Advertising Principles & Practice // Week 1
29.8.2016 // Week 1
Chia Yee Hsean (0322352)
Advertising Principles & Practice
Project 1: Idea Sketches
Times Weekly Forum
In your view – based on what you have heard and discussed – is advertising relevant today?
Personally, I do believe that advertising is relevant today. The world is being saturated with advertisements of all kinds, and the arrival of technology such as smartphones has only accelerated the process. As such, good advertising can capture viewers’ attentions and communicate the intended messages and ideas to them. Advertising can inform and persuade viewers about products, beliefs, and issues. So it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that advertising can also help start trends; shape our culture. Advertising is relevant, and it’s powerful. It’s up to us to tap into that.
From the 10 principles mentioned, list 3 principles that you felt strongly about? Explain why you felt strongly about these 3 principles?
I believe that the two main components of an advertisement, namely the visuals and the copy, should go hand in hand. The visuals attract the viewer’s eye, while the copy informs the viewer about the intended message. These roles are also interchangeable, hence the belief that art and copy need to be fully integrated. Otherwise, an irrelevant visual or copy will only confuse the viewers.
There is a general perception that advertisements, particularly product advertisements, actively lie to us in order to gain our support and money. Some advertisements still do. So a truthful ad immediately becomes refreshing and stands out among its competitors. Whether the ad is being self-aware of its pros and cons or downplaying itself, it certainly surprises the viewer and increases awareness of the brand. I’ve only seen a handful of such ads but they’ve left huge impressions on me!
Safe advertisements are everywhere in this country, to the point that we’ve learned to tolerate them. And that shouldn’t be the case. People tend to gloss over these formulaic advertisements, so we should be pushing for more creative advertisements. The makers and designers need to break the chain of safe, bland ads to help companies gain leverage over the competition. And hopefully over time, people will come to appreciate and demand more of these ads.
The makers and designers need to break the chain of safe, bland ads to help companies gain leverage over the competition.
The Brief
MINDMAP:
IDEATION:
FINAL SKETCHES:
Feedback:
Specific feedback
Project 1 is idea sketches, please correct it. The topic area discussed in the lecture was 10 principles ... Please write Instructions (that's the headline for the second section). Very happy that you did a mind-map. It helps organise your thoughts. Very happy to see a visual mind-map in the form of minor sketches.
General feedback
The lecturer told us to focus on the USP/SMP for our ideas and concepts and also to be disciplined in sticking to them.
Reflection:
Experience
Considering that it was the first day of class of the new semester, the class was extra quiet. Nonetheless, the lecturer remained friendly and encouraged responses from us by asking for our opinions such as our definition of the term “advertising”. The lecture was informative and full of interesting anecdotes as well. The lecturer was able to clearly explain each topic and relate them to real-life examples.
Observation
I observed that I learned better when I am jotting down notes during the lecturer, because that meant I had to actively listen for any key points. It also helps me retain the information better. I noticed that I tend to be indecisive when brainstorming on multiple ideas for the exercises, which slows down the ideation process. I observed that I quite enjoyed the “Book of the Week” activity and relished in the idea of reading design books as an assignment!
Findings
I found that I spend too much time on my sketches on both the initial and final sketches, such as when I put too much details into the final sketches. This leads to the details overshadowing the ideas themselves, which shouldn’t be the case. I’ll probably have to hold back the details and learn to make simpler sketches in the next exercise.
I also need to keep my sketches neater, and keep an eye on the layout of text.
I’m not satisfied with my performance in this week’s exercise, so I hope to improve my work flow in the coming weeks.
Book of The Week:
This week, I borrowed Creative Advertising: An Introduction by Miriam Sorrentino. I figured it would be a great start for my first week of Advertising Principles and Practice in the new semester.
And so I read up about the development of advertising and the topic of social advertising piqued my interest.
It’s easy to forget that advertising also includes advertisements about certain social issues or beliefs such as environmental awareness ads. This subtopic gave examples such as the Suffragettes movement, World War recruitment posters, and the Nazi regime, among others. The book explains how these social advertisements, otherwise known as propaganda, held great influence on its people and brought upon political and cultural change.
