Expert Tips From the Golden Age of Advertising

The Golden Age of Advertising had its heyday in the 1960s and 70s when three-martini-lunches were the norm, and larger-than-life personalities pitched big ideas that turned the industry on its head. 

 

Ad industry giants Bill Bernbach, David Ogilvy, Mary Wells Lawrence, and Leo Burnett, among others, ushered in the 1960s Creative Revolution and put creative practices in place we still use today. 

 

In this episode, we'll cover: advertising giants from the Creative Revolution, solid fundamentals developed at the height of the Golden Age of Advertising, expert tips for creative ad copy, leveraging your chosen medium, and how to make your ads persuasive and effective.

 

This is AudioPost Episode 8: Expert Tips from the Golden Age of Advertising

 

Full text edition here: https://loyelmedia.com/good-creative-ad-copy-essentials-expert-tips-golden-age-of-advertising/

 

AudioPost is a business podcast written and produced by Loyel Media, where we help you leverage the power of media to market your business.

 

Like what you've heard and find it helpful? Consider rating AudioPost or leaving a review.

 

What is AudioPost?

Media marketing know-how, in about 10 minutes, so even if you’re short on time—you can amp up your game.

Welcome to AudioPost, the media marketing podcast that’ll help you promote and grow your business like a pro.

Get bite-sized business marketing tips + insights when you want it.

We’ll talk strategy, tech, and the media platforms that make it all go.

Each episode includes links to BONUS content you can use to align your marketing with your boldest business goals. Put the power of media to work for your business.

AudioPost is written and produced by Loyel Media.

Narrator: 00:12

The Golden Age of Advertising had its heyday in the 19 sixties and seventies, when 3 martini lunches were the norm, and larger than life personalities pitched big ideas that stuck and turned the industry on its head. Bill Bernbach, along with his contemporaries, David Ogilvy, Mary Wells Lawrence, and Leo Burnett, among others, were ad industry giants that ushered in the Creative Revolution.

Narrator: 00:45

Welcome to AudioPost from Loyel Media, where we talk about using the power of media to market your business. Coming up, the Golden Age of Advertising: Expert Tips for Creative Ad Copy.

Narrator: 01:04

Bill Bernbach believed good creative ad copy is rooted in those characteristics of human nature that truly move your buyer.

Narrator: 01:13

Whether it motivates a potential customer to look online for more information, book a reservation, or visit your store, well written copy inspires action. Bernbach alongside his peers during this golden era of advertising put creative practices in place we still use today to do just that.

Narrator: 01:34

To write compelling ads that convert consumers into buyers, first, know your people. Mirror their voice.

Narrator: 01:42

David Ogilvy was a Madison Avenue maverick who famously said, if you're trying to persuade people to do something or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language.

Narrator: 01:54

Pour over consumer comments, social feeds, and customer reviews for both your business and your competitors. Pay attention not only to what they say, but also how they say it. Bear in mind, potential buyers might sometimes respond in ways that camouflage how they genuinely feel. Check that their actions line up with your data. You can use these insights later when brainstorming.

Narrator: 02:22

Judge your product. Bring a fresh perspective. Get thoroughly familiar with the product and the market, Bernbach said. Conduct online and in store research to deepen your understanding of how your offer is perceived in the marketplace. Look at your product from your consumer's point of view.

Narrator: 02:41

Consider what they think when they first come across it. Find your inspiration. Dig deep. Turn to your customer research prior to framing your advertising message. Industry legend, Mary Lawrence Wells, the acclaimed advertising pro behind campaigns like I love New York and Trust the Midas touch advised, when copywriting, be a detective and a psychiatrist before allowing yourself to be an artist.

Narrator: 03:14

Study your buyer and their habits. Understand their needs and desires. How your product will make a difference in their lives. Get clear on how and why they make the choices they do before you start riding. Look for inherent value.

Narrator: 03:30

Sell the experience. People don't just buy a product. They buy what a product is going to do for them. Leo Burnett was an advertising trailblazer responsible for some of the most well known characters and campaigns of the 20th century, including Tony the Tiger and United's Fly the Friendly Skies had this to say.

Narrator: 03:50

Don't tell me how good you make it. Tell me how good it makes me when I use it. It may be as simple as a pair of running shoes, but consider what your ideal customer values and identifies with most when they make a purchase. Take Nike for instance. They market achieving better versions of ourselves. While Martha Stewart promotes elevated everyday living.

Narrator: 04:13

Pinpoint that unique experience that gets right to the heart of why your buyer chooses your product. Find fresh new ways to express that benefit, then ask yourself how you can bring that idea to life.

