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Part Five Developing the Integrated Marketing Communications Program
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
9. Creative Strategy:
Implementation and
Evaluation
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
copy, illustrations, and any identifying marks. The layout shows where each part of the
ad will be placed and gives guidelines to the people working on the ad. For example,
the layout helps the copywriter determine how much space he or she has to work with
and how much copy should be written. The layout can also guide the art director in
determining the size and type of photos. In the ad for Sims Snowboards shown in
Exhibit 9-24, the layout is designed to make the ad look like it was reprinted from a
newspaper page. Notice how this theme is carried through in the copy, which reads
like a newspaper photo caption and ends with “Story on 2C.” Layouts are often done
in rough form and presented to the client so that the advertiser can visualize what the
ad will look like before giving preliminary approval. The agency should get client
approval of the layout before moving on to the more costly stages of print production.
Creative Tactics for Television
As consumers, we see so many TV commercials that it’s easy to take for granted the
time, effort, and money that go into making them. Creating and producing commercials
that break through the clutter on TV and communicate effectively is a detailed,
expensive process. On a cost-per-minute basis, commercials are the most expensive
productions seen on television.
TV is a unique and powerful advertising medium because it contains the elements of
sight, sound, and motion, which can be combined to create a variety of advertising
appeals and executions. Unlike print, the viewer does not control the rate at which the
message is presented, so there is no opportunity to review points of interest or reread
things that are not communicated clearly. As with any form of advertising, one of the
first goals in creating TV commercials is to get the viewers’ attention and then maintain
it. This can be particularly challenging because of the clutter and because people often
view TV commercials while doing other things (reading a book or magazine, talking).
Like print ads, TV commercials have several components. The video and audio must
work together to create the right impact and communicate the advertiser’s message.
Video The video elements of a commercial are what is seen on the TV screen. The
visual portion generally dominates the commercial, so it must attract viewers’ attention
and communicate an idea, message, and/or image. A number of visual elements
may have to be coordinated to produce a successful ad. Decisions have to be made
regarding the product, the presenter, action sequences, demonstrations, and the like, as
well as the setting(s), the talent or characters who will appear in the commercial, and
such other factors as lighting, graphics, color, and identifying symbols.
Audio The audio portion of a commercial includes voices, music, and sound
effects. Voices are used in different ways in commercials. They may be heard through
the direct presentation of a spokesperson or as a conversation among various people
appearing in the commercial. A common method for presenting the audio portion of a
commercial is through a voice-over, where the message is delivered or action on the
screen is narrated or described by an announcer who is not visible. A trend among
major advertisers is to have celebrities with distinctive voices do the voiceovers for
their commercials. 28 Actor Richard Dreyfuss does the voiceovers in some Honda commercials,
Jeff Goldblum does Apple Computers, and mega-stars such as Ben Affleck,
Renee Zelwegger, and Ashley Judd have done Diet Coke commercials.
Music is also an important part of many TV commercials and can play a variety of
roles. 29 In many commercials, the music provides a pleasant background or helps create
the appropriate mood. Advertisers often use needledrop, which Linda Scott
describes as follows:
Needledrop is an occupational term common to advertising agencies and the music industry. It
refers to music that is prefabricated, multipurpose, and highly conventional. It is, in that sense,
the musical equivalent of stock photos, clip art, or canned copy. Needledrop is an inexpensive
substitute for original music; paid for on a one-time basis, it is dropped into a commercial or
film when a particular normative effect is desired. 30
In some commercials, music is much more central to the advertising message. It
can be used to get attention, break through the advertising clutter, communicate a key