Characteristics of a Good Advertisement Copy

The success of an advertisement depends very much upon the copy of the advertisement. The main aim of an advertisement is to attract the customer and create an urge to possess the product. If the advertisement does not fulfill this objective, expensive advertisements are useless. Hence, the advertisement copy should be drafted very carefully.

The person who drafts the advertisement copy must be thoroughly acquainted with the mental process. He should be imaginative enough to think of words and patterns which would produce the desired effect on the prospective customer. An effective copy of the advertisement should possess the following characteristics, qualities or values:

Attention Value: An advertisement copy must attract the attention of potential consumers. If it fails in this mission, the money and efforts go waste, for everything else follows this. The copy should be drafted, planned and displayed so ingeniously that it may compel even the most casual reader to notice it and read it with interest. It should be designed in such an attractive manner that it catches the eye. Following devices can be used to make the copy attractive.

• Use of pictures, photographs or sketches to reveal a great deal about the product;
• Use of display types, i.e. appropriate heading in attracting types;
• Attractive borders etc., can also be used to separate an advertisement copy from the rest of the setting and to compel the reader to focus his attention on it.

Suggestive Value: The next quality of an advertisement should be to offer suggestion about the use and the utility of the product. This can be done if crisp and pointed but simple slogans and suggestions are devised to bring home to the reader the utility of the product in everyday situation. The repeated use of suggestion, a command or slogan can do the trick.

Memorizing Value: The copy of an advertisement should be so drafted and laid out that the product sticks to the memory of the individual reader. Repetition of advertisement is an effective method of creating memorizing value for the copy. Use of trade mark or brand name should be repeated very often.

Convincing Value: An advertisement copy is proven effective when the suggestion contained in it is backed by convincing arguments. An advertiser must avoid the two extremes: it should neither be plain notice nor should it use high-flown language. By emphasizing the outstanding feature of the product an ideal copy should make an appeal to reason so that the consumer acting on the advertisements may go in for it with confidence and firm belief in its utility and superiority over competitive products.

Sentimental Value: Sentiments reflecting the personal feelings and attitudes of individuals towards various things indicate reactions of a person infamous or against a particular product. The advertiser should make a sincere attempt to make an appeal to the sentiments of as many buyers as possible. It is more important where advertisements are directed towards the educated and cultured sections of the community.

Educational Value: A good copy of advertisements educates the general public about the uses of the new products or the new uses of the same product. It increases the demand for the product. It creates new habits among people by offering new tempting products to them. It helps creating new markets. Thus a good copy of an advertisement possesses educative value.

Instinctive Appeal Value: Instincts are the main springs of human thoughts and actions. Instincts are the underlying forces which compel the men to act in a certain way. A good copy of an advertisement must induce, persuade and motivate  people to think well of a product and to take to its use. Generally speaking, the following are the basic instincts of the consumers.

• Self-preservation Instinct: The sale of products such as medicine, clothes, etc., may be promoted by appeal to customers anxiety to preserve their health, wealth, family and or belongings. Insurance is advertised by the appeal to this instinct.
• Parental Instinct: The parental instinct takes the form of love and affection for the children. Those who deal in goods for children, lay upon the motherly feelings or the parental sentiment of men through their advertisement copies.
• Instinct for Self-display: An advertisement copy drafted for dresses, ready-made clothing, etc., must be directed towards the aesthetic sense of the people by showing happy and appealing people in dresses that are being advertised.
• Something for nothing Instinct: Everybody has an instinct to get something for free. An advertisement copy that contains the offer of a prize or a gift is likely to tempt many customers.

The above qualities should be incorporated in a copy to make an advertisement ideal.

 

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Comprehension

I. Read the text again. Give extensive answers to the questions. Use the following expressions to start your answer. (for more useful phrases use App2)

That goes without saying...............

To my mind....................

I have no doubt that.............

 

1. Why should an advertiser be thoroughly acquainted with the mental process?

2. What characteristics, qualities or values should an effective copy of the advertisement possess?

3. How does an advertiser use the major instrument, the language to persuade customers to choose a product?

4. How can an advertisement educate a customer?

5. What human instincts does an advertiser try to induce?

II. Say whether these statements are true or false. Justify your answer, using the following clichés: (for more useful phrases use App2)

It's an open secret that..............

I assume it's true / false as.......

As far as I'm able to judge.....

 

1. The success of an advertisements depends on its costs. 

2. Ingenious manner of an advertisement grows from creativity of a copywriter.

3. Colours, font and pictures are the devices used to catch customers attention. 

4. High-flown language is not the way to convince customers.

5. Sentimental value of an advertisement is derived from personal or emotional associations of potential customers. 

6. The reason for motivation in an advertisement mostly depends on human instincts rather than on the target audience.

7. The something for nothing instinct prevails among customers.

Vocabulary Development

I. Match synonyms

1. to attract smb	a.attractive
2. thoroughly	b.to be supported by
3. ingeniously	c.true
4. to compel	d.knottylanguage
5. to be backed by	e.to rely on\upon
6. high-flown language	f.primary
7. sincere	g.to appeal to
8. tempting	h.creatively
9. underlying	i. to urge
10. to lay upon	j.carefully

II.  Fill in the table for the following words:

urge

compel

suggest

sentiment

tempt