EOC Week 11: Evaluation

Overall, fundamentals of advertising has been my favorite class to come to. That sounds like I’m sucking up, but I’m just being honest. As of right now, this is the only class that completely corresponds with my major. Thankfully, I’ve had the opportunity to learn all about older advertising campaigns and what works and what doesn’t for them. Through this process, I feel that I have gained a better insight into what elements should be expected in a campaign. I obviously don’t have the skills necessary to enter and be successful in the advertising world today, but it is a world I would love to become a part of, and I know that the basic tools I have learned in this class will help me achieve this goal.

The professor, Frank Pinto, has made this experience even more enjoyable for me in that his teaching style is different from any that I’ve seen before. He’s harsh, at times, giving you his full opinion, and not sugar coating anything at all. This characteristic made me so frustrated at times, but helped me in the long run, allowing me to see what mistakes I was making with whatever project I was working on at the time.

As far as my progress in this class, I feel that I’ve come a long way from where I started. I am now able to identify different types of advertising techniques, and am better able to understand why things are done a certain way. After taking this class, I am now even more sure that this is an industry I want to be apart of. It may not be the most glamorous one, and I know there will be a lot of hard work along the way, but I’m willing to do it, and hope that with the knowledge I’ve gained, I will be as successful as some of the advertisers we’ve studied. 

Degree Men's Deodorant: Analysis of Project in the Real World

As of right now, my advertisement itself has been receiving mixed reviews. People either love it, or hate it, but unless I were to, I don’t know, place puppies and the American flag in my image, not everyone is guaranteed to be pleased with it. After further explaining my ad, and showing off my campaign in its entirety, some people changed their minds, agreeing that the concept was strong, even if not depicted in a way they had in mind. When I created this campaign, I wanted it to be largely image- driven, because “Image-driven compositions emphasize image and de-emphasize type. The image becomes the “hero”, (Landa, Advertising by Design, 155). Having my image be the main focus means that the communication between the viewer and myself would be much quicker than if I chose to have a tiny picture with a paragraph written underneath.

Of course, I couldn’t have my entire ad being only images. I had to have some explanation for why you’re seeing Degree deodorant being thrust towards you. I needed a line to further engage my audience. According to Robin Landa, author of Advertising by Design, “visual-verbal synergy happens when the headline and the main image work together to communicate the meaning,”. I spent countless hours trying to make sure that I could achieve this concept in such a way that my ad is easily understandable as well as captivating to my audience. When I was confirming my beliefs that this was accomplished, I was able to see that “the ad idea is expressively communicated to an audience through the visual design and cooperative action between design and copy...,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 74). This allowed me to finally be comfortable enough with my campaign to feel like I was finished.

I may not be a professional advertiser yet, but I think various aspects of this campaign could be successful in the real world. Asking my friends and family for their opinions on the ad only furthered this idea. If I ever gain the courage, I will take my ad out and see what complete strangers think of my work. Unfortunately, I wasn’t brave enough yet, so, for now, my advertising will have to remain here in the virtual world.

Degree Men's Deodorant: Creative Content

For some reason, this part of the project seemed to come so easily. It had me wondering if I was missing something, or doing something wrong the whole time, but once I was able to get over those inane fears, I realized that there was no reason to worry. This was easy because I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and for once, I knew how to do it. I needed to make Degree relatable to men. With some help, I took my campaign to men in a mall, figuring this time of year, there should be plenty of them around, and used a form of marketing to get the brand out there that Robin Landa, author of Advertising by Design describes as “unconventional or guerrilla media (advertising in unpaid media that ambushes people in public or private environments).”  Of course, Degree is already a well-known brand, but if it hadn’t have been, this tactic would’ve been my strongest point. My models and I walked around in search of the typical man that could understand why Degree deodorant is important. “In marketing, participation turns viewers into partakers, into users, where they take an active role in the marketing message, which is good for everybody; it makes the message stick, it engages the user, it gives the user some control and a vested interest,”(Landa, Advertising by Design, 110). By being able to grab their attention, I was better able to promote Degree, as well as be able to involve the product users.

“People are engaged by compelling narratives. If a brand or group has a story to tell, then it will be more dimensional. Through the branding, advertising, and every point of contact, people learn the brand story,”(Landa, Advertising by Design, 56). The brand story I’ve created is that no matter what a man chooses to do with his day, he should feel prepared for anything. Whether he chooses to climb a mountain, or let’s say, spend the day in a crowded mall, he will still be ready for whatever the day throws at him.  While promoting this idea, I was challenged with the idea that Degree was in need of a brand image. To solve this, I created the Degree men. They are the antithesis of your everyday, average Joe, and are perfect for representing this product, which is the sole reason I picked them, and used their images repeatedly within this campaign. “To put a friendly or trustworthy face on a faceless brand, group, or corporation, brand icons or fictional characters are used. A brand icon is a recurring character used to represent a brand or group, (Landa, Advertising by Design, 114). By creating my brand icons, I was able to get the message out there in a different way. Holding a promotional event was a great way to engage users, and accrue new ones. I think the campaign would really be effective by holding one every season to show that Degree is a product best used in every circumstance. Of course, the Degree men would be there showing everyone just how versatile this product really is.   

