Copy Strategy
Everyone seems to have an opinion of which commercials are good and which ones are bad. For me, it is all about what is the copy strategy. The Copy Strategy is all about what the commercial is trying to achieve.
Most people assume all commercials are trying to do the same thing. Entertain them. Not so.
Consider that someone wants to buy a car. Are all cars the same? Some are best for speed; some are best for families; some to drive rough terrain and so forth.
But there are also some commonalities since they are all vehicles. How does the marketer pick the benefit to focus on and to whom to address their advertising? That is what the copy strategy is all about.
Copy strategies, like products, are similarly different and the same. So what exactly goes into a copy strategy?
It is the clear statement of what makes a product or service desirable to the target market for that product or service.
The important thing is that the strategy is written from the point of view of the consumer. Not the advertiser.
There are quite a few formats, paradigms and templates that professional advertising people use, but all of them have at least three key statements:
1. Who the advertising is directed at.
2. A promise of the basic benefit which the product or service will provide its customers. This sets one product or service apart from its competitors.
3. The reasons why the promise is believable and can be delivered. Normally there should be as few of these reasons as possible, certainly no more than three.
Some copy strategies also like to address the character or tonality that represents the brand, either because of historical precedent or as input from research.
From an agency’s point of view, there is no sense in developing any creative ideas without having a copy strategy in hand.
Would you start to build a house without a blue print? Would you travel to an unknown destination without a map? Of course not. It would be foolhardy.
It is also foolish of an advertiser or their agency to take the risk of running off and developing creative solutions without confirming what the goal is. It is like Stephen Leacock’s hero who jumped on his horse and rode off in all directions.
Some advertisers think, what the heck, it is a cost for the agency. But sooner or later it is a cost for them too. There are no free lunches.
We have always contended that the strategy is the hardest part of making great advertising.
The rest is rather easy if you have the talent.
How would you know if you have achieved your goal if you don’t know what the goal is.
So if those elements are what you need in a copy strategy, then how can you tell if your strategy is a good one or not?
creative strategy
The outline prepared by the creative team of an advertising agency for the launching of an advertising campaign or message. A creative strategy is generally the result of a team composed of one or more copywriters, an art director and a creative director. The creative strategy generally explains how the advertising campaign will meet the advertising objectives of the business.
