Advertisement Copy: Classification, Qualities and Elements

Introduction

Text of a print, radio, or television advertising message that aims at catching and holding the interest of the prospective buyer, and at persuading him or her to make a purchase all within a few short seconds. The headline of an advertising copy is said to be the most important part, and quite often a small change in its wording brings disproportionate results. Although a short advertising copy is more common in consumer-product advertising, according to the UK advertising guru David Ogilvy (1911-1999) people do read (and listen or attend to) lengthy advertisements if they are skillfully written.

Most advertising copy is based on advertising/consumer research and is composed by professional copywriters hired by advertising agencies, also called advertisement copy, ad copy, or just copy.

Advertising copy must arrest, inform, impress and impel the reader.

A well defined advertising copy must perform the following functions:

(a) Attract Attention

(b) Command Interest

 (c) Create Desire

(d) Inspire Conviction

(e) Provoke Action.

An advertising copy may be classified as under:

1. Educational Copy:

It aims at educating the public, regarding the use of a product. Such an advertisement copy depicts the specialties of the product, in contrast to the existing ones. People keep certain habits which cannot be easily changed. Demand can be created when such habits are changed. This type of copy introduces new habits and attracts people towards the product.

2. Competitive Copy:

It aims at putting forth the special features of a product. It promotes to differ one brand from competitors’ brands. It meets the challenge of the competitors.

3. Institutional Copy:

It sells not the products of the institution but the name of the institution. Also known as PRESTIGE or CORPORATE advertising, this is the type of advertisement used to present the company’s image. When a pharmaceutical firm takes space it describes its research skills, its contribution to society etc. The copy aims to develop and maintain a good-will for the product that the product comes from a reputed house.

Example:

4. MISSIONARY COPY  aims at propaganda for the product.

5. PIONEERING COPY aims at educating the public.

6. GOODWILL COPY is one which does not try to sell a product but aims to sell the public some idea on the firm in general, on the quality of its product, its utility, etc.

7. SELLING COPY is used by the mail-order house to effect a sale by mail, or by the manufacturer who sells through retailers, to persuade the buyer to call for his brand at the retail store. It is used by the retailer to make an immediate sales of the goods, which he may have to stock.

8. REASON WHY COPY itself is clear as to its meaning. It explains the reasons to readers- why the advertised product is to be purchased. It aims at answering the questions raised about a product as to why, how and when the product is to be purchased.

9. HUMAN INTEREST COPY  makes its appeal to the emotions and the senses, rather than to the intellect and judgment. It may be of many forms: Fear Copy, Humorous Copy, Story Copy etc. The examples and statements of these copies are funny and readers smile or laugh. It affects the heart rather than the mind.

10. SUGGESTIVE COPY directly or indirectly conveys the message, which leads to sales.

11. EXPOSITORY COPY is not to conceal but to expose the facts as they are clear and concise ideas are given. It explains the construction, uses, merits, operation and superiority of advertised articles.

12. DESCRIPTIVE COPY conveys the ideas in words or pictures so as to impress the readers’ mind and thus act upon it.

13. ARGUMENTATIVE COPY is a message supported by facts.

Qualities of a Good Advertisement Copy:

An effective advertisement copy must have certain qualities which make it the best one. They are:

1. It Must Be Simple:

It must be simple and easy to understand. A copy writer must use short, simple, understandable words and sentences. The words or sentences used must be remembered by intelligent persons and non-intelligent persons. It must make people to see it, i.e., it should arrest their attention.

2. It Must Be Informative:

The copy must give the information which the reader wants to know about the products, in order to buy. Hence it must give the real fact. The information must be natural and straightforward. It must make people read it, i.e., people should be informed.

3. It Must Be Concise and Complete:

The copy must be complete and brief. If it is incomplete, it fails. Brevity is essential (condensation). Completeness should never be sacrificed for brevity. It must make people to understand it.

4. It Must Be Enthusiastic:

Salesman’s talk in the written form is the copy. The copy must tell the reader what the product or merchandise will do for him.

5. It Must Be Honest:

It must be honest and truthful towards the public. If the copy is untrue, then the confidence and the value of publicity go down. The public should not be cheated. The public, who are the final users of the products, are the witness of the product quality.

If inferior products are sold through false advertising, they have a short life. If the firm is hiding the facts, not exposing the real position, the product tells its own weakness to the users. If the advertisement is not honest, then the products will disappear from market and the firm will be closed down within a short span of time.

6. It Creates An Urge:

It must reveal unknown or unseen features of the products. The public should be informed about the product’s use and merits by the advertiser. It must create a goodwill in the minds of the public. Its aim must be to trust the firm and its products. It should have an effective salesmanship in absentia.

A Good Advertisement Copy:

1. It must make people to see it.

2. It must make people to read it.

3. It must make people to understand it.

4. It must make people to believe it.

5. It must make people to buy the product.

Elements of an Advertisement Copy:

There are certain principles, which an advertisement should have. That is it must aim to arrest, inform, impress and urge the readers to act on the advertisement.

The elements are known as values and they are:

1. Attention Value:

People are busy. They find time rarely. Almost all the people, who are able to make a purchase, do not have enough time. Under such situations, the advertisement must be able to attract the attention of readers, at a glance. There must be some specialty in the advertisement.

To make it more attractive, we may adopt the following devices:

(a) Pictures and drawings should have a direct bearing on the product.

(b) The headline must be good with a proper border.

(c) It must have a pleasing colourful presentation.

(d) It should not be congested i.e., there must be enough inter-space.

(e) The slogans must be lively.

(f) The coupons must be part of the advertisement.

By filling the coupons the needy customer must be able to get full information and thereby it becomes repeated advertisement to the seller.

2. Suggestive Value:

The message advertised should have some suggestive and useful value to those who go through the advertisement. The words or pictures in the advertisement should have commanding power on the readers. Repetition has good effect. When one comes across the advertisement every time, he begins to consider the product.

3. Conviction Value:

To be more effective, the statements in the advertisement must be genuine and accurate. Misrepresentation or exaggerative words must be avoided. Simple and plain facts have more effect on the readers to convince them than colourful or flattering wordings.

4. Sentimental Value:

The sentimental feelings or the prejudiced attitude of the reader should not be affected by the advertiser; but rather, they must be respected. The likes and dislikes, habits and customs etc., of the readers may be highly considered. It must appear that the advertiser is doing it for the readers.

5. Educative Value:

When products are manufactured for the first time, it is the duty of the producer, through advertisements, to draw the attention of the people and to tell them the use, merits, ingredients, special features etc., of the products. All people are alike, but their behaviour is different.

When the advertisement is able to change their habits and mould the tendency to use the products, the market for the products increases. People must have a feeling to see the advertisement through bearing eyes. It gives new information, suggestion and knowledge to people and directs them to go for the product.

6. Memorizing Value:

Advertisement must create a good impression on the reader’s mind. Slogan, if it is good to read and charming to hear, has good memorizing value. Repeating the advertisement often, through attractive brand name and catchy wordy slogans, may have a memorizing value in the minds of the readers.

7. Instinctive Value:

The advertiser must have a well-thought out plan to make a copy to be advertised. The matter or message must be arranged in such a way that the reader is able to understand and act on the message. The presentation is brief with questions tempting or compelling the people to act on. We can come across, an inducement, an aroused feeling, a temptation, an inclination etc., in such advertisements.