Elements
of Advertising Copy
The attainment of advertising
objectives largely depends on the way the advertising copy is designed. The
advertising copy should be designed in such a way that it is in a position to
attract the attention of the prospects as otherwise the effort and expense
involve will go waste. It should conform to the requisites of a good copy. A
copy-writer must take due pains in making the copy effective. The most
important rule in all copy-writing is this—make your copy sell’. How is the
sale usually made? First you get attention through headline, sub-headlines,
slogans, illustrations etc. Next you obtain interest through the text or body
of the copy.
The following are the basic
elements or components of an advertising copy:
(1)
Headline: The most important element or component
of an advertising copy is its headline. The headline comes first. If the
headline fails to attract the prospect to the message and the product, the
remaining parts of the advertisement are wasted. Thus, the main purpose of the
headline is to attract attention, arouse curiosity or interest and thereby
induce further reading. It should be as short as possible and pleasantly worded
so as to appeal to any of the instincts. A perfectly worded headline can create
the required excitement, a sensational scene most appealing to prospects. Each
headline must relate clearly and specifically to the intended audience and to
the rest of the advertisement, highlighting the product features.
Some examples of popular headlines
are given below:
(i) 'How women over 35 can
look younger' (Pond's cream)
(ii) Mother you need delicious
OVALTINE before and after baby comes' (Hindustan Cocoa Products Ltd.)
(iii) 'Growing Children need
COMPLAN' (Glindia Ltd.)
(iv) 'Bring home RICO. Bring
home peace of mind (Rico Mixers)
(v) Painless Abortion'
(Medicare centre)
(vi) 'Love DE NAAL from
Punjab' (Salora)
(vii) You missed the bus last
time, DON'T MISS THIS TIME OR YOU WILL MISS FOREVER' (Kar Vivad Samadhan
Scheme)
Headlines of different types,
the common ones, are
(i) the emotional,
(ii) the curiosity,
(iii) the news,
(iv) the straight benefit,
(v) the atmosphere,
(vi) the directive,
(vii) the slogan, and
(viii) the gimmick types etc.
The emotional type is based on
the fact that persons respond very quickly to emotions. The curiosity headline
is useful because it immediately makes the reader curious and gains his
interest and thus making him further read the advertising copy. The news
headline generally tries to stress change or improvement in products. The
straight benefit headline tells the story straight, quickly informing the
reader as to the benefit that he can expect from the product. The atmosphere
headline is used by high fashion advertisers to create an atmosphere exclusively
in favour of the product. The directive headline may be merely making a
suggestion or may be given in the form of an order to the reader. Slogan
headline may be used in the form of memorizing the name of the product and the
producer. These have proved very popular. The glimmick type headline is one
which falls under no exact classification and may consist of a poem or a
limerick. It is good as an attention particularly in case of goods which cannot
be sold in normal manner.
The main characteristics of
good headline are
(i) it is brief and to the
point,
(ii) it is clear and concise,
(iii) it is original,
(iv) it is specific and
written from prospect's viewpoint, and
(v) finally, it is relevant.
(2)
Sub-headlines: After the headline comes the
sub-headlines. If the headline has already rightly suggested the product value
to the customers, the job of the sub-headline becomes quite easier. These carry
the readers' interest a step further. These help the readers to have more
knowledge of the product, for these generally expand or amplify the headline
idea. For example, one of the advertisements of FAREX, a baby food item, has
its headline: “Your baby is born with a three months' gift of iron.” The
supportive sub-headline says, "Alter 3 months, milk alone cannot give him
the iron he needs. Give him FAREX enriched with iron."
Really speaking, sub-headlines
serve the following three main purposes:
(i) These gain attention and
interest of the readers.
(ii) These direct the interest
of the customer to important points.
(iii) These organize the copy
into logically related segments and thus ease the reading task.
(3)
Illustrations or Pictures: These consist of
photographs, charts, paintings, drawings, graphs and other pictorial devices.
The object of using illustrations or pictures in an advertising copy is to
attract the attention as well as to secure the interest of the reader.
