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You are to make an advertisement for a product that you create.  The Assignment includes a written part as well as a creative part.  The requirement for each part follows.

The Written Part:

1.  Create a Product that is marketable.

2.  Create a name for your product

3.  Write a description for your product.

4.  Determine of viewing population to sell your product to.

5.  List the shows and/or publications that the product would be advertised in/during

The Creative Part:

Create an advertisement for your product on plain white paper at least 8″x11″.
The ad must include:

1.  a picture of the product
2.  the products name
3. a clever slogan to catch the viewer’s attention
4.  A display of at least one of the propaganda technique described below:

AVANTE GARDE– The suggestion that using this product puts the user ahead of the times e.g. a toy manufacturer encourages kids to be the first on their block to have a new toy.

FACTS AND FIGURES– Statistics and objective factual information is used to prove the superiority of the product e.g. a car manufacturer quotes the amount of time it takes their car to get from 0 to 100 k.p.h.

MAGIC INGREDIENTS– The suggestion that some almost miraculous discovery makes the product exceptionally effective e.g. a pharmaceutical manufacturer describes a special coating that makes their pain reliever less irritating to the stomach than a competitor`s.

TRANSFER– Words and ideas with positive connotations are used to suggest that the positive qualities should be associated with the product and the user e.g. a textile manufacturer wanting people to wear their product to stay cool during the summer shows people wearing fashions made from their cloth at a sunny seaside setting where there is a cool breeze.

PLAIN FOLKS– The suggestion that the product is a practical product of good value for ordinary people e.g. a cereal manufacturer shows an ordinary family sitting down to breakfast and enjoying their product.

SNOB APPEAL– The suggestion that the use of the product makes the customer part of an elite group with a luxurious and glamorous life stylee.g. a coffee manufacturer shows people dressed in formal gowns and tuxedos drinking their brand at an art gallery.

TESTIMONIAL– A famous personality is used to endorse the product e.g. a famous basketball player (Michael Jordan) recommends a particular brand of skates.

CARD STACKING-The propaganda technique of Card-Stacking is so widespread that we may not always be aware of its presence in a commercial. Basically, Card-Stacking means stacking the cards in favor of the product; advertisers stress is positive qualities and ignore negative. For example, if a brand of snack food is loaded with sugar (and calories), the commercial may boast that the product is low in fat, which implies that it is also low in calories. Card-Stacking is such a prevalent rational propaganda technique that gives us only part of the picture.

GLITTERING GENERALITIES– The glittering generalities technique uses appealing words and images to sell the product. The message this commercial gives, through indirectly, is that if you buy the item, you will be using a wonderful product, and it will change your life. This cosmetic will make you look younger, this car will give you status, this magazine will make you a leader-all these commercials are using Glittering Generalities to enhance product appeal.

BANDWAGON– Bandwagon is a form of propaganda that exploits the desire of most people to join the crowd or be on the winning side, and avoid winding up the losing side. Few of us would want to wear nerdy cloths, smell differently from everyone else, or be unpopular.

The popularity of a product is important to many people. Even if most of us say we make out own choice when buying something we often choose well-advertised items- the popular ones. Advertising copywriters must be careful with the bandwagon propaganda technique because most of us see ourselves as individuals who think for themselves. If Bandwagon commercial is to obvious, viewers may reject the product outright.

INFORMATION ABOUT ADVERTISING

Advertising is the art of arresting the human intelligence just long enough to get money from it.

Famous Television Advertisements

Ever since mass media became mass media, companies have naturally used this means of communications to let a large number of people know about their products. There is nothing wrong with that, as it allows innovative ideas and concepts to be shared with others. However, as the years have progressed, the sophistication of advertising methods and techniques has advanced, enticing and shaping and even creating consumerism and needs where there has been none before, or turning luxuries into necessities.

The New York Times is a corporation and sells a product. The product is audiences. They don’t make money when you buy the newspaper. They are happy to put it on the worldwide web for free. They actually lose money when you buy the newspaper. But the audience is the product. … You have to sell a product to a market, and the market is, of course, advertisers (that is, other businesses). Whether it is television or newspapers, or whatever, they are selling audiences. Corporations sell audiences to other corporations.

Young people — girls in particular — are often bombarded with imagery of the “perfect” bodies. Younger minds are more malleable and impressionable, so even when it may be known that these images are manipulated, the constant message everywhere a young person turns says the same thing: this is how you should look and behave and something must be wrong if you are not achieving these (unrealistic) expectations of perfection.

HOW TO MAKE AN ADVERTISEMENT

Come up with a catchy, snappy tagline. Keep it short and sweet; the average product needs no more than six or seven words. If you say it out loud and it sounds like a mouthful, edit it down. Whatever it is, it should grab the consumer’s attention and convince him or her that your product is different from everyone else’s. Consider using:

• Rhyme – “Do you Yahoo?”
• Humor – “Dirty mouth? Clean it with Orbit chewing gum!”
• A play on words – “Every kiss begins with ‘Kay’”
• Creative imagery – Yellow Pages: “Let your fingers do the walking”
• Metaphor – “Red Bull gives you wings”
• Alliteration – “Intel Inside”
• A personal pledge – Motel 6: “We leave the light on for you”

  Avoid the same old. The key to a good advertisement is being memorable. The second your ad borrows a familiar advertising phrase (for example, “new and improved,” “guaranteed,” or “free gift” — is there any other kind?), it becomes interchangeable with thousands of others. What’s more, listeners are so used to ad clichés that they don’t even hear them anymore. (Just listen to Tom Waits’s Step Right Up to hear how meaningless clichés sound when strung together.)