Degree Men's Deodorant: Promotion

“Stories are a way for people to communicate and relate. In the course of a day, each of us tells stories to connect with others, to work things out, as a way of explaining what happened or what we are thinking and feeling,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 41). Through the course of this project, I had one main story in mind. It may have changed a few times, but I had the basic idea of what I wanted to say, and how I wanted to say it. The story of this ad campaign is that no matter what guys choose to do with their day, Degree will keep them fresh and prepared for anything. It’s a powerful product that could affect every little detail.

I chose to use my photography background during this part of the project because it was something that came very natural to me. Don’t get me wrong, I did have some help with the editing, and I am very thankful for that added inspiration. Without it, I couldn’t see my ad as being as impressive as it is now. This was the one part of the project I was so sure on, and yet, somehow, my ideas changed, or maybe grew is a better way of phrasing that. According to Robin Landa, author of Advertising by Design, “Some people think in words…Others think in images. Still others are switch hitters. It really does not matter which comes first, as long as both line and visual work synergistically and are based on a solid idea,”. For the majority of the time, I was thinking only in images, knowing what exactly I wanted to create, and letting the rest fall into place. The copy came somewhere in the beginning, giving me the added jump I needed to better place my ideas. The slogan Prepared for Anything fits with my images in that the men in the picture are doing activities on opposite sides of the spectrum, from something seeming so energetic, to something not quite so back breaking, but still sweat inducing, which fit perfectly with a deodorant advertisement.

During this process, I also had to find some way to make Degree deodorant relatable. I had to create a way for this product to find a way into men’s hearts, because if not, it turns into just another deodorant. “Before advertising comes a core branding idea—the idea that imbues a brand or group with character that differentiates it and builds a relationship with the audience,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 50). To ‘brand’ Degree, I created the Degree men who can be seen in multiple aspects of my ad layout, as seen above.

Degree Men's Deodorant: The Big Idea

From day one, I’ve had it in my head that my campaign has to be bigger and better than any other deodorant ad. Easily done, right? Uh. Sure. If you’re my professor or I don’t know, Jeff Manning. But since I’m not, this campaign was a little harder for me. I spent weeks, longer than I should have, trying to come up with my big idea, which is fine. Coming up with the idea is the hard part, and with that out of the way, everything seemed to flow smoothly. I was even able to come up more, smaller ideas that coincided with the main one. “Carried through any campaign, there must be a distinct core idea, an underlying central concept or related ideas—one could call it a theme (a distinct recurring, unifying idea) or story”, (Landa, Advertising by Design,192).  The underlying theme for my campaign is that Degree men’s deodorant will keep a man prepared for anything. Of course, this idea didn’t come right away. The reason it took me so long to come up with it is because I kept switching back and forth between that and doing something else completely, which, thankfully, according to Robin Landa, author of Advertising by Design, is normal; “and because design is an iterative process, many of us work, going back and forth—thinking, sketching, rethinking, and so on,”.

Once my big idea was decided upon, I now had to go through the daunting task of figuring out what to do with it. Robin Landa had a few ideas on how to help me, “To best determine a creative approach you could ask a few questions: Does this audience prefer to read or look at pictures? Are the words interesting enough for people to read them? Is the visual compelling enough to stop people, to grab their attention?”. From this point on, I worked backwards, knowing exactly what I wanted to show, but not entirely sure on its relation to my idea. I figured out what images I wanted to use, and how to create them. “Since people do not spend much more than a few seconds glancing at an ad, the principle of visual hierarchy creates order and coherence, facilitating rapid message communication,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 162). When men see my ad, I want them to be able to relate to the image as well as the text, and think, “Hey that’s how I am!”. When women see my ad, I want them to think, “Hey that’s how my boyfriend is! He’d rather play video games than climb a mountain. He’s not the only one!”. Yes, my ad is meant to be comical and fun, as well as informative. That’s why my ad campaign is going to be different. It will appeal to both men and women on a whole new level.

