Getting attention is part of the job. Showing people something to want is the rest.
An idea needs to make the product interesting and make it desirable. That balance takes some judgement.
As an example, let’s take my recent speculative advertising submission to create a poster promoting teeth whitening (shown above).
[Disclaimer: Not saying mine’s the best answer, just sharing how I got there.]
I explored brightness symbols, dazzling smiles, torch-like mouths and lines around “brilliant” and “white Christmas”. All understandable connections with plenty of room for a visual joke.
But I kept coming back to what the audience would actually want from the treatment: a great-looking smile. I wanted beautifully white teeth that still looked believable, on someone enjoying an everyday moment; a moment the audience could picture themselves in.
The headline could do the playful bit. “Hi, every one all white?”
A familiar greeting, slightly altered. “Every one” referring to each tooth. The street setting gives her a reason to say it, while the speech pointer also draws your eye towards her smile.
The words give you something to work out. The image shows you something to want.
It’s easy to become attached to an interesting connection or a visual metaphor. I certainly do. But recognising the connection is only part of what we’re asking the audience to do.
They also need to recognise something relevant to their own life, and see why the product might be worth considering.
So when reviewing an idea, I try to look beyond “will they get it?” Once they’ve got it, will they want it?
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