While pretty much everyone but the stuffiest among us agrees that Facebook, Twitter and certain blogs, etc. can be a lot of fun, no one can deny that YouTube videos hold the most potential for side-splitting entertainment. (And if you do deny it, reference “stuffiest” above and consider opening a LinkedIn account.)
Yes, it’s true; companies and individuals post videos of many stripes other than humorous ones. Anything from reconstructive dental surgery to personal political diatribes are fair game. But who doesn’t like to laugh? And a recently completed unscientific study by Ryan William’s Agency found that “a whole heck of a lot more” funny videos went viral last year than any other genre, except music and maybe those peeks inside the reactor cores in Fukushima, Japan.
The point is, however, that humor sells. And even if music as well as pain and suffering do as well, who has the budget to hire Lady Gaga and do you really want to associate your product or service with catastrophe? But for the cost of a video camera that you probably already have in your smart phone or digital camera and a little creative thinking, you have the potential to spread your business message perhaps worldwide.
A great example of this is Blendtec, manufacturer of the “world’s best blenders,” and the company’s tongue-in-cheek “Will it Blend” videos. Company founder and engineer Tom Dickson blends up everything from cell phones to golf balls to illustrate the power of his blenders in this hilarious series. While his blender stayed intact, his videos exploded on YouTube and so did sales. You can view them on his website at www.blendtec.com or dial them up on www.YouTube.com.
Miracle Whip is using YouTube on a grander scale, creating the “Miracle Whip Not for Every Relationship Contest” where the company is awarding $25K to the best 60-second video depicting how Miracle Whip either caused couples to marry or divorce. The promo video alone (http://tinyurl.com/3gt2hwm) is hysterical.
“Yes, I understand the marketing power of YouTube,” you say, “but I can barely keep up with the day to day demands of my business, let alone produce videos.” And that’s okay. The production of videos can be outsourced or you can start yourself small-time and infrequently. Eventually, however, when you realize the value of such a strategy, the likelihood of a video campaign eventually becoming integral to your business’s advertising mix is quite high. Think about it. Then give us call if you have questions.
Showing posts with label copywriting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copywriting. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The evolution of the creative team
Once upon a time, there were only a handful of mediums in which a business could advertise: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, outdoor, direct mail, etc., what we loosely define as traditional advertising. In just a few short years, however, the explosion in technology has not only created a slew of new advertising options—from social media to QR codes—but the industry’s evolution now requires agencies practically to have to employ Google engineers to understand the new mediums and maintain the complex mix.
This means the traditional copy writer/art director creative team has evolved as well. Effective copy for Twitter, for example, must be 144 characters long or less. Oh, and to be an effective Tweet, the message mustn’t hit the reader over the head with sales speak and instead subtly coax with independent entertainment or information. Effective website copy must be written for the Google indexing spiders as well as for the market for whom the site is intended. As for effective design, it must now work when viewed in mediums ranging from print to tiny smart phone screens to stories-high projected signage in Times Square.
But the evolution of the creative team is more than just a copywriter adapting his words and an art director her design to fit the new mediums. Because of all the ways in which a business can now advertise, there are a multitude of concerns and issues far outside the realm of words and pictures.
At Ryan William’s Agency, the typical brainstorming meetings to create a new ad campaign involve everyone in the agency because of the complexities involved. A “simple” website build, for example, which is just one small facet of big campaign, requires input from a number of unrelated professional areas—photography, copy writing, layout and design, programming, SEO, the list goes on.
Topics during our meetings can range from who’s going to clean and prep a client’s truck before a wrap is installed to the pros and cons of buying targeted or untargeted Facebook fans to jump start a social media campaign. We discuss the virtues of building a website using a content management system versus custom programming; how to address positive and negative website business reviews; the fact that Google customizes its search results based on what an individual has searched for and clicked on in the past, yielding search results that Google “thinks” you want. The variables are complicated and any one decision has a ripple effect throughout the campaign.
Today’s creative team is no longer simply the wordsmith and artist because the meaning of “creativity” in advertising has evolved to include science as well as art. Is the Google Analytics expert creative? Are website meta tags sexy? Perhaps not in the traditional sense. But, in today’s world of advertising, these are critical parts of the creative mix and, for the team at Ryan William’s, at least, as flashy as a double-truck four-color add in the Palm Beach Post. And if your creative team is having a hard time getting jazzed about Tweeting or tagging, you might want to find someone who finds these new mediums just as exciting as the old ones.
This means the traditional copy writer/art director creative team has evolved as well. Effective copy for Twitter, for example, must be 144 characters long or less. Oh, and to be an effective Tweet, the message mustn’t hit the reader over the head with sales speak and instead subtly coax with independent entertainment or information. Effective website copy must be written for the Google indexing spiders as well as for the market for whom the site is intended. As for effective design, it must now work when viewed in mediums ranging from print to tiny smart phone screens to stories-high projected signage in Times Square.
