Introduction of Advertising Copy

Ad copy is the written text that appears in an advertisement. It's the

words used to convince a potential customer to take a specific action,
whether that's visiting a website, making a purchase or signing up for
a service. Ad copy can appear in many forms, including print ads,
online ads, billboards and more

What are the types of Advertising Copy?

 “Human Interest” Advertising Copy
 “Reason Why” Advertising Copy
 “Educational” Advertising Copy
 “Institutional” Advertising Copy
 “Suggestive” Advertising Copy
Reason Why” Advertising Copy

This copy offers reasons as to why a customer is expected to buy the product of
your brand. It tries to explain the product benefits by giving evidence in the form of
testimonials, guarantees, customer experiences etc.

eg. Choose HiCare pest control services. We take care of all types of pest problems
including Termites, Cockroaches, Rodents, Ants and more.

“Institutional” Advertising Copy

This copy doesn’t always sell the product or service. Its objective is to promote the
company (rather than the product). Doing this builds more trust and goodwill and
increases the reputation of the company.

For example, Lenskart offers a wide range of frames at the lowest cost that nobody
else can offer.

“Suggestive” Advertising Copy

This type of copy works best when a customer is confused about the quality of the
product and struggling to make a decision. It conveys the message directly or
indirectly to the customer and prompts them to purchase the product.

For example, are you losing interest on your Savings Account? Open a savings
account with Kotak Bank and get more out of life.
Structure of Advertising Copy:
Attainment of advertising objectives largely depends on the way the
advertisement copy is designed. The advertising copy should be designed in
such a way that it is in position to attract the attention of the prospective
buyers.

The following are the basic elements of the advertising copy:

1) Headline

2.) Sub-Headline

3.) Body Copy

4.) Logo, Slogan

5.) Illustrations

6.) Layout

1. Headline:

The most important element of the advertising copy is its headline. If

headline fails to attract the prospects, remaining part of the advertisement
are wasted. Thus, the main purpose of the headline of every advertising copy
is to attract attention and create curiosity in the prospects. For e.g. – Desh Ki
Dhadkan (Hero Honda).

2. Sub-Heading:

After the headline the next is sub-headline. If the headline has rightly
suggested the value of product, the job of sub-headline becomes quite
easier. Sub-headline helps the reader to have more knowledge about the
product. For e.g. – sub-headline used in Horlicks ad – Dudh Mein Horlicks
Milao, Dudh Ki Shakti Badhao.
 3. Text or Body:

After headline, sub-headline and slogan comes the text of advertising copy.
In the text, both the rational and emotional reasons are put forward to
persuade customers to buy the particular brand. Facts and figures about the
product, guarantee of satisfactory performance, testimonials, etc. are given
in the text of the advertisement copy depending upon the nature,
competition, market, etc.

4. Slogans:

A slogan is the group of words regularly used by the advertiser to impress prospects about the
product and producer. It is one of the most popular methods to attaining and holding attention of
the customers. For e.g. – McDonald – I’m loving it., E.g. – Horlicks - Taller, stronger,
sharper

Slogans are a catchy sentences or phrase which is easy to remember. It is used by

copywriters continuously for the sake of establishing. It creates an impact of repetition. It gives
an identity to the company or to its products. Slogans are a part of an advertisement copy. It is a
concise but effective way of telling an idea. Many headlines have been sloganised. A slogan is
kept in constant use at least for one campaign. Some advertisements change the slogan for a new
campaign. Mostly people know the slogan by heart. Slogans are short, summarized headlines. In
outdoor advertisements, slogans are a must. In outdoors advertisement, slogans are both the
headlines and the sales messages. Slogans may use an appeal or a pleasant incident in the life of
a product, a pleasant description of a product quality. Basically they draw attention to the
strength of the firm or product.

Some good slogans are:

1. "If it is Philips, you can be sure:

2. "Things go better with Coke."

3. "Top people take the "Time.'

4. "Any surface that needs paint needs Asian Paints."

5. "Don't say Ink, say Quink."

6. "Stay free.... because that is the way you ought to be."

 7. "Kelvintor Refrigerator. It is the coolest one."

8. "Tribhuvandas Bhimji, where trust is a tradition."

Why Necessary? Slogans are direct, short, easily remembered. They repeat the brand name. They
are friendly phrases. Slogans can he printed or sung. They are good to conduct the re-call test of
Mr. They are funny and entertaining. Idiomatic slogans are remembered for a long time. They
dynamic live company. They can be charged with emotions and became psychological movers.
There are, however some drawbacks of slogans.

Drawbacks They became outdated. On changing the advertising agent, the old slogan gives way
to a new slogan. Slogans can become so routine as, not to be noticeable. Sometimes they are
copied by many with slight verities of your slogan. (Jefkins has given a lively example: Pan
AM's slogan "Who made the going great?' was changed to 'who made the Boeing great? by
BOAC).

