Reblogged from: I Have an Idea

Martin Murphy
SVP, Group Management Director
Draftfcb Chicago

How do you know when an ad is good? Are there different levels of “goodness”?

Some would say that you can never totally know in such a subjective field. Others would say that it’s all related to how much the ad helps to sell. Yet others would measure it through quantitative testing that statistically measures the projected awareness and recall of an ad. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

This is a complicated issue, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be if you ask yourself 6 simple questions!

Knowing if an ad is any good is actually very easy. Deciding just how good the ad is entails more steps, but it’s also pretty simple.

Here’s how I go about it.

(Note: When I say “ad” I mean any type of advertising, from TV, to radio, to online, to social media, to print, etc. I’ll serve up some TV and print examples, you think of your own too!)

Is an ad good?

This is the easy part. Because you decide. And there’s not much to think about, because most ads are either mediocre, barely adequate, or even outright crap.

This may sound overly-critical of the advertising industry that I love, but it isn’t, it’s just a fact of life.(*)

One of my favorite quotes from the great David Ogilvy is “…unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night”. Sadly, most ads and campaigns do pass like a ship in the night! Ogilvy went on to say “…I doubt if more than one campaign in a hundred contains a big idea”, but I’ll be a bit more generous and serve up this handy visual.

So, here’s how it goes:

Look at an ad. Then simply ask yourself question #1: “Do I like this ad?” As simple as that. If the answer is yes, then the ad is good…for you. If the answer is no, then this ad is mediocre, or worse, and no amount of rationalization is going to change that for you. So that’s it! For example, here is a good car ad, and here’s a mediocre car ad. (click to see the examples as you read along. All according to my brain, of course!)

Most ads will “pass like a ship in the night”, but some will come ashore onto the island of “good ads”. And here is where we start chasing those elusive ads that are not just good, but really good – these are the ones that really make a difference!

So it’s good! (phew!). But just how good is it?

The ad is good. Now, here’s where the magic happens, because there are many different levels of good. And to know how “good” is good, these are the questions I ask, in this specific order. If you’re able to keep answering “yes”, the ad keeps climbing towards the pantheon-level of advertising greatness.

Question #2: “Does the ad have something “sticky” about it? Some kind of a hook that my brain can latch on to?”

There is so much stimulus out there today that an ad needs some way of hooking itself to your brain…or it’s gone, even if it’s a “good” ad. What the hook is depends on you, but it can be things such as unusual cinematography, cool special effects, interesting casting, an unexpected storyline twist, celebrities, romance, a catchy song, a humorous twist, a cute animal, a sexy guy/girl, etc.

IF “YES”, then the ad is good AND memorable. Proceed to the next question.

Question #3: “Is the brand or product linked to the creative idea in a credible and interesting way?”

Hopefully it is, or else the ad is a waste of money for whoever is paying for it. Here’s an example of an ad where the product is woven seamlessly into the action. Here’s another one. Sometimes though, you’ll be hard-pressed to remember who or what this story is connected to, or this one. What a shame. I wrote a post on the topic of brand linkage, but the bottom line is that if you meet the love of your life at a bar, yet you can’t remember their name or their number…then it probably wasn’t meant to be, and next time you should stop after the third beer.

IF “YES”, then the ad is good AND memorable, AND brand linked. Proceed, young grasshopper.

Question #4: “Does it make me want to buy the brand or product?” (*)or at the very least does it improve my feelings towards the brand?

The whole point of this for marketers is to make money, and money is made through sales. So your ad better help sell, on some level, or you’re going to be out of a job. Some ads make me want to spend money, other big productions just leave me cold. (*)Note: I qualify the question above because some ads are just not meant for me (like lipstick, hair gel, diapers, etc.). In this case nothing will make me want to buy it, but it should make me feel better/warmer about the brand or product.

IF “YES”, then the ad is good AND memorable, AND brand linked, AND persuasive. I am most impressed, you and your client need to go out for drinks to celebrate. First round is on me!

Question #5: “Is the ad campaignable across time and/or media?”

We’re getting into the rarified air of greatness here, few ads make it this high up, and we’re going to need an oxygen mask soon. Great ideas are rare, and most ads are expensive to produce and roll out in front of a wide audience. So when you have an ad with such a strong idea at its core that it can run, in different iterations, for a long time, well that’s just golden. Here’s a timeless example, and here’s another that you all will know. Just as good, if this idea is strong and flexible enough to live across different mediums, it will have a much better chance of reaching the consumer in a meaningful way. This is key in today’s world, as shown in this example, and this one.