It’s interesting to learn about the specific sets of imagery and symbols used in these posters to resonate with the target audience and further persuade them to join their cause. The Cultural Revolution in Russia and China used common propaganda themes including the “the new, happier, ideal society, and the struggle itself for this utopian dream, in which workers were portrayed as the heroes”, according to Sorrentino (2014, p. 42).
These propaganda managed to emotionally pressurise, persuade, and influence public opinion, thanks to the combination of powerful visuals and words. Even today, some modern advertisements still borrow stylistic influences from these propagandas, which proves how timeless and influential effective advertising can be.
References:
Sorrentino, M. (2014). Creative Advertising: An Introduction. China: Laurence King Publishing
Chia Yee Hsean (0322352)
Advertising Principles & Practice
Project 1: Idea Sketches
Lecture: Bernbach's 10 Principles of Advertising
Mr Vinod introduced us to the module by giving a lecture explaining the definition of advertising and Bernbach’s 10 Principles of Advertising. Earlier on, he asked us for our own understanding of advertising. Then, we learnt about the origin of the word, with the derived Latin word meaning “to turn toward”. We can relate this to the act of calling for someone’s attention towards something, which is essentially what advertising is about. According to the slides, the modern definition of advertising refers it as a tool of marketing to raise awareness about a product/service/organisation. Advertising is also about communicating a message or idea to its target audience. We also learnt about Bernbach’s 10 principles of advertising, which serves as a guideline for good advertisements.
From the lecture, I learnt about:
- the definition of advertising
- the objectives of advertising
- the development of advertising over the years
- how good advertisements work
- Bernbach’s 10 principles of advertising
- introduction to Project 1
Times Weekly Forum
In your view – based on what you have heard and discussed – is advertising relevant today?
Personally, I do believe that advertising is relevant today. The world is being saturated with advertisements of all kinds, and the arrival of technology such as smartphones has only accelerated the process. As such, good advertising can capture viewers’ attentions and communicate the intended messages and ideas to them. Advertising can inform and persuade viewers about products, beliefs, and issues. So it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that advertising can also help start trends; shape our culture. Advertising is relevant, and it’s powerful. It’s up to us to tap into that.
From the 10 principles mentioned, list 3 principles that you felt strongly about? Explain why you felt strongly about these 3 principles?
- Art and copy must be fully integrated. They must be conceived as a unit, developed as a unit.
I believe that the two main components of an advertisement, namely the visuals and the copy, should go hand in hand. The visuals attract the viewer’s eye, while the copy informs the viewer about the intended message. These roles are also interchangeable, hence the belief that art and copy need to be fully integrated. Otherwise, an irrelevant visual or copy will only confuse the viewers.
- Tell the truth. First, it’s a great gimmick. Second, you go to heaven. Third, it moves merchandise because people will trust you.
There is a general perception that advertisements, particularly product advertisements, actively lie to us in order to gain our support and money. Some advertisements still do. So a truthful ad immediately becomes refreshing and stands out among its competitors. Whether the ad is being self-aware of its pros and cons or downplaying itself, it certainly surprises the viewer and increases awareness of the brand. I’ve only seen a handful of such ads but they’ve left huge impressions on me!
- Safe ideas can kill you. If it’s been done before, your competition will be ready for it. Your only chance of beating the competition is with advertising they’ve never seen before. Which means you’ve never seen it before either! Be brave.
Safe advertisements are everywhere in this country, to the point that we’ve learned to tolerate them. And that shouldn’t be the case. People tend to gloss over these formulaic advertisements, so we should be pushing for more creative advertisements. The makers and designers need to break the chain of safe, bland ads to help companies gain leverage over the competition. And hopefully over time, people will come to appreciate and demand more of these ads.
The makers and designers need to break the chain of safe, bland ads to help companies gain leverage over the competition.
INSTRUCTIONS
Exercises: Individual Work (15%)
The Brief
Idea Sketches
Duration of Assignment
8 Weeks (Briefing on Week 1)
DEADLINE
Week 9 (24 Oct 2016)
Description
This project spans 8 weeks. The student is given a Brand and a USP/SMP (Unique Selling Point/Single Minded Proposition) is identified. The student is to develop a minimum of 10 idea sketches every week—the more the merrier. The focus of the task is on the development of ideas—the Idea is king! Evaluate your ideas and select only the best. The sketches must be clean, clear and concise. While ideating you are only required to come up with the line and the visual—remember the twisted headline straight visual or vice-versa formula.