But the evolution of the creative team is more than just a copywriter adapting his words and an art director her design to fit the new mediums. Because of all the ways in which a business can now advertise, there are a multitude of concerns and issues far outside the realm of words and pictures.
At Ryan William’s Agency, the typical brainstorming meetings to create a new ad campaign involve everyone in the agency because of the complexities involved. A “simple” website build, for example, which is just one small facet of big campaign, requires input from a number of unrelated professional areas—photography, copy writing, layout and design, programming, SEO, the list goes on.
Topics during our meetings can range from who’s going to clean and prep a client’s truck before a wrap is installed to the pros and cons of buying targeted or untargeted Facebook fans to jump start a social media campaign. We discuss the virtues of building a website using a content management system versus custom programming; how to address positive and negative website business reviews; the fact that Google customizes its search results based on what an individual has searched for and clicked on in the past, yielding search results that Google “thinks” you want. The variables are complicated and any one decision has a ripple effect throughout the campaign.
Today’s creative team is no longer simply the wordsmith and artist because the meaning of “creativity” in advertising has evolved to include science as well as art. Is the Google Analytics expert creative? Are website meta tags sexy? Perhaps not in the traditional sense. But, in today’s world of advertising, these are critical parts of the creative mix and, for the team at Ryan William’s, at least, as flashy as a double-truck four-color add in the Palm Beach Post. And if your creative team is having a hard time getting jazzed about Tweeting or tagging, you might want to find someone who finds these new mediums just as exciting as the old ones.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Really pretty ad. Does it work?
Last week the RWA team was reorganizing our library of work in preparation for several upcoming pitches. Although we haven’t been in business nearly as long as J. Walter or Ogilvy, we’ve already maxed out one server, a portfolio and our sample storage racks. Whew! A lot of ads have come through the portals of RWA.
As we prepared our portfolio for presentation to these prospective new clients, it occurred to the creative minds at RWA that we clearly had two categories of ads: those that make the portfolio and those that don’t. The ones our new prospects will see displayed in all their splendor are the ones that are slick and pretty, with innovative headlines and really cool graphics. They’re the ones that took home the awards at the ADDYs, the ones that we like to frame and put on the walls and boast to our friends “Yeah, that’s one of ours.”
Sure, they are great ads, but the ads that don’t make the portfolio often have the best stories behind them. They’re not pretty, but man! Did they make the phone ring, or what?!?!
Most progressive business owners want to see equally progressive ads representing their business, but overlooking the power of a plainer ad might mean you’re overlooking potential sales. It’s sort of like high school dating. Sure the cheerleader looks good on the surface, but that girl with the glasses who is head of the class is probably a better bet. Just saying…
Sometimes the plainer, more straight-forward ad is also a better bet. The classic example of this is an ad that legendary copywriter John Caples wrote in 1926 for a music school.
No one would argue that the ad is an ADDY contender, but it is widely considered one of the most successful ads of all times.
Why? Because it spoke to its audience is a straight-forward manner about just what they wanted to hear. The appeal of being able to sit down at a piano and amaze your friends after a few lessons at the school was and still is irresistible. Think about it. Isn’t that what anyone interested in playing the piano dreams of?
As creative professionals, we’ll always love ads that are new and fresh, the slick, the pretty, the cheerleader ads. But, every once in a while it’s wise to take a page from the history books. Ads don’t always have to be pretty to make the phone ring.
As we prepared our portfolio for presentation to these prospective new clients, it occurred to the creative minds at RWA that we clearly had two categories of ads: those that make the portfolio and those that don’t. The ones our new prospects will see displayed in all their splendor are the ones that are slick and pretty, with innovative headlines and really cool graphics. They’re the ones that took home the awards at the ADDYs, the ones that we like to frame and put on the walls and boast to our friends “Yeah, that’s one of ours.”
Sure, they are great ads, but the ads that don’t make the portfolio often have the best stories behind them. They’re not pretty, but man! Did they make the phone ring, or what?!?!
Most progressive business owners want to see equally progressive ads representing their business, but overlooking the power of a plainer ad might mean you’re overlooking potential sales. It’s sort of like high school dating. Sure the cheerleader looks good on the surface, but that girl with the glasses who is head of the class is probably a better bet. Just saying…
Sometimes the plainer, more straight-forward ad is also a better bet. The classic example of this is an ad that legendary copywriter John Caples wrote in 1926 for a music school.
No one would argue that the ad is an ADDY contender, but it is widely considered one of the most successful ads of all times.
Why? Because it spoke to its audience is a straight-forward manner about just what they wanted to hear. The appeal of being able to sit down at a piano and amaze your friends after a few lessons at the school was and still is irresistible. Think about it. Isn’t that what anyone interested in playing the piano dreams of?
As creative professionals, we’ll always love ads that are new and fresh, the slick, the pretty, the cheerleader ads. But, every once in a while it’s wise to take a page from the history books. Ads don’t always have to be pretty to make the phone ring.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)