MBA 3rd Sem.

Unit- 3 Integrated Marketing Communication

Lecture No: -19

THE CREATIVE PROCESS, CREATIVE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

C R E A T IV E S T R A T E G Y I N A D VE R T I SI N G

Being creative is essential in producing an effective and memorable advertisement.

Consumers are bombarded with thousands of ads a day. These ads come from the radio,
television, social media, and signage outside of the home. How can you make sure your
brand stands out from the rest? There are many ways marketing teams can get creative
with their advertising campaigns. The most important and effective way is to implement
a creative strategy in your advertising.

What Is a Creative Strategy in Advertising?

In marketing, a creative strategy is a business’ outline in developing and implementing

steps that support the business’ goals, objectives, and overall growth.

A creative strategy’s purpose is to align your brand, product, and marketing to steer your
business towards growth. It will also outline your primary objectives, budget, calls to
action, content, more.

5 Essential Elements of a Successful Creative Strategy

While creative strategies can vary in their action plans and goals, there are 5 main
elements of a creative strategy that play a vital role in its creation. These include:

1. Brand Awareness

This is the knowledge you have of what helps people identify your company, product,
or personal brand. What are the long-term goals of your brand? What is the brand’s
history? What has the growth of your brand looked like? What is your mission
statement? What are the main values? All of these concepts play a vital role in the
development of your creative strategy and must be well known to your marketing
team.
2. Main Objective
The goal of the marketing strategy. (We’ll get more into this in the next section)
3. Target Audience

Who are you directing your marketing efforts towards? Knowing who you are talking

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to in your marketing will determine what strategies would best resonate with your
ideal customer. Think of things like gender, age, demographic, financial status, likes
and dislikes, etc. Many companies will even create a client avatar reflecting the ideal
customer who the marketing campaign would be directed to.
4. Primary USP

The Unique Selling Proposition is why you’re the best person to be providing your
service/product. The USP makes you stand out from your competitors by
differentiating your offer (more on this below).
5. Tone
Many companies have created a tone guide for their marketing department to follow
when creating any material for the company. This ensures that the voice of the
company sounds the same across all platforms and is easily identified by their
consumer base. A coherent tone across all of your marketing is essential in continuing
to grow your brand and attract your target audience.

The stages of the creative process commonly include:

i. Immersion:

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It involves reading, conducting research and learning everything about the given
problem.

ii. Ideation:
This stage looks at the problem from every angle in order to develop ideas and generate
as many alternatives as possible.

iii. Brainfog:
At this stage, the creative person is quite frustrated and quite willing to give up.

iv. Incubation:
The creative person decides to give a rest to his/her conscious mind and let the
unconscious mind to take over.

v. Illumination:
This is the unexpected moment when the idea comes suddenly like a flash.

vi. Evaluation:

This is the last stage that evaluates the feasibility and novelty of the new idea.
Here are some other unique examples of advertising that take advantage of setting and
environment.

1. McDonald’s Seed Bombing

McDonald’s clever seed bomb ad

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This recent McDonald’s seed bomb ad was designed by Sean Click. It’s certainly a unique
idea, brightening up those dirty freeway shoulders with some colorful logos. But what
makes the ad superbly innovative is Click’s premeditation regarding the ad’s geography;
the flowers are California Poppies, the state’s official flower, which are illegal to dig up.
So it’s actually illegal to destroy this McDonald’s ad –pretty incredible.

Using seed bombing as an advertising method is a really cool and original idea, and I’d be
interested in seeing it pushed further. Makes me wonder what it would be like if
dandelions were Massachusetts’s state flower…

2. Jobsin Town’s Perfectly Placed Posters

JobsinTown’s poster ads, perfectly placed on the sides of washer/dryers

[Link] is a German online recruitment site, and their collection of smartly placed
poster ads immediately catch your attention. There’s a bit of child-like wonderment
attached to these ads, as we are reminded of younger years, imagining little men pushing
out money from inside ATM Machines and gremlins popping out soda cans from vending
machines.