Rules for the Ideation process (or brainstorming):
1. Weird, wild, wacky and off the wall ideas are welcome.
2. Negativity is not welcome
3. Build on ideas. Don't shoot them down.
4. All ideas are welcome and respected.
5. Do not censor yourself. Just say it.
6. No interruptions from outside allowed (That includes cell phones).
7. Take a short break every hour.
Requirements
To develop a minimum of 10 idea sketches every week, the student must first state the USP/SMP, develop a Mind-Map and then develop idea sketches. This process is repeated for all 8 weeks. The work is compiled chronologically in an A3 clear sheet folder and documented on the students’ eportfolio (online journal).
The brand: Playsafe Condoms
The product: Air Ultra Thin (See figure 1.)
SMP/USP: Extremely thin condom for extra sensitivity
Target Audience: Gen Y
Submission
1. A3 Sketch papers, in an A3 Clear Sheet folder, documents chronologically. The works must be labelled and dated.
2. Eportfolio posts for every week
Objectives
1. To develop students ability to ideate effectively.
MINDMAP:
 |
| I tried word association to see if I could get more unique ideas and turned them into several concepts for the sketches. |
IDEATION:
 |
| I then played around with the concepts and sketched different versions of them. |
 |
| And then I chose what I thought was the best version of each concept. |
FINAL SKETCHES:
Feedback:
Specific feedback
Project 1 is idea sketches, please correct it. The topic area discussed in the lecture was 10 principles ... Please write Instructions (that's the headline for the second section). Very happy that you did a mind-map. It helps organise your thoughts. Very happy to see a visual mind-map in the form of minor sketches.
General feedback
The lecturer told us to focus on the USP/SMP for our ideas and concepts and also to be disciplined in sticking to them.
Reflection:
Experience
Considering that it was the first day of class of the new semester, the class was extra quiet. Nonetheless, the lecturer remained friendly and encouraged responses from us by asking for our opinions such as our definition of the term “advertising”. The lecture was informative and full of interesting anecdotes as well. The lecturer was able to clearly explain each topic and relate them to real-life examples.
Observation
I observed that I learned better when I am jotting down notes during the lecturer, because that meant I had to actively listen for any key points. It also helps me retain the information better. I noticed that I tend to be indecisive when brainstorming on multiple ideas for the exercises, which slows down the ideation process. I observed that I quite enjoyed the “Book of the Week” activity and relished in the idea of reading design books as an assignment!
Findings
I found that I spend too much time on my sketches on both the initial and final sketches, such as when I put too much details into the final sketches. This leads to the details overshadowing the ideas themselves, which shouldn’t be the case. I’ll probably have to hold back the details and learn to make simpler sketches in the next exercise.
I also need to keep my sketches neater, and keep an eye on the layout of text.
I’m not satisfied with my performance in this week’s exercise, so I hope to improve my work flow in the coming weeks.
//
Book of The Week:
This week, I borrowed Creative Advertising: An Introduction by Miriam Sorrentino. I figured it would be a great start for my first week of Advertising Principles and Practice in the new semester.
And so I read up about the development of advertising and the topic of social advertising piqued my interest.
It’s easy to forget that advertising also includes advertisements about certain social issues or beliefs such as environmental awareness ads. This subtopic gave examples such as the Suffragettes movement, World War recruitment posters, and the Nazi regime, among others. The book explains how these social advertisements, otherwise known as propaganda, held great influence on its people and brought upon political and cultural change.
It’s interesting to learn about the specific sets of imagery and symbols used in these posters to resonate with the target audience and further persuade them to join their cause. The Cultural Revolution in Russia and China used common propaganda themes including the “the new, happier, ideal society, and the struggle itself for this utopian dream, in which workers were portrayed as the heroes”, according to Sorrentino (2014, p. 42).
These propaganda managed to emotionally pressurise, persuade, and influence public opinion, thanks to the combination of powerful visuals and words. Even today, some modern advertisements still borrow stylistic influences from these propagandas, which proves how timeless and influential effective advertising can be.
References:
Sorrentino, M. (2014). Creative Advertising: An Introduction. China: Laurence King Publishing
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