Meaning: An “ad copy” is the medium through which an advertiser expresses his views as a message to readers. This article explains about A Good Advertisement Copy with discussion by Characteristics and Elements. It refers to all the reading cases of an advertisement, whether it is short or long, and includes the title, sub-title, text or body, an advertiser’s name or initials. An ad copy is sometimes known as “advertising message”. Also, learn A Good Advertisement Copy.
Understand and Learn, A Good Advertisement Copy: Characteristics and Elements.
Ad copy can be anything from a simple text to art form made of aesthetics or to a celebrity playing in the background or appearing in admirable music or ad in the background. A product or brand advertisement is done through many mediums. There are newspapers and magazines in which there are many pages of advertising.
The advertisement in this form is known as the print media. Advertising can do through visual and audio media, which are usually television channels and radio channels. Regardless of how the advertisement is done, the jingles in the advertisements displayed or displayed in the words, serve as a continuous reminder for the brand and its products in our memory.
An ad copy helps people targeted to an organization to communicate a specific message. Advertising copy plays an important role in taking marketing efforts for customers. Making an ad copy for print media and electronic media differs on different aspects. While print media ads have a positive effect on the position and appearance of the position, the electronic media is focused on catching people’s hearts within a few seconds of the allotted time.
The Concept of the study Explains – A Good Advertisement Copy: Characteristics of a Good Advertisement Copy, and Elements of a Good Advertisement Copy.
Characteristics of a Good Advertisement Copy:
This article throws light on the few main characteristics of a good copy of the advertisement.
The following characteristics are:
- Attention Value.
- Suggestive Value
- Memorizing Value.
- Conviction Value.
- Sentimental Value.
- Educational Value, and.
- Instinctive Appeal Value.
Now Explanation Each:
Attention Value:
The copy of an advertisement should so draft as to easily draw the attention of the prospects. This is the first requisite on which depends on the effectiveness of the advertisement. Attraction can bring about by pictures, by the use of display types, borders, price quotations, reply coupons, etc. Which one or which of them will be most suitable depends on the individual condition of the product and the market.
Suggestive Value:
The suggestion as to the use and quality of the product makes a copy of the advertisement a good one. The repeated use of a suggestion, a command or a slogan can do the trick. Coca-Cola, Pepsi are examples.
Memorizing Value:
The copy of the advertisement should so draft as to make it suitable to stick to the memory of the individual reader. Repetition of the advertisement is an effective way of creating memorizing value. In any copy of advertisement of a branded product, the advertiser must stress the brand name repeatedly. (Vim, Coca-Cola, etc.).
Conviction Value:
Convincing arguments add value to a copy of the advertisement. To create the conviction value, the advertiser will have to avoid both extremes it should neither be a plain notice to the prospects announcing the availability of a certain product nor should it use flowery and high-flown language to advertise a product, without giving any tangible and appealing reasons why the customer should prefer the product to the rival products in the market.
Sentimental Value:
Sentiments play a very important role in any matter. In advertising, it must not overlook that the sentiments of those for whom the advertisement is primarily meant rouse or at least not injured or adversely affected.
Educational Value:
A copy of the advertisement, though is commercial, we must not forget that the advertisement should contain information that has some educational value. An advertisement not only retains an existing market but creates the market for the future. The copy of the advertisement should be informative and must contain in it the ingredients that will help people to change their habits in such as to be conducive to create additional demand.
Instinctive Appeal Value:
Certain instincts are ingrained in human beings. The copy of the advertisement should so draft as to encourage those instincts that are relevant for the product advertised. Advertising is essentially the motivation of the potential consumer and to activate the motivation, an appeal is of very great significance.
Generally speaking, a good of advertising should direct to:
- Self-preservation instinct,
- Hoarding instinct,
- The instinct for self-display,
- Parental instinct and,
- Something for nothing instinct (vague desire’ to get something without paying for it).
Based on these basic instinctive appeals, the following themes may lay down for a copy of good advertisement: pride, beauty, health, economy, comfort, fear, parental affection, patriotism, achievement, emulation, and imitation.
The Elements of a Good Advertising Copy:
The make-up or parts of the copy of the good advertisement or advertising can view from two aspects – elements below are:
- Advertising theme, and.
- Advertising layout.
