By Jeffrey Hedquist
It arrived in the mail and sat buried in a stack of “I’ll read it later” solicitations. After all it was just a brochure for another awards competition – one more out of the 40 or so a year that we wouldn’t enter.
When I finally read it, the deadline had passed, but there was something in this solicitation from the Zephyr Advertising Awards for all of us who create broadcast communication.
Here’s a quote: “…judging is based on the overall persuasive power of the work… advertising that rises above the competition and the clutter, and makes a clear, powerful case for its product.”
It’s kind of like what happens with those radio commercials we create, where our listeners are the judges of whether or not we have a winner.
“Work is evaluated using criteria associated with advertising that is capable of changing minds. The judges ask themselves, ‘If I were in the market for this product, would this ad be strong enough to change my beliefs and attitudes, and make me more likely to purchase the product?’
This is the primary question we should ask ourselves about every commercial we launch.
Then, just imagine what would happen if we could answer “yes” to each of the following eight Zephyr Advertising Awards judging criteria!
(Parenthetical comment is mine)
1. Is there a Big Promise based on a major personal benefit?
2. Is there emotional and/or factual support for the Big Promise?
3. Is the writing informative, interesting and easy to read (listen to)?
4. Is the ad unusual or unexpected?
5. Is the product or company personality expressed?
6. Does it make an emotional connection with the audience?
7. Is the message clear, simple and easy to understand?
8. Is it strong enough to change beliefs and attitudes about the product?
Who knew I’d find inspiration for creating great radio in a direct marketing piece?
The awards we want to win are results for our clients who then reward us by continuing to spend money with us so we can continue to get them results. That’s persuasion.
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