www.altonmiller.com - Advertising Analysis

In their textbook, Advertising, O'Guinn, Allen and Semenik outline a typology of advertising, identifying "Message strategy objectives and methods."

Objective: What the advertiser Hopes to Achieve Method: How the Advertiser Plans to Achieve the Objective

Promote brand recall: To get consumers to recall its brand name(s) first; that is, before any of the competitors' brand names. Repetition ads
Slogan ads

Instill brand preference: To get consumers to like or prefer its brand above all others. Feel-good ads
Humor ads
Light fantasy ads
Sexual-appeal ads.

Scare the consumer into action: To get consumers to buy a product or service by instilling fear. Fear-appeal ads
Change behavior by inducing anxiety: To get consumers to make a purchase decision by playing to their anxieties; often, the anxieties are social in nature. Anxiety ads

Transform consumption experiences: To create a feeling, image, or mood about a brand that is activated when the consumer uses the product or service. Transformational ads

Situate the brand socially: To give the brand meaning by placing it in a desirable social context. Slice-of-life ads

Define the brand image: To create an image for a brand by relying predominately on visuals rather than discourse. Image ads

Persuade the consumer: To convince consumers to buy a product or service through high-engagement discourse.

Benefit-appeal ads
Unique selling proposition ads
Reason-why ads
Hard-sell ads
Comparison ads
Information-only ads
Testimonial ads
Demonstration ads
Advertorial ads
Infomercials

Invoke a direct response:To get consumers to take immediate buying action, typically by providing a toll-free number. Direct response ads.

Tony Antin, in his book, Great Print Advertising writes about "The A, B & C of Effective Print Advertising."

For Antin, an ad's "Propositional Benefit" is the tangible or perceived benefit derived directly from accepting an advertisement's proposition. He makes the point that "The primary objective of an advertisement is to communicate its Propositional Benefit quickly, easily, fully and memorably."

An ad should communicate the "most appealing Propositional Benefit to the greatest number of the right people... starting from where people are in relation to the product at 'this time."

Notice how much research those few lines require.

What are the benefits? What is the best Propositional Benefit?
"...the right people?" Who is your target audience?
"...to the greatest number?" Where are you targeting them?
"... starting from where people are...?" More psychographic research

In talking about "The A, B & C of Effective Print Advertising," he doesn't mean the "ABC's" -- he means the first three steps a reader experiences with an ad.

Proposition or Advertisement Explanations
"A" Proposition and Advertisement

For "this product at this time," does the Proposition start from where people are to make The Right Offer? Is the first element seen compatible with and helpful to that offer?
"Right Offer" = Strongest possible product benefit (real or perceived) to largest possible number of people. The Propositional Benefit.

"first element" = Could be overall "look," a major illustration, a bold headline instantly read -- whatever is visually strongest... most likely to be seen/read first with just idle glance.

"B" Advertisement

Does it make some benefit instantly apparent; and The Right Offer -- the Propositional Benefit -- then immediately and easily understood?
"Some benefit" = Could be the Propositional Benefit (real or perceived) OR a laid-on Benefit which might or might not relate to it.

If laid-on Benefit does not relate to Propositional Benefit (real or perceived) advertisement moves immediately into it.

"C" Advertisement

Does it make everything about The Right Offer -- Propositional Benefit -- quickly, easily and fully clear?
"quickly, easily and fully clear" = people able to read and understand everything about Right Offer (Propositional Benefit) with no effort at all.

Part of your assignment for Class 3 is to prepare a brief analysis of all 25 of the ads you have found, identifying them in terms of the Advertising Strategy Objectives and Methods listed above, as well as Antin's "A, B & C" analysis.

Go BACK

Objective: What the advertiser Hopes to Achieve	Method: How the Advertiser Plans to Achieve the Objective
Promote brand recall: To get consumers to recall its brand name(s) first; that is, before any of the competitors' brand names.	Repetition ads Slogan ads
Instill brand preference: To get consumers to like or prefer its brand above all others.	Feel-good ads Humor ads Light fantasy ads Sexual-appeal ads.
Scare the consumer into action: To get consumers to buy a product or service by instilling fear.	Fear-appeal ads
Change behavior by inducing anxiety: To get consumers to make a purchase decision by playing to their anxieties; often, the anxieties are social in nature.	Anxiety ads
Transform consumption experiences: To create a feeling, image, or mood about a brand that is activated when the consumer uses the product or service.	Transformational ads
Situate the brand socially: To give the brand meaning by placing it in a desirable social context.	Slice-of-life ads
Define the brand image: To create an image for a brand by relying predominately on visuals rather than discourse.	Image ads
Persuade the consumer: To convince consumers to buy a product or service through high-engagement discourse.	Benefit-appeal ads Unique selling proposition ads Reason-why ads Hard-sell ads Comparison ads Information-only ads Testimonial ads Demonstration ads Advertorial ads Infomercials
Invoke a direct response:To get consumers to take immediate buying action, typically by providing a toll-free number.	Direct response ads.

	Proposition or Advertisement	Explanations
"A"	Proposition and Advertisement For "this product at this time," does the Proposition start from where people are to make The Right Offer? Is the first element seen compatible with and helpful to that offer?	"Right Offer" = Strongest possible product benefit (real or perceived) to largest possible number of people. The Propositional Benefit. "first element" = Could be overall "look," a major illustration, a bold headline instantly read -- whatever is visually strongest... most likely to be seen/read first with just idle glance.
"B"	Advertisement Does it make some benefit instantly apparent; and The Right Offer -- the Propositional Benefit -- then immediately and easily understood?	"Some benefit" = Could be the Propositional Benefit (real or perceived) OR a laid-on Benefit which might or might not relate to it. If laid-on Benefit does not relate to Propositional Benefit (real or perceived) advertisement moves immediately into it.
"C"	Advertisement Does it make everything about The Right Offer -- Propositional Benefit -- quickly, easily and fully clear?	"quickly, easily and fully clear" = people able to read and understand everything about Right Offer (Propositional Benefit) with no effort at all.