Now, explain each one;
Advertising Theme:
A theme represents a particular viewpoint or a central idea with which the message is conveyed to the consuming public. The theme involves a rational appeal based on human emotions, desires or sentiments. Such well-thought-out and specific appeals became effective in arousing desire and in initiating action on the part of consumers.
Elements of Good Advertisement Copy – The following are the common themes used in advertising:
The theme of beauty:
The sales appeal for cosmetics, perfumeries, and toilet products are usually based upon the theme of beauty. Accordingly, the message of the advertisement contains expressions like “For romantic or charming appearance, use product A”, “Product B ensures alluring or exquisite complexion”, or “Care your hair with product C for the glossy glimpse and luxuriant growth.”
The theme of pride:
The sales message in the case of pieces of jewelry, radios, costly clothes, motor cars, and others is laid upon the theme of pride since the acquisition of such products deems as proud possessions on the part of buyers. For example, “Prestige car means A”, “Radio B adds decency to any home”, “Discerning people prefer fabric C”, or “X’s Jewellery adorns fashionable ladies.”
The theme of health:
Food products and drugs are advertising through reliance upon the theme of health. To take some examples, “Product A supplies boundless energy and vigor”, “Health brings happiness—and the key to health help by product B”, “Product C keeps you free from disease”, or “Eminent physicians prescribe D for cold and cough.”
The theme of comfort:
Products which aid in giving comfort to the people at work or home are advertising through the theme of comfort. Electrical fans, air-conditioning plants, refrigerators, and the likes belong to the group of products meant for providing comfort.
The theme of the economy:
This is a common appeal use in many cases for making bargaining purchase, for saving money or for protecting costly things from decay and destruction.
The theme of fear:
The theme of fear utilizes by insurance companies and safety-vault operators in expanding the demand for their services. Possible dangers and their consequences are presenting in the copy of advertising for initiating action on the part of their customers.
The theme of emulation:
The desire for imitation strongly implants in human nature. By giving illustrations and factual information as to what some distinguished persons do, the message of the advertisement may call for imitation on the part of others. To take one case, “The successful men all over the globe use Blade A.”
The theme of distinction:
The desire for individual recognition, distinct social status, and superior community standing is inherent in human beings. As an outward mark of that distinction, selected products of very expensive nature are acquiring by a class of people who may be high-borns or aristocrats.
The theme of affection:
Baby foods, toys, and other playthings are advertising based on this theme. By directing appeal towards parental love, the copy of advertising becomes effective in securing action on the part of buyers.
The theme of patriotism:
The appeal for products of national origin is sometimes based upon national sentiments. For the prosperity of a nation and its citizens, the theme of patriotism makes out a case for using national products in preference to goods of foreign origin.
Advertising Layout:
The layout is the logical arrangement of components of an advertisement in the copy and deals with the systematic presentation of the message. The pattern of layout varies according to the medium to use.
For newspapers and magazines, the presentation of the message is visible in written words and pictures; in radio, the presentation is audible in spoken words and sound effects; and in television, both audio and visual presentations are practicable. In all cases, balance and symmetry are of prime importance in presenting the message within the allotted space or time.
Visual layout in any publication can divide into the following three parts:
Headlines:
Headlines are using in bold letters for drawing attention of the consuming public. The size and length of the headline must be appropriate to the general format and page size of the publication; it must also be in keeping with the theme of advertising and with the entire makeup of the copy.
Usually, short headlines are giving stressing some facts, suggestions, prepositions or convictions. In magazines and trade journals, color printing adopts for headlines to make than more prominent and conspicuous.
Illustrations:
Illustrations are giving by way of pictures, symbols or photographs for drawing attention, creating interest as well as for arousing desire. Significant illustrations may be worth a thousand words in securing public reception for the product.
But limits of decency must not exceed in presenting pictures or photographs which should always be in good taste. Obscene and objectionable pictures do more harm than good to the cause of advertisement.
Texts:
Texts provide the heart of the message of advertisements, and they are to weave around an advertising theme. For an individual copy, one theme is desirable; a multiplicity of themes creates confusion and weakens the strength of appeal. For presenting the text, different practices are following in the business world.
In some cases, the text prefaces by a statement of the problem to the reader and follow by a solution thereof. In other cases, reading materials are presenting analytically with pertinent facts and data. Furthermore, the text may present by the use of a typeface in one copy or of hard lettering in another copy.
