REVIEW QUESTIONS
9-4. What qualities make a good tagline or slogan?
Slogans are a long term brand or corporate identity effort. They must be catchy and
memorable. It is a distinctive catchphrase that serves as a motto for a campaign,
brand, or company and is used across a variety of marketing communication
The word tagline is often used to refer to a slogan, but technically it means a line at
the end of an ad that wraps up the creative concept. It’s more of a campaign theme
9-5. Discuss the differences in writing for advertising, public relations and direct
response.
In almost all situations, advertising has to win its audience, which is no small task,
given that it usually competes in a cluttered environment and the audience is
generally inattentive and uninterested. For that reason, the copy should be as simple
as possible. Every word counts because both space and time are expensive.
However, a variety of writing styles are used in public relations because that area uses
so many different types of communication tools. Publicity, for example, is designed
for new media and uses the basic stylistics of journalism, while corporate publications
Direct response messages are often longer and contain more explanation and detail
than other forms of marketing communication. That is because if the message does
not provide enough information and motivate the receiver to respond in some way,
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9-6. Describe the various copy elements of a print ad.
The two categories of copy that print uses are display copy and body copy (or text).
Display copy includes all elements that readers see in their initial scanning. These
elements – headlines, subheads, call-outs, and taglines – are usually set in larger type
sizes than body copy and are designed to get attention and to stop the viewer’s
9-7. What is adese and why is it a problem in advertising copy?
Formula writing, a well-known problem called adese, violates all the guidelines for
writing effective copy. It is full of clichés, superlatives, stock phrases, and vague
9-8. What is the primary role of body copy and how does it accomplish that?
The body copy is the text of the ad and its primary role is to maintain the interest of
the reader. It is the persuasive heart of the message. It develops the sales message,
Two paragraphs get special attention in body copy: the lead paragraph and the closing
paragraph. The lead, the first paragraph of the body copy, is another point where
people test the message to see if they want to read it. Closing paragraphs in body
9-9. One principle of print writing is that the headline catches the reader’s eye but
the body copy wins the reader’s hear and mind. Find an ad that demonstrates that
principle and explain how it works.
Print ads selected by students will vary. When selecting their example, students
should be guided by the premise that well written headlines interrupt the readers’
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9-10. What are the major characteristics of TV ads? Describe the tools of television
commercial copyrighting.
In great television commercials, words and pictures work together seamlessly to
deliver the creative concept through sight, sound, and motion. Television’s ability to
touch our emotions and to show us things – to demonstrate how they look and work –
Television writers have two primary toolkits: audio and visual. Both words and
pictures are designed to create exactly the right impact. Because of the number of
9-11. Describe how Internet advertising is written.
The Internet is more interactive than any other mass medium and that’s a major point
of difference from the other advertising forms. The Internet writer is not only
challenged to attract people to the site, but also to manage a dialogue-based
There are forms of Internet advertising that look like more traditional ads, such as
banners, sidebar ads, and pop-ups. E-mail and video ads, as well as mobile ads on
However, in this complicated, fast-changing medium, there aren’t a lot of rules. In
fact, marketing communication that uses text messaging and Twitter may even throw
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
9-12. Creative directors say the copy and art must work together to create a concept.
Consider all of the ads in this chapter and the preceding chapters and identify one that
you believe best demonstrates that principle. Explain what the words contribute and how
they work with the visual.
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Students will select different advertisements to discuss, but within the variety of
Art and copy must have a single focus.Readers should receive the same message from
Although art and copy have to work together, each performs a different function in an
ad. Art tends to be the element that stops readers and pulls them into the ad, and,
with hope, invites them to read the copy. Visuals tend to communicate faster and be
Different products will require different combinations of art and copy, and the most
9-13. What do we mean by tone of voice, and why is it important in advertising? Find a
magazine ad that you think has an appropriate tone of voice for its targeted audience (the
readers of that particular magazine) and one that doesn’t. Discuss your analyses of these
two ads.