Degree Men's Deodorant: Competitive Analysis

“Learning about your client's business (general industry or sector and particular business, product, service, or organization) is paramount. Being a creative professional in advertising necessitates learning about each product, service, or cause under assignment,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 16). Because I want to be an advertiser one day, this is a tactic that I will need to use constantly. Being able to point out what was done effectively, and not as well in a competitor’s advertisements could make or break your campaign. Knowing what worked well and what didn’t is important when trying to engage your key audience.

In my case, my product is Degree men’s deodorant, and my audience is well, men. I am obviously not a man, and had to do some research about men and what it is exactly that they want or need with one of the most important parts of their personal hygiene care. I had to study men, which was fun, I might add; I had to essentially be a man, and I am now able to empathize with the opposite sex. According to Robin Landa, author of Advertising by Design, “finding a relevant insight into how people think, what they need or desire, and how they act, termed a consumer insight, is paramount for idea generation,”.  It is with this idea in mind that I was able to come up with the inspiration for doing something different from any other men’s deodorant ad. Most ads target only one sex. Well, mine is going to be appealing towards both men and women.

When evaluating my competition, I was able to see what specific points different companies used. Ad campaigns ranged from showing how well their product worked under pressure to how fresh men were able to stay to impress women. My ad will use bits and pieces of each of these techniques to combine in something completely different. I’m hoping that my targeted audience, everyone, will find my ad entertaining as well as informative about my product. “A critical component is learning about the audience—the targeted,specified group of people at whom you are aiming your message, design, and solution,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 16). Men and women may seem to want different things, but there are those rare times when they can agree to the same concept. With any luck, they will find my ad relatable.

Degree Men's Deodorant: Prepared for Anything

“For such advertising to affect you, it has to seem relevant to you, and it has to be presented through media channels that willreach you,” (Landa, Advertising by Design, 3). It is with this idea in mind that I chose Prepared for Anything as my slogan for Degree men’s deodorant. Men can be very complex creatures, but for the most part, they usually have one thing on mind. That one thing can lead them to different extremes, changing who they are, but who wants them to change, and why should they? Men shouldn’t change who they are; they should, however, feel fresh and confident with whatever challenge they take on. That’s where Degree steps in.

No matter who he is, a man wants to be able to be at his very peak, whether this peak involves climbing mountains or playing video games. He wants to feel Prepared for Anything. That’s why this slogan has such a huge impact within this campaign and for the deodorant itself. “Ads promote,remind, endear, inform, and call people to action. Besides effectively calling people to action, what makes a campaign effective is a matter of opinion,” (Landa,Advertising by Design, 192). When men take the time to actually look at a deodorant advertisement, they are usually considering switching brands. Something in the product they are currently using just isn’t doing it for them, and they need to find something better. Prepared for Anything is the slogan that will convince men Degree is that something better.

When I was trying to come up with a slogan for Degree men’s deodorant, I asked my fiancé what he looks for when buying a deodorant. He said that he really wanted something that wouldn’t be too overpowering, or too under-powering. Most important is that the product has to make him feel fresh. There are certain qualities and aspects that lead men to make that defining purchase. By studying the opposite sex, I’ve been able to gain an insight into what exactly is important to them, and according to Advertising by Design by Robin Landa, “seeing a situation, brand, organization, product, service, or behavior from adifferent perspective (reversal) can help stimulate ideas,”.  With this campaign, I want men to use Degree deodorant and feel Prepared for Anything.

EOC Week 10: What Makes A Great Advertisement?

What is it exactly that makes a great advertisement? Who defines what a great advertisement is? Is it the campaign creator or advisors? Well, who cares what they think anyway? The answer to all of the above is us; people as a whole.  We, the people, and no, I’m not going to start quoting The Constitution, although the writers of that were on to something with that whole unity thing, are the ones who judge an advertisement for what it is. We are able to see and define a product based on its ad alone. We are the ones that make it important. We see the ad, test the product, and when that’s all over, decide to buy or not buy the product based on our research. We do this everyday, so of course that’s why advertisers are the ones coming after us. They almost chase us down with whatever information they have about the next big thing they have. “From engaging in public service to choosing goods and services, advertising calls people to action.” It is with this idea that a great advertisement is born.

The most memorable advertisements out there were created with the above notion in mind. The people. They are the ones that could easily make or break a product before it has really been put out onto the market. Of course they should care what we think! In an interview for the Advertising Educational Foundation, Jeff Manning, creator of the Got Milk? campaign said that "At my request, we tried to pursue advertising that took us to a different place. Not strategically, but executionally,". This thought is perhaps what has made the campaign so successful, and able to last through different generations. Manning saw that the current way of advertising, merely selling products to people, wasn’t working. They had to sell the idea of a product, and that’s exactly what they did. They branded milk. “Not only does branding identify and distinguish, it builds equity”. Great advertisements are able to do just that.