Feb
25
Wetpaint
February 25, 2008 | elexp | Leave a Comment
URL:
http://anzmac2point0.wetpaint.com/
Feb
7
Ads of the week
February 7, 2008 | ads, advertising, copywriting, creativity | 3 Comments
Here are some recent ads from local agencies, make a comment about the ones you like or dislike and give your reasons why 
Feb
6
Writing the creative brief
February 6, 2008 | elexp | Leave a Comment
Here is a great article from Colin Wilson Brown and Ali Linz, first published in B&T 2002
Do you deserve effective advertising?
Colin Wilson-Brown & Ali Linz
THE issue of marketing and advertising effectiveness is increasingly under the corporate microscope.
At a recent marketing conference for a major publicly listed corporation, a senior manager suggested the industry should “change the name of marketing to something like ‘business development’ because the Board sees marketing as a soft target”.
His experience is by no means unique. Marketers and agencies have lost the position of respect and trust they once enjoyed.
The reason for this can be put down to one word: accountability. Or the lack of it.
There has been a preoccupation with the exciting and creative elements of marketing (image advertising, packaging design, sponsorship, focus groups, and so on) at the expense of accountability.
Fundamentally, this is plain lazy when it comes to matching performance with measurable objectives.
There has been much discussion generated on the topic, but with limited exception, proof of effectiveness in advertising has been put in the too hard, no fun basket.
Examining the evidence
Northwestern University professor SH Britt analysed 135 successful advertising campaigns created by 40 American advertising agencies.
The study revealed that in only 42 of the 135 campaigns (or 31%) was there evidence of success which directly related to the objectives set down at the outset.
Britt’s definition of an advertising objective is that advertising goals should indicate:
1. What basic message is to be delivered
2. To what audience
3. With what intended effect
4. What specific criteria are going to be used to measure the success of the campaign.
In his analysis of the 135 campaigns, he found that less than 1% met all four criteria.
The challenge is two-fold. What can your marketing department do to improve the likelihood of getting effective campaigns and how do you know if it was the campaign that brought about the success (or failure)?
Before the brief
Before you even write an advertising brief (and you should write one), you need to consider two things:
1. What is advertising’s role in the marketing and overall business objective? What role can it serve? What can’t it do?
2. How will you recognise if the campaign has been successful?
Writing the brief
Then when you sit down to write the advertising brief it should include:
1. The basic message and the reason to believe
2. The target audience
3. The intended effect
4. The measurement criteria, methodology and targets.
This may seem to be an obvious point. However, in Britt’s study less than 1% of the 135 campaigns analysed met all four criteria.
Advertising objectives
In our experience, working with many clients—large and small—the parts that are most often absent are the last two.
Too often advertising objectives are written without a clear understanding of how the advertising is expected to work.
Advertising objectives are often written as marketing objectives (launch the brand, increase market share, gain trial, and so on) which are of little use to the people writing the ad; not because they don’t understand this language, but because only some of the variables that affect these objectives are actually under their control.
Agencies can deliver campaigns that change people’s attitudes and predispositions and even make them seek out a brand or want it in spite of its price premium.
But they can’t make sure the product is on the right shelf in the nearest store.
“With what intended effect” requires a realistic understanding of how purchasing decisions are made in your category and the role that advertising plays, and an appreciation of the attitudes and behaviour towards your brand and the brand(s) from whom you intend to take share.
Advertising briefs frequently contain none of this.
Before they start work, agency creatives must understand how the prospective customer thinks and acts now, and how he or she should think and act as a result of the advertising campaign.
Then, everyone should have the chance to debate whether this change is realistic. For example, would your Mum be persuaded by this proposition and act accordingly?
Measuring success
This leads us to the last part of the brief—measurement criteria for success.
We have seldom seen any reference to this in a creative brief.
It should be mandatory.
Measurement criteria are not only essential for determining whether or not the campaign has succeeded, they also focus the mind on how the advertising is expected to work.
You should make sure there are metrics to measure not only the sales effect but also the effect the campaign has had on the brand’s image or reputation (brand equity).
Too often there is tracking in place, but it tracks “standard measures”, not the elements of your strategy.
If you cannot measure the outcome of your advertising campaign, either through lack of data or unaffordable cost of data, then perhaps you should reflect on whether it is worth running the campaign at all.
Why does a business spend money on advertising without knowing exactly what is supposed to be achieved by the advertising and how success or failure is to be determined?
Advertising effectiveness depends on what the advertising is expected to achieve. This depends on your view of how advertising works in your category.
Advertising objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed. That’s smart.