Narrator: 04:29

Make it personal. Speak to one person. The meaning of your ad's message will be interpreted by a single person even if that individual is making decisions for a group and your copy should reflect that.

Narrator: 04:44

Present what's most important to your buyer and speak directly to them for greater impact. If your company sells office supplies, aim your message to the small business owner differently than if it were geared toward the office manager. Provoke feelings. Poke the bear, but don't resort to tricks and tropes or mindless repetition or screaming ads. It can come across as frivolous or worse, insulting.

Narrator: 05:19

Great ideas presented with context and relevance are essential to good ad copy. Place your energy there. Bernbach encouraged his team, be provocative, but be sure your provocativeness stems from your product. You're not right if in your ad you stand a man on his head just to get attention. You are right if you have him on his head to show how your product keeps things from falling out of his pockets.

Narrator: 05:45

Humor can work when used correctly. If you choose this path, be sure you have the resources to pull it off. If it falls flat, you've wasted your money. Tell the truth. Don't mislead or exaggerate.

Narrator: 06:04

Consumers are savvy and judge advertising scrupulously. Use a creative idea to draw attention to what makes your product unique instead. According to Bernbach, the most powerful element in advertising is the truth. In 1959, his agency's breakthrough Volkswagen Beetle Think Small campaign introduced this little peculiar looking German car to US car buyers at a time when big sized American made vehicles ruled the road. This was a campaign that was not only clever and honest but also assured the car stood out.

Narrator: 06:40

It made the most of that unique difference. The campaign was ranked as the best in the 20th century by Ad Age and transformed modern advertising. Be specific. If buyers save 18% by shopping in your store, say so. It's more credible than claiming everyone will save like never before.

Narrator: 07:01

Consumers trust specifics. Again, Ogilvy can shed light here. He said you need to tell the truth and be specific. With concrete numbers, meaningful phrases and precise details your copy becomes real. And when things sound real, people believe them.

Narrator: 07:21

Simplify. Less is more. Too much copy drains people. Too much story loses them. Brimbeck believed good ad copy presents a creative idea clearly and concisely.

Narrator: 07:34

Scrap needless words and paste your copy. Leave room for those elements that make your ad more interesting. For instance, music changes and sound effects. Give your audience the space they need to engage their imagination. Tear away at the unrelated.

Narrator: 07:51

Pluck out the weeds that are smothering your product message, Bernbach advised. Focus on how to make your ad its most effective. Make the facts intriguing and edit ruthlessly. Write for the medium. Whether you're writing for traditional or non traditional advertising, there are opportunities to put the practices we've talked about for creative copy to good use.

Narrator: 08:17

Here's some tips. Audio and video are intimate mediums. Write copy to personalize your message and humanize your brand when using them. Most broadcast ads are 15, 30, or 60 seconds. When writing your first draft, start with a 30 second script.

Narrator: 08:36

Once you have an outline, you can whittle it down to a 15 second script or expand it to a full 60 based on what you need. Write in a way that would sound natural if you read it out loud. Get a sense of rhythm and inflection then smooth over any rough spots. For interviews, ditch the script. As humans, we seldom speak in complete sentences.

Narrator: 09:00

We tend to use fragments to express our thoughts. Scripted responses sound and look stilted or rehearsed. Instead, prepare talking points. That way, varied responses can be captured when the interviewer poses questions differently. Then in post production, the producer can assemble the best clips to make your ad more natural and compelling.

Narrator: 09:23

For video and TV ads, be sure there'll be footage to cover what viewers see, hear, and read. Write your copy to accommodate all 3. Grab attention in the first 5 seconds especially for skippable in stream video ads so your viewer is more inclined to watch your ad all the way through. While the way we deliver our advertising message has evolved, as Bernbach knew so well, how we craft that message to make it persuasive and effective hasn't.

Narrator: 09:56

As we've covered, know your customer, speak their language, understand your product and the experience it provides.

Narrator: 10:04

Make your message personal and provoke feelings. Present your ideas simply and honestly.

Narrator: 10:11

Creative ad copy uses these principles developed at height of the Golden Age of Advertising to tap into feelings and experiences we all share.

Narrator: 10:21

If you wanna learn more, listen to AudioPost episode 7, Principles of Human Behavior in Advertising.

Narrator: 10:30

Thanks for listening to AudioPost from Loyel Media.

Narrator: 10:35

There's more information along with helpful resources and videos at loyelmedia.com. You'll also find articles with practical tips and insights about how you can leverage the power of media to market your business.