Illustration is the best and more effective way of communication of ideas (far
better than hundreds of words) at a glance. They make the advertising copy more
attractive, interesting and make the appeal powerful and thereby more
effective. For example, the advertisement of 'Gwalior Suiting is interesting
and attractive one. It attracts the immediate attention by showing a couple-one
of whom is a famous cricketer M. A. Pataudi and the other an equally well-known
film star, his wife Sharmila Tagore. The couple is an appropriate illustration,
as this advertisement appeals to a well-matched couple.
(4)
Slogans: A slogan is a very simple and equally
effective word or a group of words regularly used by the advertiser to impress
upon the readers a basic idea about the product and the producer. To be
effective, a slogan should be simple, short and rhythmic enough to be catchy.
It is the most popular method to attract and hold attention of the reader. It
should be original and rememberable. A slogan, after a well-established usage,
becomes a household word. There are various types of slogans. Some slogans use
the advertiser's name, especially if the name is well known, e.g., ‘Always use
Tata's Products'. 'This is J. K. Product'. 'Just you can't beat Bajaj'. Some
slogans associate the name of a brand with the readers, e.g., 'Bournvita for
your vim and vigour', 'Always use Hindustan Lever Products', 'Look your best
with Lakme', 'Any surface that needs painting needs ASIAN PAINTS', 'Dunlop
leads the way', 'Kelvinator is the COOLEST one', 'if it is GODREJ, it is safe',
etc.
The main characteristics of a
good slogan are:
(i) it is shorter and has
normally less than seven words, such as Ceat India—'Born Tough',
(ii) it is original such as,
'Things go better with Coca Cola',
(iii) it speaks of product,
brand and the producer, such as, Hindustan Lever Limited—Surf washes whitest
keeps clothes like new',
(iv) it is recallable, such
as, Premier Tyres Ltd. Built Strong to Last Longer', and
(v) it is multi-media, i.e.,
it is capable of being used in different media of advertising.
(5)
Text or Body: After slogans etc. comes the text or body
of advertising copy. It stimulates liking and preference for a product,
systematically develops the benefits and promises offered by the product,
explains logically and rationally the product attributes, features and product
values, and gives convincing arguments in favour of, and evidence in support of
the claims made about the superiority of the advertised product. In the body of
the advertising copy, both emotional and rational reasons are put forward to
persuade consumers to buy a particular brand. Facts and figures about the
product, its test results, guarantees of satisfactory performance,
testimonials, and a reference list of customers patronizing the product, all
these are given in the body of the advertising copy, depending upon the nature
of the product, the market and extent of competition etc.
(6)
Identification Mark: It is the advertiser's name,
brand name, or trade-mark or identification mark. Every producer or trade has
its own trade name or brand-name which is included by the copy-writer in the
advertising copy. Every producer or the trader wants his trade name to be made
popular, and hence, in every advertising copy, the trade-name is invariably
given. The trade-name gives distinction and individuality to the product, and
helps the consumer to remember it. For example, to-day almost every one of us
is familiar with the names - “Tata Products', 'Hindustan Lever Products, J. K.
Products', ‘ICI Products' etc. In newspapers one comes across popular names
such as “Brooke Bond Tea', 'Lipton Tea', 'Bata Shoes', 'Parker Pens', ‘Instant
Coffee', Philips Bulb', ‘Polson's Butter' etc.
(7)
Copy Illustrations: Illustration is the
picture—may be a drawing, a chart, a diagram, a photograph or a painting used
to gain attention, comprehension and stimulating the audience. It is that
powerful force that shapes the character, the personality and the tone of the
advertisement, such as,
Now
with two Eveready battery Get TEZ TEA ONE SACHET—absolutely FREE
(8)
Closing Idea: Last, but not the least, it may be
mentioned here that the closing idea in an advertising copy is as important as
closing the sale in personal selling. Since an advertisement is a one-way
communication, it should be closed with enough information, direction and
motivation for the customer to act. There are various types of closing idea,
such as, 'buy now', 'call to action', 'visit today our dealer', 'announcement of
festival discount', 'do it today' etc.
All the above elements or
components of an advertising copy should be well knit into a most harmonious
and systematic way.
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