The text begins Chapter 7 with an admonition to "sell the product first and concern yourself with technique second." If we substitute "communicate the message" for "sell the product," this advice applies to a wide variety of information media writing, and is very sound advice, indeed.

The Copy Platform.

The model proposed in the text for organizing commercial copy is essentially sound. I am going to use it with some alternative terms for some of the components. The model as we will use it consists of:

1. Client and Product or Service.
2. Objective.
3. Target Audience.
4. Message (Sales Theme).
5. Secondary Message(s) (Bonus Item).
6. Positioning.
7. Format (Approach).

1. Client and Product or Service. The text goes into great detail analyzing the lifecycles of the target audience, but overlooks the lifecycle of companies, products and services. Generally we should research the client and determine its place in the lifecycle. This will affect the type of objectives likely to work for this client. The lifecycle consists of:

a. Introduction. A brand new product or service which will require an informational objective to establish Awareness.

b. Growth. Once people know that the product or service exists, we can explain its relative merits and expect to increase volume and market share (if there is competition) with objectives that emphasize Acceptance.

c. Maturity. Once products become widely known and accepted they reach a plateau and we use objectives designed to establish Preference.

d. Decline. Products and services, like people, often outlive their relevancy to society and hang on to a declining customer base. For these products, we use objectives that emphasize Loyalty. We can sometimes jump-start a new cycle for these products or services by repositioning them. When Johnson & Johnson couldn't sell enough Baby Shampoo because of a "baby bust," they successfully repositioned the product as a mild shampoo that would leave your hair clean without burning your eyes, regardless of your age.

2. Objective. This is the communications goal the commercial seeks to accomplish. Students often confuse this with marketing objectives which might be to "increase market share." The advertising objective has to deal with what we can say about the product or service that will hopefully result in greater sales. As the text suggests, objectives can be divided into 3 main classifications:

a. Informational
b. Persuasive
c. Reinforcing

3. Target Audience. The text goes into extensive detail on how you can define the target audience for a product or service, but I'm not sure that the idea of the campaign is emphasized enough. An individual commercial needs to be tightly targeted, often much more tightly than the potential consumers of the product of service. For products or services with wide appeal, a series of spots (the campaign) is developed, each targeted at a different segment of the potential customer base. The primary demographic categories for targeting commercials include:

a. Age
b. Gender
c. Socio-Economic Level

4. Message (Sales Theme). This is the primary quality of the product or service that we want to communicate to this specific target audience.

5. Secondary Message(s) (Bonus Item). This is optional and often is best omitted, but sometimes there is a strong secondary advantage to the target audience from the product or service and it can certainly be included.

6. Positioning. This is where slogans can be most effective. Positioning involves a simple statement of how this product or service stands out among the competition. Products in decline can sometimes be revived by repositioning. Volvo has for years positioned itself as the car company that cares about safety. A few years ago the President of Volvo, speaking at a dealers' convention, said that the image of the Volvo owner was someone who you'd like for a next-door neighbor because he or she wouldn't throw noisy parties. However, when you threw a party, you wouldn't think to invite this person. The President's goal was to get more Volvo owners invited to parties (a roundabout way of saying that they wanted the public to realize that they were building exciting as well as safe automobiles).

7. Format (Approach). When you have considered 1-6, you are finally ready to think about how the commercial will look and/or sound. I think selecting a format from the ones listed below will help get you started on crafting the copy itself.

a. Dramatic- involves a plot with the product identified with the hero
b. Problem/Solution- product should provide solution
c. Demonstration- works well on television
d. Testimonial- very tight regulations when actors or celebrities do these
e. Spokesperson- straight pitch by a trusted talent
f. Symbolism- used for products with intangible benefits such as perfume
g. Special Effects- good for getting attention, but may overshadow product

The Process.

Whether at a local radio station or one of the biggest advertising agencies in the country, the Account Executive (salesperson) makes the first contact with the client and is ultimately responsible for providing the copywriter with information about the product or service being sold and the motivational approach and format preferred by the client.

In television the copywriter often works closely with an art director who will produce the storyboard to accompany the copy. These "creatives" may be invited to sit in on meetings between the Account Executive and the client, but in the pecking order of the advertising world, they must be very careful to support the Account Executive's proposals. The Account Executive gets the big commissions, but he or she is much more likely than the "creatives" to be fired if an ad campaign fails.

The bottom line is that the "client is always right." This means that copywriters are sometimes called upon to write copy that they know is not going to be effective in reaching the target audience or motivating them to buy. If this bothers you, advertising may not be the best career field to pursue.

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