Discover inspiring creative ideas through simple research.
By Alan Sharpe
Should you spend three weeks writing a headline? Probably.
When David Ogilvy landed the Rolls-Royce account, he spent three weeks learning about the car. In his reading, Ogilvy came across this statement, written by an engineer: "At sixty miles an hour, the loudest noise comes from the electric clock." Ogilvy made that elusive fact the headline for what became the most famous car advertisement of all time.
All great ads contain a big idea well executed. But how can you find that elusive big idea for the product or service you are promoting? Through exhaustive research.
Learn first-hand
Ask questions
That's what Rosser Reeves did when he worked at Ted Bates & Co. on the M&M Candies account. He interviewed the president, John MacNamara. Only after careful questioning did Reeves discover that the big idea for M&M's was inherent in the product. M&M's were the only candy in America that had chocolate surrounded by a sugar shell. Thus was born the memorable (and profitable) positioning line, "M&M candies melt in your mouth, not in your hand."
Study the literature
Bud Robbins had well-known competitors. He worked for an ad agency on the Aeolian Piano Company account. The national sales manager for the firm explained to Robbins that the only real difference between an Aeolian grand piano and a comparably priced Steinway or Baldwin was the shipping weight–the Aeolian was heavier. Robbins asked why. "The Capo d’astro bar," replied the sales manager, who proceeded to crawl under the piano, and point to a metallic bar fixed across the harp and bearing down on the highest octaves.
"It takes 50 years before the harp in the piano warps," said the sale manager. "That's when the Capo d'astro bar goes to work. It prevents the warping."
Robbins took that product feature and made it the differentiator in his first ad, which was so successful that it created a six-year wait between order and delivery.
Study the category
You can't jump from nothing to a great idea. You need a springboard. And the best springboard is the information you gather through exhaustive research.
(http://www.sharpecopy.com/tips/find_big_ideas.html)
By Alan Sharpe
Should you spend three weeks writing a headline? Probably.
When David Ogilvy landed the Rolls-Royce account, he spent three weeks learning about the car. In his reading, Ogilvy came across this statement, written by an engineer: "At sixty miles an hour, the loudest noise comes from the electric clock." Ogilvy made that elusive fact the headline for what became the most famous car advertisement of all time.
All great ads contain a big idea well executed. But how can you find that elusive big idea for the product or service you are promoting? Through exhaustive research.
Learn first-hand
- If it's a cruise, take it. If it's a car, drive it. If it's a drink, swig it. If the shoe fits, wear it.
- Visit the plant.
- Work in the store.
- Read the label. What, exactly, is anti-bacterial fluoride? And why should your prospective customers care?
Ask questions
- Talk to customers. Why do they buy the product or service?
- Schmooze with dealers and distributors. How does your product compare with competing products? Advantages and disadvantages? What single benefit motivates customers to gladly hand over their cash?
- Sit behind the one-way mirror during focus groups. Participants often say things that you can take word-for-word and turn into winning headlines and subheads, even a big idea itself.
- Talk to salespeople who move the product for a living. They usually have the best grasp on what differentiates the product in their marketplace.
That's what Rosser Reeves did when he worked at Ted Bates & Co. on the M&M Candies account. He interviewed the president, John MacNamara. Only after careful questioning did Reeves discover that the big idea for M&M's was inherent in the product. M&M's were the only candy in America that had chocolate surrounded by a sugar shell. Thus was born the memorable (and profitable) positioning line, "M&M candies melt in your mouth, not in your hand."
Study the literature
- Read the marketing plan–how does your product or service stand out from competing offerings?
- Read the company annual report–look for pithy testimonials from satisfied customers.
- Read articles about the company. What does the trade press say about your features and benefits? customer service? reliability? warranty? reputation?
- Read questionnaires and surveys conducted with customers and partners. Why are they satisfied? or peeved? What can your advertising do to change that?
- Read the ads, brochures and sales letters produced by your competitors. How do they position themselves against what you are offering. What can you do in response?
Bud Robbins had well-known competitors. He worked for an ad agency on the Aeolian Piano Company account. The national sales manager for the firm explained to Robbins that the only real difference between an Aeolian grand piano and a comparably priced Steinway or Baldwin was the shipping weight–the Aeolian was heavier. Robbins asked why. "The Capo d’astro bar," replied the sales manager, who proceeded to crawl under the piano, and point to a metallic bar fixed across the harp and bearing down on the highest octaves.
"It takes 50 years before the harp in the piano warps," said the sale manager. "That's when the Capo d'astro bar goes to work. It prevents the warping."
Robbins took that product feature and made it the differentiator in his first ad, which was so successful that it created a six-year wait between order and delivery.
Study the category
- Visit libraries and bookstores. Review books that describe the category that your product or service occupies. Discover what consumers are doing, what they are buying, and what appeals to them.
- Read the consumer and trade publications that your target audience reads. Discover the issues that affect their lives, and think of ways to position your product or service to meet those needs.
- Visit industry websites, looking for changes in consumption and purchasing behaviour that you can capitalize on.
- Read white papers, looking for technology trends in your industry (the wireless revolution, for example, or the imminent disappearance of 35mm film in favour of digital photography).
You can't jump from nothing to a great idea. You need a springboard. And the best springboard is the information you gather through exhaustive research.
(http://www.sharpecopy.com/tips/find_big_ideas.html)
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