3. Domino’s Reverse Graffiti

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Domino’s street and sidewalk grafiti ads

For this ad campaign, Domino’s experimented with reverse graffiti, in which detergent
and water is washed over a carefully placed stencil, resulting in a contrast between the
dirty street and clean stenciled spots. Non-destructive, eco-friendly, and original!

4. Milwaukee Rivers, Banksy Style

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Milwaukee River Keeper’s creative waterway grafiti ad

Graffiti is a great form of street art, but legal issues tend to steer most businesses away
from spray painting their brands across buildings. The Milwaukee River Keeper
organization created a clever design that incorporates the waterway’s spouts as art
elements for a design that directly links the message with the physical surroundings.

5. Open Wide for Oldtimer

Oldtimer’s mountainside rest stop ad, in Austria

I find this ad for Oldtimer, an Austrian chain of motorway rest stops, quite terrifying. I
can’t help but think this might even be a safety hazard. It’s certainly a great example of
using your surroundings in advertising though.

7. FedEx Trucks Are One Step Ahead

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FedEx’s “Always First” truck ads

FedEx’s brand is almost entirely dependent on their big white trucks. FedEx knows how
iconic their trucks are, and what a great tool they can be for experimental advertising.

References: -
• George E Belch - Michael A Belch, Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated
Marketing Communication Perspective, Publisher: McGraw Hill Education.
• Kenneth E Clow - Donald Baack, Integrated Advertising, Promotion and Marketing
Communications, Publisher: Pearson.

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Lecture No: -20

APPEALS AND EXECUTION STYLES IN ADVERTISING

What is Advertising Appeal?
Advertising Appeal is the strategy used to attract attention from the customers to trigger
a response in connection with the product or service being advertised which can lead to
an action such as purchase or inquiry. Advertising is a form of non-personal
communication about a product, service, organization, or idea by an identified sponsor.

Importance of Advertising Appeal

Advertising Appeal is an important aspect of a campaign. Without appeal a customer may
not connect with the brand or the product. The decision of buying a product or a service
is a complex one and it becomes even more relevant when there are a lot of competitors.
A customer needs to understand the message very clearly though the promotional
campaigns. Advertising appeal helps in delivering that messaging in a way through which
customer not only understands the message but also responds to it. The action can be a
purchase of the product or may be research about the product.
Through a proper appeal, even if the product gets added into the consideration set of the
potential customers, it is a win.

References: -
• Terence A Shimp - J Craig Andrews, Integrated Marketing Communications, Publisher:
Cengage Learning.
• Chris Fill, Marketing Communications, Publisher: Pearson.

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Lecture No: - 21

TYPES OF ADVERTISING APPEAL

Advertising appeals refers to the approach used to attract the attention of customers or
to influence their feelings towards a brand, product or service. It is the central idea of an
advertisement and speak to an individual’s need, wants or interest and entice her to take
the desired action which generally is “Buy me”. Here are the top 09 advertising appeals
that really work.

Types of Advertising Appeals That Can Be Used in Emails

Some of the most common strategies used in advertising appeal to basic human needs.
An ad may titillate your taste buds by showing you a delicious slice of pizza or it can try to
resonate with your personal beliefs and values.

1. Appeal to emotion
2. Personal appeal
3. Social appeal
4. Appeal to popularity
5. Appeal to authority
6. Appeal to logic
7. Appeal to humor
8. Appeal to fear

1. Appeal to Emotion

Although people like to perceive themselves as rational beings, their reality is mainly
shaped by social interactions, emotions, customs, and culture.

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We want to satisfy our personal needs and achieve our personal goals but, at the same
time, we must also take care of various roles imposed on us by society. The general trend
is that people want to constantly improve the quality of their life and prevent bad things
from happening. All of these desires and fears can be used in your advertising materials
and communication strategy. Appeal to emotion to win your customers over and
persuade them to buy.

Some of the common ad themes appeal to feelings and values such as love, happiness,
family, friendship, need for fame, respect, and recognition.

