http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=123247
Published: January 22, 2008 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — As magazine publishers are being asked to prove that the advertising in their titles actually drives sales, little analysis has been given to whether the creative executions of those ads are working. Ads must not only target consumers, but also persuade them to move closer to a purchase decision.
Image, per se, can often be enough to promote the start of a sale. But brand/product image is not built with pretty pictures or attitude alone; over time it’s built on a brand’s perceived superior performance. And in today’s competitive marketplace, image and price often are the only real separating factors. So if you don’t have a perceivable differentiating benefit, you better work really hard on image.
About the purpose of copy referring to a Korean Air ad:
Copy’s job is to focus the target market on the brand’s positioning and benefits (again). It’s important to avoid talking about how great you are (patting-oneself-on-the-back syndrome) but rather how great the brand is for the consumer. To support “We provide only the best quality and services whether it be on-ground or in-air,” show me or tell me how. Give me some permission-to-believe rationale for the claims. Just saying it does not make it so.
pretty good article…
