ISSUE

Insights on Important Marketing Communications Issues

10 Criteria for a Successful Ad

What makes for a successful ad? For years Business Marketing magazine (now B-to-B
magazine) has used the following criteria in its Copy Chasers column to evaluate ads submitted
to them for critical review.

Perhaps no ad will meet all of these criteria perfectly. And perhaps not all of these criteria are
applicable for each and every ad. But these Copy Chasers criteria make good sense for you to
consider when creating an ad to communicate your message.

1. The Successful Ad Has a High Degree 3. The Successful Ad Invites the Reader
of Visual Magnetism into the Scene
On average, only a small number of ads Within the framework of the layout, the
in an issue of a magazine will capture the objective is to visualize, illuminate, and
attention of any one reader. Some ads dramatize the selling proposition. The ad
will be passed by because the subject must take into consideration the fact that
matter is of no concern. But others, even the type of job a reader has dictates the
though they may have something to offer, selection of the illustrative material.
fail the very first test of stopping the Design engineers work with drawings.
reader in his or her scanning of the Construction engineers like to see prod-
pages. Ads perish right at the start ucts at work. Chemical engineers are
because, at one extreme, they just lie comfortable with flow charts. Managers
there on the page, flat and gray, and at relate to pictures of people. And so on.
the other extreme, they are cluttered,
noisy, and hard to read. An ad should 4. The Successful Ad Promises a Reward
be constructed so that a single compo- An ad will survive the readers qualifica-
nent dominates the areaa picture, the tion only if they are given reason to expect
headline, or textbut not the company that if they continue on, they will learn
name or the logo. Obviously, the more something of value. A brag-and-boast
pertinent the picture, the more arresting headline, a generalization, or an adver-
the headline, the more informative the tising platitude will turn readers off before
copy appears to be, the better. they get into the message. The reward
that an ad offers can be explicit or implicit;
2. The Successful Ad Selects the Right it can even be stated negatively, in the
Audience form of a warning of a possible loss. The
Often, an ad is the first meeting place of promise should be specific. The headline
two parties looking for each other. So Less maintenance cost is not as effec-
there should be something in the ad that tive as You can cut maintenance
at first glance will enable readers to iden- costs by 25%.
tify it as a source of information relating
to their job interestsa problem they 5. The Successful Ad Backs Up the
have or an opportunity they will welcome. Promise
This is done with either a picture or a To make the promise believable, the ad
headlinepreferably both. The ad must provide hard evidence that the claim
should say immediately to the reader, is valid. Sometimes, a description of the
Hey! This is for you! products design or operating characteris-
tics will be enough to support the claim.

Allerton Marketing Communications Inc. Reymer House 1132 West North Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Phone: 412.321.6322 FAX: 412.321.5117 www.allerton.com
 ISSUE Insights on Important Marketing Communications Issues

Comparisons with competition can be ads in which the most essential part
convincing. Case histories make the of the advertisers messagethe text
reward appear attainable. Best of copyappears in type too small for easy
all are testimonials: They-say adver- reading or is squeezed into a corner or is
tising carries more weight than we-say printed over part of the illustration. Text
advertising. type should be no smaller than 9 point.
[At least one of our clients insist that the
6. The Successful Ad Presents the type size of the text be no smaller than
Selling Proposition in a Logical 10 point.] It should appear black on
Sequence white. It should stand clear of interfer-
The parts of an ad should be organized ence from any other part of the ad.
(the ad layout) so that there is an unmis- Column width should be no more than
takable entry point (the single dominant half the width of the ad.
component referred to earlier) and the
reader is guided through the material in 9. The Successful Ad Emphasizes the
a sequence consistent with the logical Service, Not the Source
development of the selling proposition. Many industrial advertisers insist that the
A layout should not call attention to itself. company name or logo be the biggest
It should be a frame within which the thing in the ad, that the company name
various components are arranged. appear in the headline, that it be set in
bold-face wherever it appears in the copy.
7. The Successful Ad Talks Person-to- Thats too much. An ad should make
Person readers want to buyor at least consider
Much industrial advertising, unlike con- buyingbefore telling them where to buy.
sumer goods advertising, consists of one
company talking to another companyor 10. The Successful Ad Reflects the
even an entire industry. But an ad is Companys Character
more persuasive when it speaks to the A companys advertising represents the
reader as an individualas if it were one best opportunity it hasbetter than the
friend telling another friend about a good sales forceto portray the companys
thing. The terms used should be the personalitythe things that will make the
terms of the readers business, not the company liked, respected, admired.
advertisers business. But more than that, A messy ad can indicate a messy, disor-
the writing style should be simple: ganized company. A brag-and-boast ad
short words, short sentences, short para- suggests the company is maker-oriented,
graphs, active rather than passive voice, not user-oriented. A dull-looking ad rais-
no advertising clichs, and frequent use es the possibility that the company has
of the personal pronoun you. A more nothing to get excited about, is behind the
friendly tone results when the copy refers times, is slowing down. What we are
to the advertiser in the first person: we talking about is a matter of subtleties, but
rather than the company name. the fact remains: like sex appeal (which
is not easy to define), some companies
8. The Successful Ad Is Easy to Read have it; some dont. And whatever it is,
This is a principle that shouldnt need to it should be consistent over time and
be stated, but the fact is that typography across the spectrum of corporate struture
is the least understood part of creating an and product lines.
ad. The business press is loaded with

Allerton Marketing Communications Inc. Reymer House 1132 West North Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Phone: 412.321.6322 FAX: 412.321.5117 www.allerton.com