2. Personal Appeal

By addressing the most private psychological needs we can make a powerful connection
with our customers. Personal appeals frequently used in advertising include feelings and
emotions such as love, friendship, happiness, or security.

Company: Google

Type of advertising appeal: Appeal to emotion – family and parenting

Pros: Very relatable to fathers and parents in general

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Cons: May not be appealing to people without kids or people from broken (or abusive)
homes

This Pixel smartphone ad also shows a situation which is appealing because of the
emotional connection. In this case, it’s the love between the father and the child. Family
is one of the most common themes present in the world of advertising. It is immediately
associated with strong emotional bonds, happiness, responsibility, traditional values, and
safety.

3. Social Appeal

Social needs are linked with our public image and the ways we interact with others. While
personal appeal tries to address individual and intimate needs, social appeal focuses on
somebody’s position within particular social groups and society as a whole. Social appeals
used in advertising connect with customers by using motives such as status, fame,
recognition, or respect.

Company: Uber

Type of advertising appeal: Social appeal – respect and diversity

Pros: Appeals to people who believe in inclusiveness and sympathize with minorities

Cons: It won’t appeal to people who are not open towards different cultures,
nationalities, and races

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Here is a different email ad example that uses social appeal:

Company: YouTube

Type of advertising appeal: Social appeal – community, fame, and recognition

Pros: Appeals to people who want to belong

Cons: It won’t appeal to people who are not sociable and are afraid of sharing

The email sent by YouTube depicts a group of creative people. It targets artists, signers,
photographers, and all other YouTubers who share their works online through their
YouTube channel. This ad will appeal to people who – at least partially – build their
identity around their social roles as artists and performers.

4. Appeal to Popularity

The easiest way to convince somebody to buy a product or service is to prove that
everyone else has done it already. Once something becomes a widely recognized
phenomenon or a trend, it becomes obvious that it has to have some merits – otherwise
it wouldn’t be so popular. Right?

Here is a thank you email by Unsplash – a stock photography website.

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Company: Unsplash

Type of advertising appeal: Appeal to popularity – the number of contributions

Pros: The recipients can feel that they are part of a community and that the website is
becoming more and more popular

Cons: It won’t appeal to people who sneer at herd mentality and who believe that your
newly discovered favorite band was far better three albums ago when nobody heard of
them.

5. Appeal to Authority

Appealing to authority is very different from getting a celebrity endorsement. Sometimes

these types of advertising appeals overlap, but in some fields, experts and top
professionals are not easily recognizable. The value of their expertise, however, is
appreciated.

Here is an email advertisement example from the Plum Guide – a London based vacation
rental company.
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Company: The Plum Guide

Type of advertising appeal: Appeal to authority – Plum’s home critics

Pros: It appeals to those who value good taste

Cons: The aura of exclusiveness and high standards signal that the apartments may be
costly, which could deter some customers

The Plum Guide has its own team of architects, interior designers, and other professionals
who give their “stamp of approval” to every apartment you can book on their website.
This advertisement reveals what happens behind the scenes to reassure their customers
that what they get was meticulously tested and reviewed by a “razor-sharp eye”.

6. Appeal to Logic

If you don’t know how to reach your customers’ hearts and emotions, you can still try to
convince their brains. Appeal to facts, calculable benefits, and statistics to encourage the
recipients of your email ads.

Here is a fragment of an advertising email by Lyft which appeals to logic (and math skills).

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Company: Lyft

Type of advertising appeal: Appeal to logic – a rational appeal with measurable benefits

Pros: The recipients get a unique reward based on their rating and can save money

Cons: There are too many numbers (10%, 10, 5, 10%, 10, 30) and the message is confusing
– is it “10%” or “up to 10%”?

Logical fallacies are very popular in advertising. However, being honest and bringing hard
logic to the equation of your marketing formula can do wonders for your sales. Modern
buyers try to make rational decisions so it is good to talk the language of tangible benefits.

