5 Things to Avoid When Creating an Ad

We have reached our final destination... Ad Land.

In honor of our world tour of advertising, I would like to end on a constructive note. For all of you out there who are interested in joining the industry, here are a few tips. The world of advertising is vast, and the only way to stick out is to be different, be original. Whether you are in Creative Development, Management, or Media, every component of the creation process is important. In order to create the best ad, you need to be the best, and have the best team. You should be prepared at all times, just in case a new idea is needed.

When it comes to preparation, though, you must prepare for the best-case and worst-case scenarios. Although I have shown you many great campaigns in the world of advertising, there are even more ads out there that are simply terrible. From the corny ads to the obnoxious ones, advertising will always have a list of "Worsts" under its belt. When you ask someone what is the worst ad they have ever seen, you will always get an answer.

So, here are a few steps in order to ensure that your ad will never, ever, be on a Worst list.

Photo Credit: Designlenta

5 Things to Avoid When Creating an Ad:

1. Overdoing It

One of the most common mistakes in advertising is saturation. When you see an ad literally everywhere, you do not feel the urge to buy the product even more, you feel the urge to erase that ad completely from your memory. It is not good advertising when your consumer becomes annoyed with the product, because then they will begin to associate the product, and the company in a negative connotation. The saying "less is more" has stuck around for a reason.

Think of Apple, part of their success story is that they kept their advertising minimal, they approached the public with a simple ad and displayed it in a moderate way, so that the viewers felt compelled to buy it, otherwise it might go out of stock. Play hard to get, let the customer come to you. Do NOT bombard them and leave them with the feeling of "wherever you go, we will follow."

Photo Credit: Logorama

2. A Big Ego

Advertising sometimes misses the point when it comes to anonymity. A great campaign is one that appeals to the biggest crowd, and in order to do so it must be objective. If you have put too much or yourself, or your company's ego into an ad, the message gets lost. You might think you are wonderful, but your customers do not even know who you are, and some of them would like to keep it that way. Don't be desperate, be inconspicuous. You never saw Steve Jobs or Richard Branson in their ads, yet both Apple and Virgin have had extremely successful ad campaigns. Why you may ask? Because the company sold the products in their ads, their brand, not themselves. They stuck to what the customers wanted to see, not what they wanted to see.

Photo Credit: MDC Partners

3. Strayed Interests

Sometimes an ad campaign can start out great, but take a terrible turn and end badly. This change of direction can be a big problem in advertising. If you begin with one idea, then incorporate a new one, nine times out of ten, it will leave the customer utterly confused. Stick with one idea or message. If you are advertising cell phones, then stay with phones, talk about texting, calling, etc. Do not incorporate restaurants or movies or any other possible distractions. You want your viewers to see the ad and know exactly what product is being sold. If you want to introduce a bit of mystery in your ads to reel the viewer in, that is fine, but make sure you end with an image or tagline that will have them associate it with the product, and only that product. 

Photo Credit: Confused.com

4. Forgetting Social Media

In today's age, social media is one of the biggest forms of connection between companies and their buyers. When an ad agency forgets or simply does not include social media into their campaign, it is a huge mistake. People of every age now are connected through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, to name a few; so why wouldn't you? To capitalize on social media, is to double your viewing. Again, you do not want to saturate your campaign, but giving the public an option to interact with your company or product, separates it from the rest of the ordinary ads out there. Connecting with the public on an intimate level makes them more apt to pick your product over one that didn't take advantage of that opportunity. So reach out!

Photo Credit: Forbes.com

5. Visual Displeasure

Make your advertisements look great! If there is too much or too little copy, you run a chance of losing your consumer. Do not overwhelm them with jargon, a full paragraph, or an odd image. Do not underwhelm them with no copy, a boring picture, or an atypical ad. Make your campaign different by appealing to what the customers like: a pretty picture with a witty tagline. You want to please the public, while getting them to want to take that extra step, and actually buy your product. Entice them, make them want to see more, catch their attention. Do everything you can possibly do to make them remember your ad. That is what makes a great advertising campaign.

Follow these steps, ladies and gentlemen, and your add will most definitely not be on any "Worsts" lists. If you have any other tips you think should be included on this post, let me know. If you have any tips on how to make an award-winning ad, or even just how to make one, also post it and we can get a great discussion started. 

Good luck!