OPINION: Is it better to be creative, or better to be persuasive?

<p>David Abbott was quoted in the October 27 edition of MEDIA as </p><p>saying it is up to the creative team "to say what has to be said like it </p><p>has never been said before", particularly in light of the fact that most </p><p>brands have nothing new to say to consumers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So, what does the research evidence show? Is creativity enough? </p><p>Shouldn't I be persuasive, and creativity is just icing on the cake? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ad agencies hate most copy testing procedures, and perhaps with good </p><p>reason. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>One of the most commonly used techniques, originating in the United </p><p>States, is the pre-post persuasion measure. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Here, respondents are asked to indicate which products they would choose </p><p>if they were the winner of a prize draw - they do this before and after </p><p>they are exposed to a clutter reel of ads which contain the client's </p><p>ad. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The percentage who choose the client's brand after exposure to the ad </p><p>minus the percentage who choose the client's brand before exposure to </p><p>the ad equals the persuasive power of the ad. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In terms of the ability of this technique to predict short term sales </p><p>effects, it is quite good as it turns out. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The validation data we have seen shows that the correlation between </p><p>predicted sales increases from the copy test and in market (short term) </p><p>sales is high. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Many advertisers in the States are happy with this result because they </p><p>believe, in error I might add, that persuasion is the measure for sales </p><p>effectiveness. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Given the "direct product sell" advertising in the US and the focus on </p><p>new news, this is perhaps not surprising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, the technique ignores one critical fact; there are significant </p><p>long term sales effects that our modelling shows can account for between </p><p>two to five times the effect of short term sales effects. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Suddenly, unprofitable advertising can look very profitable if you use </p><p>the right measure. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So where did these longer term sales effects come from? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Creative or persuasive advertising? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ads that generate the largest sales are memorable, communicate one (or </p><p>maximum of two) key messages, and immediately persuade. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Nice in theory, but for over 80 per cent of brands there is going to be </p><p>nothing at the strategic heart of the brand that is innovative. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Fortunately, our 25 years of Link copy testing and tracking tells us </p><p>that highly memorable advertising which communicates well (whether a </p><p>rational or emotional message) is enough to maintain long term sales of </p><p>a brand and generate a financial return easily sufficient to cover the </p><p>cost of advertising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>What gives us cut-through, visibility or stand-out, the first ingredient </p><p>of successful advertising? Being remembered. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Your agency may use animals, children, relationships, slice of life, </p><p>star endorsement, even humour to deliver this. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Whatever is used, all the best ads we have tested share a common </p><p>characteristic; the brand is at the heart of the ad. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>When copy test findings are delivered to clients and agencies which is </p><p>bad news, it often revolves around two key issues; the ad is not </p><p>enjoyable or involving enough, or what is enjoyable and involving is not </p><p>linked to the brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Branding does not mean repeating the brand name and showing packs. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A good test to use is this; if you can take out your brand and stick in </p><p>a competitor's and the ad still works, you probably have a problem. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The best ads we have tested are also elegantly simple (although this </p><p>still can mean there is a lot going on in the ad as long as there is </p><p>clarity of purpose that the consumer can perceive). </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Better ads also tend to have a degree of pace about them, a momentum </p><p>that carries the viewer through. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Communication is not as easy as we might think. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>We have already learned that many ads that fail try and cram too many </p><p>messages into them. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Our database of norms show communication scores for key message that </p><p>range from zero per cent to 99 per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Memorability provides a platform to communicate, but ultimately the </p><p>effectiveness of your ad will depends on your ability to leave an </p><p>impression with the consumer. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In summary, if you are a new brand trying to establish yourself, it is </p><p>better to be persuasive, to deliver news that is relevant, credible and </p><p>different. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>If you are an established brand, creative advertising that has the brand </p><p>at the heart of the ad will leverage your sales in the longer term. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>