Lesson 2: Audience Analysis, Writing Technique

• Audience Analysis - Understanding of the target audience’s behavior, preferences, and pain points.
• Writing Technique - Learning how to write concise and compelling headlines that grab the reader’s attention.
• Copy in Print Ad and Online Ad - Analyze and critique examples of copywriting in print ads and online ads, based on their clarity, creativity, persuasiveness, and relevance. 
• N.W. Ayer’s Marketing Objectives 

  • Brief
  • Creative Strategy
  • Concept
  • Execution
• VALS - Values, Attitudes, and Lifestyles
• Observational Research - Is a method of collecting consumer information by seeing them firsthand in a natural, everyday setting like at home rather than learning about them through their answers in a focus group. 
• Two of Many Ways to Analyze Audiences: 

  • Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964)
  • Gen X (1965 - 1976)
  • Gen Y (1977 - 1994)
  • Gen Z (1997 - 2013)
• VALS 1: From Lowest to Highest Income

  Group 1: Needs-driven consumers

  1. Survivors - poor and elderly, who are just scraping by.
  2. Sustainers - young and clever with a desire to succeed.
• VALS 1: From Lowest to Highest Income

  Group 2

  1. Belongers - conservative traditionalists, who long for yesterday, and stick to what’s tried and true, rather than experimenting with something new. 
  2. Emulators - eager, status-driven, and competitive, these are up-and-comers on the path to financial success.
  3. Achievers - have reached their financial and material goals, community leaders. 
• VALS 1: From Lowest to Highest Income

  Group 3

  • I-Am-Me’s - young, self-focused freethinkers who do their own thing.
  • Experientals more mature individualistic naturalists who seek self-improvement and personal growth. 
  • Societally Conscious environmentalists interested in global conservation and consumer product protection. 
  • Integrateds - self-assured and confident, less responsive to advertising messages, may be unintentional trend spotters because of their good taste. 
• VALS 2 (revised) 

  1. Strugglers - lowest income, those barely surviving financially.
  2. Makers - high energy, lower income group who enjoy constructing things.
  3. Strivers - emulating achievers without the income or skill set. 
  4. Believers - like fulfilled with a lower income, conservatives who prefer name brands. 
• VALS 2 (revised) part 2

  1. Experiencers - avid shoppers, risk takers who relish unusual, novel, even wacky, items.
  2. Achievers - accomplished and structured, goal-oriented consumers whose purchases reflect their status.
  3. Fulfilled - mature, financially stable, who value durable, functional products, and are receptive to new ideas.
  4. Actualizers - wealthy individuals who reached their personal goals, their purchases reflect their sophisticated taste. 
• Secondary Audience 

  • Is made up of the people who influence the primary audience: those are the people who make the purchase and use the product.
  • Could be a friend, relative, business associate, mentor, or anyone who affects the buyers’ purchasing decisions. 
• Five different groups of people who influence purchasing decisions

  • Initiator
  • Influencer
  • Decider
  • Purchase
  • User
• Focus Groups 

  • Provide information gathered from small groups of people placed together to review products and evaluate campaigns. 
• Pre-testing or Copy testing 

  • Allows a copy to be tested before it’s released in an ad campaign.
• Delving into Consumer Insights

  1. Mall Interception - reveals consumer opinions as they are going about their normal mall shopping. 
  2. Surveys - indicate how consumers feel about the questions asked.
  3. Multi-platform research - tracks which media consumers prefer to the consumer. 
  4. Observational research (Ethnography) - is conducted in consumers’ natural settings, as they go about their everyday routines. 
• Writing Technique

  1. Name - when you include the company’s name in the slogan, you’ve instantly reinforced name awareness. 
  2. Rhyme - the reason these slogans are so sticky is that we learned nursery rhymes even before we could read. 
  3. Alliteration - repeating the first letter or sound of a word creates alliteration. 
• Adding power to your writing

  • Active listener
  • Consumer 
  • Interactive consumer
  • Online shopper
  • Avid observer
  • Collector 
• The structure of advertising copy

  • Eyebrows - these are a line of text that targets a particular audience, and appears before the headline. 
  • Headlines - these deliver the main message of the ad
  • Subheads - these strengthen the headline and reinforce the stated benefit. 
• The structure of advertising copy

  • Call to Action - this tells the target what you want them to do. 
  • Closing line of copy - this last line gives readers closure. 
  • Slogan this is a verbal logo. It is the one line that remains constant and does not change with each ad or touchpoint. 
  • Signature this is a required copy (or mandatories) that includes contact information. 
• Recognizing Categories of Effective Messages

  1. Credible
  2. Believable
  3. Truthful
  4. Honest
  5. Sincere
  6. Trustworthy
•   Authentic

  1. Genuine 
  2. True-to-life (realistic)
• 3. Relevant 

  1. Informative
  2. Comparative
  3. Demonstrative
•  Natural 

  1. Unforced humor
  2. Vernacular Speech 
  3. Casual
• 5. Emotional

  1. Concerned
  2. Urgent
  3. Serious
  4. Sympathetic
  5. Empathetic 
  6. Compassionate
  7. Inspiring 
  8. Motivating
• 6. Personal 

  1. Friendly
  2. Intimate
  3. Seductive
  4. Secretive 
• Types of Print Advertising

  • Newspapers - it provides excellent print advertising opportunities because consumers who read newspapers are often proactive.
  • Magazines - offer you the freedom to create advertisements that visually appeal to an audience and reflect your brand.
  • Direct Mail - some advertisers use direct mail to reach a small target audience. 
  • Posters and Billboards - usually target consumers who are either driving or walking.