7. Appeal to Humor

The more engaged your customers get, the easier it is to convince them to buy. If you can
make them smile, you are in a great position to sell. The bad news is that jokes tend to be
funny only once. The good news is that when it comes to your email marketing campaigns
once is enough!

Here is an example from J. Crew Factory.

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Company: [Link] Factory

Type of advertising appeal: Appeal to humor – self-irony

Pros: The email ad is funny, relatable, and offers a quick and easy solution to a problem

Cons: It won’t appeal to people who take things too seriously and to the masters of gift
wrapping who take pride in their art

This [Link] Factory email is awesome on many levels. It brings everybody back to an
experience that they went through at least once in their lifetime. Wrapping some presents
is next to impossible and it is usually being done at the very last minute.

9. Appeal to Fear

Scaring your customers into buying things is not a good advertising strategy (unless it is
Halloween and you want to use some relevant imagery). Fear is usually used only
combined with one of the other advertising appeals. An introduction may be scary, but
something funny and calming is used as the punchline of an ad.

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The most common fears involve some kind of loss – of health, wealth, safety, beauty, or
opportunity. However, the ads that approach these issues tend to briefly introduce the
problem and focus on the solution and positive aspects.

Here is a good example of an email ad that uses fear as its advertising appeal.

Company: Oregon College Savings Plan

Type of advertising appeal: Appeal to fear – getting in debt

Pros: The email draws attention to the problem of financing one’s education (that needs
to be dealt with eventually)

Cons: The imagery is probably a little bit too dark and creepy

This email example uses very interesting images and creates the atmosphere of being lost
in a dark fairy tale forest. It appeals to fear through imagination and draws up some
worrying scenarios. There is, however, a guiding light that is revealed at the very end of
this email.

References: -
• David Pickton - Amanda Broderick, Integrated Marketing Communications, Publisher:
Pearson.
• Larry Percy, Marketing Communications, Publisher: Elsevier.

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Lecture No: -22

EXECUTION FRAMEWORK OF ADVERTISING
An executional framework defines how the ad is structured. Executional frameworks get
your interest, create the desire for the good or service, and motivate you to purchase it.

Executional styles include:

1. Lifestyle: One of the most successful, relevant current strategies—Shows “how” the
product or service will “fit” perfectly into the consumer’s lifestyle or raise their
convenience or quality of life. This format can be associated with personal appeal,
causing the consumer to desire the lifestyle they see others in the advertisement
experiencing, because they have the product depicted. If a consumer cannot “see”
and “feel” the benefit of product/service to them, the sale will not happen. Lifestyle
“shows” the consumer “how” and creates an aspiration for the offering. (i.e. A
beautiful set of new lawn furniture being enjoyed by a family).

2. Slice-of-Life: Another successful style, usually associated with social

appeal, depicts people in a normal setting enjoying life because of a certain product
or service. This style is aimed at creating an attachment to an offering through
showing how “they” could enjoy a slice-of-good-life if they were to engage in the
offering. (ie. An advertisement depicting a luxurious cruise.)

3. Spokesman/Testimonial/Endorsement: Having celebrities or experts explain a

product is often a way to have a consumer gain trust in a brand. However, trust has
to be authentically created and not just a paid voice that is not behind the brand.
Consumers today are smarter than ever and loyalty and trust cannot be bought, only
earned.

4. Fantasy: Creating a fantasy around a product and what it can do for a consumer
often aligns well with a social appeal-the need to identify with something bigger than
oneself. (i.e. The status of having a sports car with the fantasy of a beautiful women
being impressed by it.)

5. Humorous: Aligns directly with the humor appeal to engage a consumer in

something that is funny and memorable. More than 30% of advertisements utilize
humor for greater [Link] execution styles include musical, scientific,
mood/image.

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References: -

• Terence A Shimp - J Craig Andrews, Integrated Marketing Communications,

Publisher: Cengage Learning.
• Chris Fill, Marketing Communications, Publisher: Pearson.

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