IF “YES”, then the ad is good AND memorable, AND brand linked, AND persuasive AND campaignable. Folks, this is very rare. I am not going to exaggerate and say that I’m getting weepy, but I’m pretty much getting weepy.

Question #6: “Does it move me?”

After all of this buildup, if the ad evokes a visceral, emotional reaction, if it touches my heart, or my emotions, in a way that is true, and real and non-manipulative…well, what can I say. This is beauty. This is why I got into the advertising business! Running across these gems makes me feel happy, alive and full of energy. This is the holy grail that all of us in the business chase, every day. And we’re lucky if we get to work on just a few of these in our career!

When I saw this Levi’s ad, it touched me. It inspired me on some deep emotional level. It’s everything an ad can be…it’s branded poetry.

When I watch this Coke ad, it affects me. It changes my outlook. It makes me love the brand. It makes me happy. Amazing stuff for a simple tv ad!

When you get to this sublime level of “good”, advertising can indeed be a wondrous thing. Built to generate commerce, but ultimately also uplifting like those special moments in art: be it the very best film, or play, or aria, or sculpture, or building facade!

UPDATE Aug 30: I was looking through a great blog, and I found a quote by Maya Angelou that I think sums it up beautifully:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

So there you have it. How to tell if an ad is good, and more importantly just how good it is, in 6 easy questions.

But wait!…there’s more!! Here’s a little wallet-sized reminder ready for printing:) Keep it handy next time you’re watching TV, and I do hope you experience the thrill of coming across one of the really, really good ones!

http://www.youtube.com/inteltheescape

DECODE JAY-Z WITH BING
Prize: Integrated Grand Prix
Type of Entry: Titanium and Integrated
Title: DECODE JAY-Z WITH BING
Advertiser/Client: BING/JAY-Z
Product/Service: DECODE JAY-Z WITH BING
Entrant Company: DROGA5 New York, USA
Advertising Agency: DROGA5 New York, USA
Creative Credits
Name Company Position
David Droga Droga5 Creative Chairman
Neil Heymann Droga5 Creative Director
Adam Noel/Spencer Lavellee Droga5 Copywriter
Jon Kubik Droga5 Art Director
Jon Donaghy Droga5 Designer
Piper Derley/Elias Holtz Droga5 Digital Designer
Andrew Allen Droga5 Senior Digital Producer
Paul Mcgeiver Droga5 Director of Photography
Toph Brown Droga5 Digital Producer
Cliff Lewis/Mea Cole-Tekfka Droga5 OOH Producer
Rob Lugo Droga5 Head of Print Services
Chris Thomas Droga5 Studio Artist
Hashem Bajwa Droga5 Director of Digital Strategy
Duncan Marshall/Ted Royer/Nik Studzinski/Kevin Brady Droga5 Creative Director
Colin Lord Droga5 Director of Polygons
Sam Kilbreth Droga5 Videographer/Editor
Eric Hadley/Nick Divers BING Videographer/Editor
Sunshine, Sachs & Associates Sunshine, Sachs & Associates PR Company
Shawn Mackoff/Megan Collins Droga5 Account
Andrew Essex Droga5 Chief Executive Officer

Describe the campaign/entry:

Microsoft’s search engine, Bing wanted to connect with a younger audience and needed to make their Search and Maps technology more culturally relevant. The primary objective was to increase “Intent to Use” Bing products and improve perceptions of Bing as a culturally relevant brand to a coveted younger audience. Bing’s core users were middle aged women in the Midwest and the brand wanted to make real inroads with the coastal youth population. We used the launch of Jay-Z’s autobiography “Decoded” as a relevant moment in youth culture and an opportunity to create a deeper experience with it through Bing technology. The target does not differentiate online from offline, so we built the program across existing media formats and channels but in a new way that wove them together and added interactive to everything. The unique partnership brought Bing to the forefront of pop-culture and gave millions of Jay-Z fans a reason to use Bing Search and Maps.