Colin Wilson-Brown and Ali Linz are principals of The Clinic for advertising effectiveness. Wilson-Brown is also the founder and chairman of the AFA Advertising Effectiveness Awards, while Linz has won Effectiveness Awards for McDonald’s and Sony. If you have questions you would like to ask or opinions you would like to share on this article, or any other related issues, email heads@clinic.net.au. It won’t hurt a bit.
18 July 2002
Jan
29
Reminder Information Night Tomorrow!
January 29, 2008 | elexp | Leave a Comment
6pm – 7pm TAFE Ultimo
Hope to see some new faces there!
Jan
2
UTS OPEN DAY TOMORROW
January 2, 2008 | advertising, E-Learning, e-marketing, elexp, marketing, Media, Uni | 1 Comment
If you want to start Uni ahead of the pack I’d recommend ocking up to the open days
Good Luck in 2008!
Dec
11
Enrolment Dates for 2008
December 11, 2007 | advertising, copywriting, creativity, direct marketing, E-Learning, e-marketing, elexp, marketing | 1 Comment
New Enrolments (new students)
Friday Feburary 1st, 12 – 7pm
Monday Feb 4th, 12-7pm
Re-enrolments (current students)
Tuesday February 5th 3pm – 6pm
Information Evening
Wednesday 30th January 6pm at the “Muse” building
Dec
10
Internet drives direct response
December 10, 2007 | advertising, digital media, direct marketing, E-Learning, e-marketing, elexp, marketing, Media | 1 Comment
Making the call on internet ad shift
Paul McIntyre Sydney Morning Herald on-line:
http://business.smh.com.au/making-the-call-on-internet-ad-shift/20071121-1c07.html
November 22, 2007
IT’S HARDLY the fancy end of TV advertising but even those usually annoying but unbelievably effective TV ads demanding viewers respond “now” to a “special offer” are being swept along in the online rush.
Two years ago Barry O’Brien, the chief executive of media buyer Total Advertising & Communications, started noticing a shift by TV viewers away from the phone to the internet when they were responding to direct-response TV ads.
It’s tempting to dismiss direct-response advertising until you realise how big it still is. O’Brien’s company generates upwards of 3 million consumer responses a year from very basic TV ads that are designed only to get people to pick up the phone or click the mouse, and buy. About 30 per cent of Total’s media-buying business is derived from direct-response advertisers such as TimeLife and Doubleday.
After analysing figures for 2005, O’Brien found 25 per cent of all his client TV advertising responses were coming via the internet rather than the phone. Last year the online response rate from TV ads had jumped to 40 per cent and for the second half of this year, he says it will be 50-60 per cent.
“It’s got some broad implications for direct-response advertisers and marketers looking at return-on-investment models,” O’Brien says. “Do you promote your URL in favour of a telephone number? It means more effort has to be applied to the functionality of brand websites and the size and scope of in-bound call centres.”
O’Brien also backs some recent research from
North America claiming 63 per cent of TV viewers are using the internet at the same time as watching the box.
“It’s a staggering figure but we’re seeing that sort of trend with the immediacy of the responses we’re getting,” O’Brien says. “The internet is actually re-energising direct-response TV. In the past you had to fill out a coupon and mail it or write down the phone number and generally you’d get a phone call the day after while they were at work. Today the responses are far more immediate and we’re seeing that particularly in the finance category.”
O’Brien says the internet is also opening up new opportunities for more direct-response ads on radio because people can remember website names far easier than phone numbers. “It’s bringing radio into the loop.” Although the death of the phone number, he says, is a long way off.
Although Total is at the hard end of direct-response advertising, there are some new attempts to modernise aspects of this type of advertising for the “digerati”.
David Droga’s Droga5 and French group Publicis recently launched a trial of their HoneyShed.com joint venture in the
US. It is essentially an attempt to poke fun at home TV shopping while still getting you to do it – online.
It’s an interesting attempt to make direct-response advertising entertaining and funny via broadband and there are many industry eyes watching to see if it will work.
If it doesn’t, they might want to open Barry O’Brien’s box of tricks.
Nov
28
More Jobs
November 28, 2007 | advertising, copywriting, creativity, Jobs | Leave a Comment
WERX Creative Recruiting
Advertising
2 x Account Executives | Neg
Have a couple of clients looking for Account Executives. Ideally someone with some experience in an agency or design studio. However, will look at a Marketing/Media Graduate. Willing to train in this case. Please forward resume if you think this is for you.Location: NSW Contact: Wendy@werx Ph: 0418297973
WERX Creative Recruiting
Address: 8 Hipwood Street Kirribilli NSW 2061
Telephone: 02 8904 9758
Facsimile: 02 9956 8525
Email: rex@werx.net.au
Website: http://www.werx.net.au
Nov
28
Jobs!!!!!