Characteristics of a good slogan

The slogan is simple and straight-forward. It is pleasant too.

1. It carries some pleasing sales idea.

2. It conveys more in a compact form.

3. Good slogans finish the job in 7-8 words.

4. So many ideas give rise to one good slogan.

Logo
Logos are symbols that represent a brand and establish a distinctive visual identity that sets it
apart from others. A well-designed logo should be memorable, versatile, and relevant to the
brand it represents. It should effectively convey the brand's message, values, and identity to its
target audience

What Does a Logo Do?

Your logo design must clearly show your brand’s identity. Here are several reasons why:

 A logo is a powerful non-verbal communicator of values, trust, and connection between a brand
and its audience, eliminating the need for lengthy written explanations.
 A brand's logo serves as a testament to its success and commitment to its customers. It is the
result of collaboration between a business owner and a graphic designer, a communicative
process that culminates in a logo that effectively conveys its purpose.

 A logo emphasizes the business’s offerings.

 A logo helps customers remember the brand. Each time they see the symbol, they’ll be
subconsciously reminded of the brand’s message and value.

What Makes a Logo Stand Out

If you want your logo to stand out from what the market offers, consider these key factors:

 Simplicity: You don’t need too many colors or shapes to make a logo stand out. A simple design
that reflects your brand’s values and message is often more effective.
 Relevance: To ensure your logo stands out, remember that it needs to align with your industry
and be relevant to your target audience. For instance, creating a colorful logo for a bank might
convey playfulness rather than authority, which is necessary to establish trust.
 Memorability: Logos that stand out are easily remembered by people. Incorporating a mix of
colors like Google or cleverly using negative space like World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is often
eye-catching and can help customers recall your brand.

Different Uses of a Logo

Your logo can be used on anything you want. Usually, businesses use their logos in four ways:

 Products: Some businesses like Nike or Adidas prominently display their logos on clothing and
other products. Displaying your logo on your products works as a design and a clever marketing
campaign.
 Packages: Many brands add their logos to the packages they ship out. For example, the Apple
logo is on every package you receive from them. This is part of an overarching package design.
 Cards: Logos can appear on employee identification cards to indicate their affiliation with the
company. On the other hand, smaller businesses also include logos on cards used to express
gratitude during a shipment, as well as various print designs
 Websites: It’s important to add your logo to a website to clearly establish your branding and
identity.
 What Is Logo Design?
Logo design involves creating a visual symbol or mark representing a brand, company,
organization, or individual. It combines elements such as typography, color, shapes, and
sometimes illustrations or icons.

Key Elements of Logo Design

Now that we understand the purpose of logo design, let's delve into
the key elements that should be part of every design:

1. Typography
2. Logo Mark
3. Color
4. Context

Typography - in logo design typically includes your business name.

For ex- fast-food chain McDonald's occasionally uses its slogan with
the logo to emphasize its message.
2.Logo Mark

The logo mark, often referred to as ‘the image component’, is what

most people associate with logo design.

3. Color
Play a pivotal role in conveying distinct messages. An effective example of a color
combination is Domino’s, which mainly uses blue to convey trust and a bit of
striking red to catch the customers’ attention.
 4. Context
Google uses its full name as a logo, but in some instances, you might only see the
letter “G” in Google’s distinctive colors.

5. ILLUSTRATIONS

Prof. Rathor's comments on illustration are worth studying: "These consist of photograph,
drawing, .graphs, charts, painting, and other pictorial devices. Markets may use illustrations to
gain attention comprehension, attitude change and behaviour change. Illustrations, then, are of
major value in conveying the theme. The Visual Elements are Line, Shape, Tone, Color,
Pattern, Texture and Form, Picture

Why Pictures are used

1. They are more effective than words.

2. They support the copy

3. In visually oriented ads;-they serve as the copy with only they headline appearing as the copy.
4. They are demonstrative.

5. They can make us understand technical details.

6. Association and-images are created.

7. They evoke moods

8. Colour photographs give high fidelity to the product.

9. Background and atmosphere can be shown effectively with their use. Essential of Good
Illustrations Features

1. They should be suggestive

2. They should be clearly reproduced.

3. They should be eye-pleasing

4. They should be properly set in the total layout.

5. They should be relevant.

6. They should be suitable for the product and media.

7. They should harmonize with the copy.

Methods of Illustration

There are various methods of preparing illustrations. The choice depends upon our objectives,
creativity, product, market, medium, etc. The following is only illustrative list of the methods of
illustration:

1. Symbolic Illustrations: Theses are very good for the presentation of abstractions. Dattaram
Ad Agencies Hinditron advertisement for computer idea won an award for it from CAG his year.
It is an abstract as copy which presents a computer idea in all its futuristic hi-tech brilliance. The
illustration comprises four pictures with the geometrical shapes of the triangle, cube, circle and a
multi-faceted object suspended in space and lit by a laser beam. It is a bold and imaginative
visualization.