Copywriters listen to the way people talk and identify the tone of voice that best fits
the target audience and the brand. To develop the right tone of voice, often
copywriters write to the target audience. If the copywriter knows someone who fits
9-14. Select a product that uses a long copy format in print. Examples might be
business-to-business and industrial products, over-the-counter drugs, and some car and
appliance ads. Now write a 30-second radio and a 30-second TV spot for that product.
Present your work to the class, along with an analysis of how the message design
changed—and stayed the same—when you moved from print to radio and then to TV.
Although responses to this question will vary, all students should remain cognizant of
the following principles:
Radio: Radio copywriters try to match their dialogue to the conversational style of
the target audience. Radio advertising relies on conversational style and vernacular
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Television: In great television commercials, words and pictures work together
seamlessly to deliver the creative concept through sight, sound and motion.
Copywriters must plan how long the commercial will be, what shots will appear in
9–15. Critique the following (choose one):
a. Jingles are a popular creative form in radio advertising. Even so, there may be as
many jingles that you don’t want to hear again as there are ones that you do.
Identify one jungle that you really dislike and another that you like. Analyze why
these jingles either work or don’t work effectively for you and present your
critique to your class.
Student responses to this question will vary. However, radio copywriters
understand that effective jingles are those in which an interplay between catchy
b. Surf the Web and find one banner ad that you think works to drive click-throughs
and one that doesn’t. Print them out and prepare an analysis that compares the two
banner ads and explains why you think one is effective and the other is not.
Present your critique to the class.
Student responses to this question will vary. However, Internet copywriters
understand that banners in this small format have to be creative to stand out
amidst the clutter on a typical Web page and, similar to outdoor advertising, they
TAKE HOME PROJECTS
9-16.Portfolio Project:In the discussion questions at the end of Chapter 6, you were
asked to consider the research needed for a new upscale restaurant chain that focuses on
fowl—duck, squab, pheasant and other elegant meals in the poultry category. Now your
creative team is being asked to develop the creative package for the restaurant chain. As a
specialty category, this would be somewhat like a seafood restaurant. You have been
asked to develop the creative package to use in launching these new restaurants in their
new markets. Develop the following:
The restaurant’s name
A slogan for the restaurant chain
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Student responses to this assignment will vary. When completing it, however, their work
should reflect the following:
Slogans are a long term brand or corporate identity effort. They must be catchy,
When writing for print media, both display copy and body copy is used. The print
Tips given in the textbook for writing effective radio ads include keep it personal,
9-17. Mini-Case Analysis:Summarize the creative strategy behind Frontier’s “Whole
Different Animal” position as well as the “Flip to Mexico” and “Frontier’s Next Animal”
campaigns. Explain how the Big Idea works and how it is expressed in the copy. What
makes the writing so engaging? Analyze the structure and writing in the “Leather Seats”
commercial in Chapter 8. Come up with an idea for another Frontier ‘one-shot’ ad, (i.e.,
like Leather Seats, an ad that is not part of the campaign) and draft the copy.
The Big Idea was to differentiate this regional airline based in Denver from its
competitors by focusing upon its western heritage. Since the images of the untamed
West recalled by most Americans includes wild animals roaming the plain, this
In 2006, when a rival airline emerged from bankruptcy with a multi-million dollar ad
campaign, the Flip to Mexico campaign was developed to steal the spotlight by
creating a competitive diversion. Its new service to Mexico was promoted with an ad
in which Flip the Dolphin delivered an ultimatum to the Frontier: Either they send
him to Mexico, or he would quit.
As the airline expanded, the original campaign was further extended with the
“Leather Seat” commercial, designed to announce the airline’s acquisition of new
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TRACE North America Case
Writing for a Multi-cultural Audience
Read the TRACE case in the Appendix before coming to class.
9-18. The case briefly discusses the tonality (voice) of the communications. Write a
one-page directive to the creative team explaining what the tonality should be and
giving rationale for your recommendation. Keep in mind the target audience and
your client, Nissan.
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