Give some idea of how successful this campaign/entry was with both client and consumer:

- The average online player engagement was over 11 minutes per visit – Jay-Z’s Facebook fans grew by one million during the campaign launch. – Decoded went straight to the New York Times Best Seller list at #2 its first week – Bing.com saw an 11.7% increase in visits the month of the campaign with no other media in market. – Bing.com entered the top ten most visited sites in the US. – Bing earned 1.1 billion global media impressions. – Bing’s “intent to use” scores were higher than any other Bing marketing initiative ever according to ComScore. – Online Buzz and Social metrics were above average for any Bing marketing program according to Nielsen BuzzMetrics.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

We started by putting every single page of Jay-Z’s autobiography into media spaces around the world. The pages weren’t randomly placed; all 350 pages were put in locations relevant to each individual page’s content. Fans around the world could actually walk Jay-Z’s path, experiencing his story right where it happened. The campaign used a variety of media. And if the media didn’t exist, we created our own. Everything from pizza boxes, plates, burger wrappers, jigsaw puzzles, t-shirts, to name a few. Fans sought out, discovered and interacted with this collection of unique small scale pieces. Even the smallest, traditionally overlooked items became precious collector’s items.

Cannes Gold:

Type of Entry: Product & Service

Category: Alcoholic Drinks

Title: SLO MO

Advertiser/Client: FOSTERS GROUP
Product/Service: CARLTON DRAUGHT
Entrant Company: CLEMENGER BBDO MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency: CLEMENGER BBDO MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Creative Credits
Chief Creative Officer: James McGrath
Executive Creative Director: Ant Keogh
Creative Director: Creative Team: Richard Williams/Anthony Phillips
Art Director: Annie Beauchamp
Agency Producer: Senior TV Producers: Sonia Von Bibra/Pip Heming
Advertiser’s Supervisor: Account Director: Mick McKeown
Account Manager: Phoebe Farquharson
Account Supervisor: Group Account Director: paul Mcmillan
Production Company: PLAZA FILMS Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Director: Paul Middleditch
Producer: Executive Producer: Peter Masterton
Editor: Peter Whitmore / Jo McKenzie
Sound Design/Arrangement: Level Two Music And Electric Dreams
Music: Artist/Title: Sound Designer/Engineer: Cornel Wilczek

Brief Explanation:

Super slow motion vision accompanied by really important music has permeated every facet of television, thanks to sport, wildlife documentaries and high-brow advertisements. Which is why Carlton Draught decided it was the perfect time to turn this high precision camera on something a little less spectacular: Men in pubs

More Cannes Film winners:

http://www.adweek.com/cannes-lions-2011/worlds-best-commercials-2010-11-132944

Haha, love this little idea:

Describe the brief from the client:

For more than 40 years, Hot Wheels products have been a children´s favorite. Although extremely fun, tracks don´t have the immediacy and portability of playing as cars do. How to invite kids to play with Hot Wheels cars and tracks whenever, wherever?

Creative Execution:

The Track Tapes promotes the main values of the brand, such as fun, immediacy and portability by making the consumer experiment them by themselves. Better than saying that a brand is fun, is to make consumers have fun with it. With 0$ of media investment, the Track Tape became media by itself. Placed exactly where the target is by the own target. Besides, while the Track Tape remains placed where the children used the tape, it works as an outdoor ad, inviting other children to play with Hot Wheels cars, generating even more brand experiences and consume occasions.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We found that the best way to achieve this was not a campaign, but a product. We developed an economic and simple product: an adhesive tape that transforms every place into a Hot Wheels track. Packs with the HotWheels website were handed out to schools.

Describe the results in as much detail as possible.

We generated a unique brand experience with the target market, by creating a product that can transform every single place into a Hot Wheels track. It was such a success in terms of awareness, and consumer response, that Mattel decided to add the Track Tape to the Hot Wheels´ product portfolio. The case still in course, so the main results can not be shared yet. We are looking forward to publish the Track Tape complete results at the 2012 Effectiveness Lions.

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy, Mexico
Chief Creative Officer: José Montalvo
Executive Creative Director: Miguel Angel Ruiz Reyes
Creative Directors: Victor Alvarado, Fernando Carrera
Art Directors: Victor Alvarado, Fernando Carrera
Copywriters: Fernando Carrera, Victor Alvarado
Advertiser’s Supervisor: Giancarlo Melloni
Planner: Javier Macías
Account Manager: Alejandra Gómez
Account Supervisor: Pilar Troconis
Producer: Juan Pablo Osio

Woops: http://showcase.designinmainz.de/detail/de/18940/#info002

http://adsoftheworld.com/taxonomy/awards/cannes_lions_2011

http://www.canneslions.com/work/