Butz's Motz: How stupid do advertisers think consumers are? Part 2
During the last week of advertising, I started writing about the deadly sins of advertising as commandments in my blog. Yes, just like Moses.
These notes in imperative form are not intended to be a how-to kit for good advertising. They are merely meant to appeal to common sense in a casual way. So go on.
7th commandment: Never change a successful advertising concept. Unfortunately, such a commandment, which is so self-evident, is violated more often than one might think. All the big boss has to do is say, "We've seen enough of that advertising now, we need something new." And the sin is committed. Unless the agency has the courage to contradict the big boss. But there are examples like that, too. The milk cow "Lovely" even survived a change of agency.
8th commandment: Never price your product humorlessly. Successful advertising works through humor. The Nespresso appearance with Clooney would be clumsy if it didn't have this kick with "Nespresso - what else". The irony turns it into genius. Advertising for these mattresses from Jysk, where this woman trumpets out "I love Jysk" completely unbelievably, is a good example of humorlessness, as unfortunately quite a few others exist.
9th Commandment: Thou shalt not leave graphic design to amateurs. Since everyone can decide for himself or herself on the computer about font, size, weft, spacing, indents, "slim" to "bold", red or pink, the door is opened to the graphical design juggernaut. From countless websites to advertisements with high-priced insertion costs, more and more are being designed by amateurs. This is the beginning of the end of Swiss typographic art.
10th Commandment: Thou shalt not make unimaginative advertisements. Every day, thousands of pieces of information pelt us consumers. Most of it rolls off our perception and passes us by without being remembered. I estimate that over 90 percent is lost in my case. But it's not just because memory declines somewhat with age. My theory is: If you want to store a message in the brain of our target person and thus make it memorable, then a gap or mnemonic must be built into the advertising idea, which must be completed by our listener or viewer. Thus we are anchored with our statement in its memory. I would like to see the analogy to Moses 10 commandments not so seriously meant, therefore here still another additional commandment.
11th Commandment: You shall not be fearful, compromising, or discouraged. Advertising has to be a blast. Any soft patter is a sin.
My display is the FCB cake that we received from Vollenweider chocolatier for the championship title.
Theophil Butz, graphic designer, advertising agency owner, inspirer and, for the last three years, also mothballs for Werbewoche readers. Please send any relevant information to [email protected]
