Page 155 - Duct Tape Marketing

139Chapter 10: Mastering Advertising Basics and Media Planning

ߜ Recall words that you use during sales presentations.
ߜ Dig around for every product fact and figure you can get your hands on.

Buried in the details may be the item that unleashes a winning concept.
ߜ Define the kinds of people who won’t want your product. (Defining non-

buyers is a good way to uncover things about those who will buy.)
ߜ Think of why a prospect will want to take action. Imagine a likely

prospect and consider that person’s perceptions, desires, and needs.
ߜ What do you want people to do after seeing this ad? Do you want them

to feel differently, to tell a friend, to pick up the phone, to ask for more
information, to purchase the product?

Landing on the big idea

The big idea is to advertising what the brake, gas pedal, and steering wheel
are to driving. (See why they call it big?) Here’s what the big idea does:

ߜ It stops the prospect.
ߜ It fuels interest.
ߜ It directs prospects toward the desired action.

“Think Small” is an historic example of a big idea. Volkswagen used it to stun
a market into attention at a time when big-finned, lane-hogging gas-guzzlers
ruled the highways. “Think Small” — two words accompanied by a picture of a
squat, round car miniaturized on a full page — stopped consumers, changed
attitudes, and made the Bug chic.

Big ideas are

ߜ Attention-getting
ߜ Memorable
ߜ Compelling
ߜ Persuasive
ߜ Capable of conveying the benefit you promise
ߜ Appealing to your target market

An idea qualifies as a big idea only if it meets all the preceding qualifications.
Many advertisers quit when they hit on an attention-getting and memorable
idea. Think of this: A slammed door is attention-getting and memorable, but
it’s far from compelling, persuasive, beneficial, or appealing.