  • Startling the reader into paying attention is especially useful if you have a lot to say. For example, this long, environmentally-oriented announcement wouldn’t turn many heads if it weren’t for the unusual, confrontational tagline; if the reader wants to get the joke, she or he has to read more.
  • Know how to walk the line between controversial and entertaining. Pushing the limits of good taste to help your ad grab attention is common practice, but don’t go too far — you want your product to be recognized on its own merits, not because it was tied to a tasteless advertisement.

  Use a persuasive technique. There are tried and true methods that advertisers rely on to make their ads stick. These include:

  • Common sense: Challenging the consumer to think of a good reason why notto purchase a product or service.
  • Humor: Making the consumer laugh, thereby making yourself more likeable and memorable. This pairs especially well with refreshing honesty. Not the most successful business in your class? Advertise that your lines are shorter.
  • Repetition: Getting your product to stick by repeating key elements. Jingles are the most obvious way to do this, but unless they’re very good, they’re also the most annoying. If you go this route, brainstorm a more creative, less obvious repetition technique such as the one that was used in the Budweiser frog commercials (“bud-weis-er-bud-weis-er-bud-weis-er”).
  • Exigency: Convincing the consumer that time is of the essence. Limited-time only offers, fire sales, and the like are the commonest ways to do this, but again, avoid meaningless phrases that will slip under your customers’ radar.

    
    Know the customer. Even the cleverest ad won’t work if it doesn’t appeal to the target audience. Are you looking for a certain age group? Do you want people with a set income level? Or maybe you’re looking for a population with a special interest? Whatever it is, try to get a clear picture of who your dream consumer is and why he or she would be interested in what you’re advertising.

    • Keep your target consumer in mind when you’re developing the tone and look of your ad. Remember: it needs to appeal to your audience as much as possible and avoid offending or talking down to them. Kids tend to be over-stimulated, meaning you will need to grab their attention on multiple levels (color, sound, imagery). Young adults appreciate humor and tend to respond to trendiness and peer influence. Adults will be more discerning and respond to quality, sophisticated humor, and value.

      Find a way to connect the desires of consumers to what you’re advertising.Think of it this way: the ad should be a bridge between what your dream consumer wants or needs and your product.

      • Brainstorm about what your consumer would want, as well as some of the suggestions below. Don’t edit your ideas immediately, just write them down — you’ll have plenty of time to pick over them later.
      • Ask yourself if your product or event is aspirational. Are you selling something that people would buy in order to feel better about their social or economic status? For instance, you might be selling tickets to a benefit gala that is designed to feel elegant and luxurious, even if the ticket price is well below what most wealthy people would be able to pay. If you are selling an aspirational product, try to make your advertisement exude an air of indulgence.
      • Determine whether or not your product is for practical means. If you’re selling something like a vacuum cleaner, designed to perform common tasks or make life easier for the consumer, spin it in a different direction. Instead of emphasizing luxury, focus on how the product or event will provide relaxation and peace of mind to your consumer.
      • Focus on the most appealing aspect of your product. Why should it entice people? What sets it apart from other similar products? What do you like best about it? These can all be good starting points for an advertisement.
      • Is there an unmet desire or need, any frustration in the mind of your consumer, that will create a market for your particular product? Assess the need gap that exists for the product or service.

        Make sure all the relevant information is included. If your consumer needs to know your location, phone number, or website (or all three) in order to have access to your product, provide this information somewhere in the ad. If you’re advertising an event, include the location, date, time and ticket price.

    Decide where and when to advertise. If you’re advertising for an event, start promoting it at least 6 to 8 weeks beforehand if it’s going to accommodate more than 100 people; if it’s less than that, start advertising 3 to 4 weeks ahead. If you’re advertising a product, think about the time of year when people are more apt to buy what you’re selling. For instance, if you’re promoting a vacuum cleaner, it might sell better in the spring, when people are undertaking spring cleaning.

  Designing an Advertisement

  1.  Choose a memorable image. Simple but unexpected is often the best route to take. For example, these stark, colorful silhouette ads that barely even show the iPods they’re peddling couldn’t get much more straightforward, but because they don’t look like any other ads, they are instantly recognizable.
  
  2.  Distinguish yourself from your top competitor(s). A burger is a burger is a burger, but if you let yourself think like that, you’ll never make your sale. Use your ad to highlight your product’s advantages over that of your competitors. To avoid lawsuits, keep to statements about your product, not theirs. For example, this Burger King ad mocks the size of the Big Mac while speaking the literal truth: that is a Big Mac box, after all, leaving McDonald’s no legal ground from which to retaliate.

  3.  Design a business logo (optional). A picture says a thousand words, and if a logo is effective enough, it can render text unnecessary (the backwards Nike checkmark, the Apple bitten apple, the McDonald’s arches, the Chevron shell). If you’re running a print or television advertisement, try to develop a simple, appealing image that will stick in the minds of viewers. Consider these points:
  • Do you already have a logo? If you can, think of fresh and creative ways of re-imagining it.
  • Do you have a commonly-used color scheme to work with? If your brand is instantly recognizable by the colors in the ad or the logo, use this to your advantage. McDonald’s, Google, and Coca-Cola are good examples.