The six rules top CMOs use to create world class advertising

Great advertising is like throwing a stone in a pond - the best create the most ripples.

When everyone has the option to buy the same media, or appear on the same platform, it’s the creative that holds the opportunity for the brand to out perform competitors and multiply returns. Leading CMOs and their agencies sweat every detail to ensure their advertising is as effective as possible. But you don’t need to be making TV ads or spending millions on media to learn the fundamental principles of world class advertising.

Depending on how established your brand or product is, you’ll want to dial up or down the rules below, but as a guide these six rules are how CMOs alongside their agencies create great advertising.

RULE 1. Key consumer insight

A key consumer insight sits at the heart of any great advertising campaign. The insight needs to be recognised by the consumer and draw a strong emotive response.

Often the insight says to the audience; '“our brand gets you” and helps generate a preference vs the competition. In some instances the insight is lighthearted, yet in others it’s to the core of a larger social topic, it really depends on the brands mission.

Dove have rightly been lauded as the leaders of insight led advertising over the last 15 years, positioning themselves in a truly unique way in the beauty sector..

RULE 2. Highly branded

Well branded doesn’t just mean the obvious branded assets you have in your armoury; the colours, the type face, the logo, the mascot, but the entire body language of the brand. The consumer needs to recognise the brand quickly, associate it with the message and be able to recall it.

Go Compare have held onto their distinctive Gio Compario campaign for over 10 years having built such tremendous equity. In the face of fierce competition and with a largely generic product, the branding in the Go Compare adverts is well branded on nuclear scale. The resulting “Go Compare” ear worm, was also instrumental in driving direct to site traffic, fearing the loss of consumers in the fierce Google PPC auction.

RULE 3: Product is integral

It goes without saying that integrating your product into the advertising in an interesting way allows the audience to see how it can be used or even aspire to own the product.

RULE 4: Better and different

Don’t leave the consumer guessing, make it obvious why your product is better and different. So many adverts under the guise of ‘brand building’ fail to even communicate why the brand / product is better or different.

Don’t leave it ambiguous, when you have a killer product feature that no one else can claim, own it before someone else does.

RULE 5: Engaging and entertaining

Engaging and entertaining work typically uses one of three platforms; great music, sex appeal or humour. The more engaging and entertaining a piece of creative, the greater the chance of cutting through the noise and lasting longer in the memory. This is where advertising in rich media formats really comes into its own. Don’t waste the opportunity being boring.

Geico have been creating entertaining adverts for years in the snoozefest that is the insurance industry.

RULE 6: Clear call to action

And finally, for brands that are new and it’s not obvious, having a clear call to action is crucial.