1 
0 
Searching for what makes an ad successful will most likely yield results similar to searching for what gets you to your ideal weight; there’s plenty of stating the obvious and advice directed at someone who’s never read about the topic.
You’ll find the expected 11 tips, 7 steps, and 5 rules, for sure, but you’ll not walk away any better informed. Those offering the advice are not idiots of course; they are just keen on being readable; a tact that nowadays translates into not giving an opinion. So, you end up reading “avoid doing so and so” and reading “however, so and so sometimes works best.”
If you are an advertiser, you probably are aware of most of what such articles include: well-crafted design, kick-ass headline, well-written copy, attractive images, focused messaging, good placement, etc. And should you, like many advertisers surprisingly do, decide to override these basics, then you shouldn’t dwell too much on why your ads suck.
The obvious aside, and I’ll risk an opinion here, what I think should be added to the long list of dos and don’ts is that you don’t have to advertise all the time. Don’t be so shocked now. I don’t mean skip all meals or have an apple for lunch. All that I am saying is “choose your meals.” What weighs down your advertising is all that snacking between meals.
Creativity in finding solutions to business challenges does not always mean advertising; the answer may lay in PR, new business ideas, revisiting a process, or refining a product.
In the best tradition of all the advice out there, here are my 3 tips:
- Advertise only when you have something of significance to say (new product, big discount, etc.). “Hey, I still have some of that cheese you liked” doesn’t count as a must share.
- Take your time in crafting your ad. Don’t stress over deadlines; your audience won’t go hungry without consuming another piece of content before dinner.
- Measure the final output by how well it delivers the message and not by how “out of the box” it is; garnish does not make the recipe.
Let your ad be a memorable sumptuous meal: right on time, well-cooked, filling, and easily digestible. Bon Appétit!
