There are many articles out there that cover the basics or foundations of a good advertising campaign but none that demonstrate these using only famous quotes. There are many elements or formulas to a good campaign, but this about sums it up. Lets begin…

 “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself.” Peter Drucker

Have you identified your target audience? Have you made up at least two ideal customers that you would target?

Identifying your target audience is practiced a lot at Uni but seems to be all but too obvious once you start working in the industry. I will never forget a lecturer at Uni spending a full hour doing an exercise making up a fake customer that would become our ideal customer.

This was not only fun but really opened my eyes to how deep one must go to really find out what makes your potential customer tick, where he hangs out, how he likes his coffee and what his dreams and aspirations were.

Focus highly on your brief, who your target audience is and have fun making up a fake customer that your campaign or ad will be targeting.

“Creative without strategy is called ‘art.’ Creative with strategy is called ‘advertising’.” Jef I. Richards

Got your target audience sussed, now to the task at hand. How are you going to reach the customer? What mediums will you be using? How much are you going to spend? Strategy, strategy, strategy.

This is where you decide how you going to reach your ideal customer. Select based upon where, when and how your ideal customer will have the most interaction with the ad.

“The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas”. Linus Pauling

Start getting your campaign or ad ideas on paper. I found using a big clean A3 sheet of paper and a variety of markers gets the juices flowing. Do what you must to get as many concepts down (copy and creative).

Once you have at least 9-12 different ideas do another set of completely new ideas again. All it takes is that one good idea that consumers see, but behind that one idea are many ideas that simply did not suit even if they were all good.

I find at this stage it is also good to relook at the brief, do some more research into what the target audience could respond to and ask those around me. Some of my winner ideas came from out of nowhere and sometimes from right under my nose.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. Leonardo Da Vinci.

Now that you have your winning idea and strategy, can it be simplified? What can you remove to make it even simpler?

The ah-ha moment is key here. Depending on your chosen medium, allowing the brain to catch up to the hidden message will be the biggest success; with or without humour.

Don’t over complicate your ads trying to over present the message or value proposition in order to make it easier for customers. Keep it light, simple and funny if possible.

Your turn, any comments, thoughts or suggestions? Please share.