2. Comparison Illustration: “Before and after” is one type of comparison illustration.

Cosmetics advertisements show the effects on complexion by giving before-and-after
illustrations. In the above example, Saffols has been compared with other oils.

3. Product-In-User of Action: It is a popular method of illustration. A person smoking

cigaretteor a girl's hand with nail-polish just applied is very common examples. Textiles are
always shown in use. Garden silk advertisements use Persis Khambatta, a model who uses a sari.
The as became very convincing.

4. Magnification of Details: This is a salesman-like illustration which explains either the

features or applications of products in detail. Modi Threads' recent copy is a good example by
which several illustrations explain the copy.
5. Product-In-The-Setting Illustration: Casting the product against a proper background
facilitates the visual communication process. The background chosen is consistent with the
product. Royal Nepal Airlines have chosen the mighty Himalayas

6. Result-of-a-Product's Use Illustration: The product in the above example is

investment advice, which results in financial returns. See how Money comes out of the
computer. To the reader, the product itself may not be as important as the satisfaction derived
from its use.

7. Product Alone Type Illustration: Here there is no copy, but only the product with its
brand name. Many advertisements use this type of illustration.

8. Dramatized Illustration: Both the headline or the situation is dramatized to make an

impact, and the illustration assists in this dramatization.

6.) Layout

Page layout is that deals in the arrangement of visual elements on a page.

Copy Testing:
Copy testing is an important part of advertising management. It is the tool to evaluate the
effectiveness of the advertisement before it appears in final form, to determine whether and to
what extent it will accomplish its objective. In simple words, copy testing is a method to control
the effectiveness of final advertising.

Types of Copy Testing:

Different techniques have been developed to test the various aspects of an advertising copy
before and after the launch of advertisement.

Accordingly, copy testing can be:

(1) Pre-Testing Method:

Pre-testing as the name suggest refers to testing the advertising copy prior to its running. This
test is run to find out the plus and minus points of an advertisement campaign.

The following are the methods generally used in pre-testing of an advertising copy:

i. Checklist Method:

Checklist method tests the various aspects of advertisement copy. This method ensures that no
important feature is omitted. It is simple and speedy process of measuring the effectiveness of
advertising copy involving limited cost. However it suffers from personal biasness. Moreover it
is not suitable for all instances.

ii. Consumer Jury Method:

Under this method, the advertisement copy is shown to a group of consumer or jury (who are
supposed to be consumer) and their opinion is asked. They generally rank the advertisement
copy then or message. This method is very useful as it involves a direct contact with the
consumers.

iii. Coupon Response Method:

Under this method, advertiser offers to send something complementary to the reader on receipt
of letter from him. The offer can be of a free sample of product or a premium offer.

iv. Inquiry Test Method:

Under inquiry test, effectiveness of advertising copy is made by the means of inquiry made for
the product. In it two or more ads are run on limited scale. The ad which gets the maximum
inquiry is said to be effective.
(2) Post-Testing Method:

These tests are those tests which are conducted after the launch of advertisement campaign.
These tests are conducted to know the effectiveness of the copy after its publication. Post-testing
method provides information about whether the brand name or selling theme of a given
advertising copy or advertising campaign penetrates in the minds of consumers and if so to what
extent.

Under post testing following methods are used:

i. Recall Test:

Under this method, the reader, for instance, is shown a magazine cover and is asked whether he
has read the issue. If the answer is yes, he is asked to describe anything which he remembers
after seeing that issue. He is then given a deck of cards, on which brand name appears and is
asked to indicate the advertisement.

ii. Recognition Test:

Under this method, the readers are merely asked whether they have seen or heard about the
advertisement copy. If answer is yes it is presumed that the advertisement copy is the effective
one. This test is conducted by personal interviews with the readers of the magazines and
newspapers.

iii. Sales Test:

Under this method an association is made between the effectiveness of advertisement and sales.
If the sale after the advertisement increases, the advertisement is said to be effective one.

iv. Split-Run Test:

Under this method the advertisement copy is prepared in two ways and run in one medium. Then
the coupon response gives an evaluation of the advertisement copy. The advertisement receiving
more response is said to be more effective.

v. Inquiry Test:

Under this method, effectiveness of the advertisement copy is made on the basis of inquiry made
by the customers regarding the product. To encourage inquiries, the advertiser offers to send
something complementary to the reader if he replies.