1. Why is the headline crucial for an advertisement?

2. What parts does the body copy consist of?

The basic components of an advertisement include: the headline, the illustration (picture caption), the body copy, the signature and the subheadline.

A copy is the verbal portion of an advertisement. It includes headlines, subheadlines(advertising slogan), body copy and the signature. When preparing an advertising copy, marketers bear in their mind the rule called AIDA: attention, interest, desire and action.

The headline is crucial because often it is the only part of the copy that people read. It should attract readers’ attention and create enough interest to make them want to read the body copy. The subheadline, if there is one, links the headline to the body copy. It sometimes helps explain the headline.

Advertising slogans are short, often memorable phrases used in advertising campaigns. They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of the product.

An effective slogan usually:

• states the main benefits of the product or brand;

• makes a simple, direct concise statement;

• is often witty;

• gives a credible impression of the brand, product;

• makes the consumer feel good;

• is hard to forget – it adheres to one’s memory

Body copy for most advertisements consists of an introductory statement or paragraph, several explanatory paragraphs, and a closing paragraph. There exists a set of guidelines to develop body copy:

• identify a specific desire or problem of consumers;

• suggest the good or service as the best way to satisfy that desire or solve that problem;

• state the advantages and benefits of the product;

• indicate why the advertised product is the best for the buyer’s particular situation;

• substantiate the claims and advantages;

• ask the buyer for action.

The signature identifies the sponsor of the advertisement. It contains the firm’s trademark, name and address. This signature should be attractive, legible, distinctive and easy to identify.

However different types of advertisement have their own peculiarities. Radio listeners are often mentally not fully “tuned up”, so radio copy should be informal and conversational to attract listeners’ attention. It should consist of short, familiar terms. The rate of speech should be not more than two and one-half words per second.

In television copy, the audio material must not overpower the visual material.

The choice of headlines, copy, and so on, can make a difference in the ad’s impact.

Lalita Manrai reported a study in which she crated two ads for the same car. The first ad carried the headline “A New Car”, the second, the headline “Is this Car for You?” In the second headline, the consumer is labeled as the type of a person who is interested in that type of product. The 2 ads also differed in that the first ad described the car’s features and the second described the car’s benefits. In the test, the second ad outperformed the first ad in the impression of the product, readers’ interest in buying the product and the possibility of recommending it to a friend.

Artwork consists of the illustration and layout of the ads. Although illustrations are often photographs, they also can be drawings, graphs, charts and labels.

The layout of an ad is the physical arrangement of the illustration (picture caption), headline, subheadline, advertising slogan, body copy and signature. These format elements can be positioned in any way. However, a minor rearrangement of elements can improve the perception ability of the ad. Larger-size ads get more attention. Four-colour illustrations instead of black and white increase ad effectiveness.

A number of researchers into print ads report that the picture, headline, and copy are important in the following order. The reader first notices the picture, and it must be strong enough to draw attention. Then the headline must be effective in encouraging the person to read the copy. The copy itself must be well composed.

Scanning

Answer the following questions

1. What are the basic components of an ad?

2. What is a copy?

3. What components does it consist of?

4. What is understood by AIDA?

5. Why is the headline crucial for an advertisement?

6. What are the main aims of the headline?

7. Is subheadline an integral part of an ad?

8. What should a body copy consist of?

9. What are the main rules of developing a body copy?

10. What is the function of the signature?

11. What information should the signature include?

12. What characteristic features should the signature possess?

13. Do different types of ads meet the same requirements? Give examples.

14. What influences the impact an ad makes on other people?

15. What is artwork?

16. What is understood by the layout of an ad?

17. Is the arrangement of the format elements of an ad important? Why? Why not?

18. What is the most effective structure of an ad?