they prefer.
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SOURCES CONSULTED
Dahl, Gary. “Tips for Writing Good Advertising Copy.” Advertising For Dummies Cheat
Sheet. Web. <http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/advertising-fordummies-cheat-sheet.html>
Farnworth, Demian. “10 ways to Write Damn Good Copy.” Copywriting 101.
Copyblogger. 2015. Web. <http://www.copyblogger.com/goodcopywriting/>