November 28, 2007 | advertising, copywriting, creativity, elexp, Jobs, Media | Leave a Comment
Here are a few jobs going:
1. Media Jobs at OMD
from Steve Keating:
I have a large number of positions that urgently require filling at OMD Media.
Students that have previously applied for previous positions are encouraged to re-apply.
Please attach a CV and name the document (your name CV).doc eg Steve Keating CV.doc
Attachments that are named cv .doc or resume.doc will not be considered.
I have promised Carolyn that I shall be sending these through by 3pm Thursday so late applications will not be considered.
Students should be prepared for an interview and I suggest that they become familiar with the following;
Major media vehicles for each of the major metro regions ie; Students should know that ‘The Advertiser’ is the major metro newspaper for Adelaide etc.
Please forward the CV’s to stephen.keating@tafensw.edu.au
Nov
16
Why your web-page title is important
November 16, 2007 | advertising, copywriting, creativity, digital media, direct marketing, E-Learning, e-marketing, elexp, marketing, web | Leave a Comment
by Simon Hillier
Want to know the easy way to attract search engines and drag readers away from your competition? Spend some quality time with the most neglected member of the web copywriting family – your page title.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Those page titles should count themselves lucky. And who can blame you? All these web copywriting tips articles are worse than moving back home with your parents. There’s mum nagging into one ear, “Did you include a catchy headline? Where are your subheads? Don’t forget your keywords!” while dad just keeps reminding you, “If you don’t build those incoming links, you’ll never get a decent search engines ranking.”
It’s enough to make anyone run to their room, turn up the stereo, and try to forget they ever heard the term search friendly web copy. But before you hang that “Do not disturb” sign on your door, there’s something we really need to talk about – how and why you should write better page titles.
What is a page title?
The page title is located at the very top of your screen in the blue bar above the address bar and menus. Depending on the browser you are using it will usually display the name of the website or web page that you are on, followed by “Windows Internet Explorer” or “Mozilla Firefox”,
One of the reasons that people forget about page titles is because they are added into the page code, rather than onto the page itself. Which means the job of writing title copy is usually handed over to the web designer. If the designer isn’t a search engine optimisation expert, or hasn’t been briefed to write the title copy, titles are usually left to their own devises and look something like:
Websitename.com – Windows Internet Explorer
or at best
The Widget Store – Windows Internet Explorer
In this state they are little more than a band of alphabetical castaways, stranded in a deep blue sea of pixels – dull, unfulfilling and meaningless to all but those who own the website.
Yes it’s a sad tale, but one that sinks into tragedy of ancient Greek proportions when you realise the overlooked potential of well-crafted title copy.
Why should we write effective page titles?
- Titles are used as the heading for your site listing in search engines.
- They influence search engine rankings. Greater relevance, higher ranking
- People dismiss search engine listings with titles unrelated to their search.
- A relevant title draws search engine surfers to your site.
- When someone adds your page as a favourite, they can easily find you later
- The title is stored in your visitors History
- Other sites often use titles as the text link copy to your page. Search engines place high importance on relevant text links.
- RSS generators use page titles to create headlines
Once you realise just how hard page titles work to help attract search engines and site visitors, is it any wonder they see themselves as the Jan Brady of online copywriting, constantly living in the shadow of their flashier, prettier or cuter siblings such as headlines, subheads and hyperlinks?
Here are some tips to help you bring the best out in your page titles.
Copywriting tips for page titles that work
- Keep your title to no more than 60 – 65 characters
- Make the description clear and in plain English.
- Write a unique keyword focused title for each page
- Don’t use ‘clever’ or teaser titles that don’t explain what the page is about
- Put you keywords to the front.
- Don’t use your keyword more than 3 times
- Make your title a call to action or benefit for the reader
- Omit unnecessary words. Instead of “Are You Looking For A Cheap Place To Buy Widgets?” write “Looking For Cheap Widgets?”
So next time you are writing copy for your website or blog, by all means play with those boistrous headlines and subheads, pander to those pretty paragraphs, keywords, and hyperlinks, and make your bullet points look as cute as a button. Just don’t forget there is a page title looking down from the bedroom window, wondering if you are ever going to really appreciate its many hidden talents.
Give page titles the encouragement and attention they deserve, and you’ll be amazed at what they can do for your web writing objectives.”
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