Note From Tongal: “Six Traits of Effective Ads” is part of a series of Tongal Community-written blog posts that were originally sourced in the Tongal Blog Open Call Project. Read more Tongal Community-written posts here and then Pitch us a topic you'd like to write about for the Tongal Blog!
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'89% of highly evaluated advertisements can be explained by six creativity templates' according to Goldenburg, Mazursky, and Solomon in their research study, The Fundamental Templates of Quality Ads[1]. In this instance, a ‘template’ is an outline for a commercial and the authors define six different templates with several sub-categories.
The researchers found that even if people see multiple ads that are based on the same template, the perceived originality remains high. Furthermore, training people in the use of these templates improves their ability to generate higher quality ads when it comes to brand attitude, brand recall, humor, and creativity. [Ed. Note: That means if you study closely, you should be on the road to creating stronger submissions on Tongal!]
In this article, I will give a summary of their findings, and explain the six templates with the help of some real-life advertisements.
1. Pictoral Analogies
Ads that use the pictorial analogy replace a symbol of the product with a symbol of the value it wants to represent. In the example below, teeth are replaced by helmets to represent the value of protection.
(Photo credit: Sensodyne)
2. Extreme Situations
In the extreme situation template, unrealistic situations are shown so that key attributes of the product can be used to save the day. The main message here is that it is not necessary to buy the product, but the alternatives are absurd.
In the clip below, the message is that you can bark at the burglars to be safe, or you can just buy their lock.
3. Consequences
The next template is based on consequences. This can either be an illustration of the extreme consequences of using the product or consequences of not using the product.
This vacuum commercial is an example of the former, where the suction power is slightly exaggerated.
And here is an example of an ad where the message hinges on what will happen if you don't take an action.
4. Competition
The fourth blueprint for creating creative ads uses some sort of competition. The competition is usually between a product and an object from a different class you wouldn't expect. The competition can be about the attribute, about the worth of the product, or it can show an uncommon use of the product.
Here, a car is competing with Cristiano Ronaldo on the attribute of ‘speed’.
Let’s take a look at another example of this creative template where the competition centers on ‘value’. The main message here is that time with your children is more valuable than time spent watching television.
Finally, advertisers can use the uncommon use variant version of this template, which sets up the product to compete with another object to emphasize a key attribute, like in the first example. However, the difference is that this time the product is used in a way you would not expect it to be used. Whereas in the first example the car is used to drive fast, in this example, jeans are used to tow a car.
5. Interactive Experiments
The fifth template is an interactive experiment. This idea is different from the other five in the sense that the customer is invited to participate. In the example below, the ad was printed “upside down” to show a beer belly. Then, when the consumer flips the page to read the Men’s Health logo correctly, the picture reveals muscular pectorals instead.
(Photo credit: Men’s Health)
6. Dimensionality Alterations
The final template is the dimensionality alteration, where the environment is manipulated in order to show a key attribute of the product. This can be done by connecting two parameters that aren't usually connected, illustrated in this commercial:
The size of the screen (parameter 1) is highlighted by connecting it to the distance between the actors (parameter 2).
Using the multiplication version of this template requires the marketer to multiply an aspect of the messaging to heighten its impact. In this road safety campaign, the photos feature 23 identical children playing in the street to highlight the fact that you are 23 times more likely to cause an accident when you are driving.
The next example uses division to make a similar point. A car is broken down into individual parts to illustrate the intuitiveness of the product despite its complexity.
The last example manipulates time to show that people have been eating this brand of bread for over a hundred years.
Common among all of these templates is that they are very simple in their approach, always highlighting one key attribute of the product. This attribute is then blown out of proportion to create an unexpected, creative, or funny effect. According to the authors, not only can we explain effective commercials with these templates, but knowing how to use them will help us to come up with ideas that are funny, creative, and effective in terms of brand recognition and brand attitude.
[1] Goldenberg, J., Mazursky, D., Solomon, S.,1999, The Fundamental Templates of Quality Ads, Marketing Science, Vol. 18, No.3, Special Issue on Managerial Decision Making, pp. 333-351
