II. RESEARCH AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

A. RESEARCHING THE AD

1. IDENTIFY CONSUMER

• Demographics - Quantifiable characteristics of any given population. Factors of age, sex, income, occupation, civil status, geographic location etc.

• Psychographics - Qualitative differences (or similarities) among consumers with similar (or different) demographic characteristics: lifestyle (dress, music, food and leisure activities preferences), personal goals and values (moral/religious), individual/group psychological traits and others.

2. ANALYZE PRODUCT / SERVICE

• Fact sheet about the product including characteristics and other information: design, ingredients or materials, quality, workmanship, price, usability tests, sales records, and general information about the company that manufactures / produces / distributes it

• Study and/or use the product/service (and the competition's) yourself: talk to sales people, specialists, and dealers; secondary sources research (library, trade publications, reports).

• Conduct or contract primary research: interviews, surveys, focus groups and analysis of data (quantitative and/or qualitative).

• List all usable benefits (attributes) of the product/service and keep in mind "problem issues."

•  Determine product/service stage of its market history: new, mature, or declining.

• Determine product/service "positioning" goals: Advertising could attempt to establish, reinforce, or change customers' perception / attitudes towards product/service.

3. SET OBJECTIVES

• Short term / Retail Objectives - Oriented to immediate action, like drawing traffic into a store, developing a "personality" for a store, or announcing new product lines or services, promoting a concert, get someone elected, etc.

• Long Term / National (International) Objectives - Concerned with longer periods of time, as well as, long lasting results like introducing new products, building company's image, announcing product / service improvements, promoting a concert tour or a performer, drawing attention to a political issues.

B. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

1. DEVELOP A CONCEPT - The concept is based of information analysis (brainstorming) and the resulting insight (new understanding/realization based on acquired sense, intuition, wisdom).

•  Write an information outline - Summary of all relevant information, and written statement of objectives.

• Develop Concept: A unifying idea, or organizing thought that provides the basis for the selection and arrangement of the ad material. Based on the product/service benefits, its capacity to satisfy material and/or psychological need. The concept could focus on the positive results or consequences of using the product/service (negative consequences of not using).

2. WRITE COPY AND SELECT IMAGES - The copy/text (tag line, slogan and body text) and images (photo, illustration, graphics and text type/style) are developed or selected in response to the concept and take into consideration a desired approach (Tone and Style).

• TONE: The tone of an ad can be factual, emotional, humorous, or a combination.

•  Factual - Presents the facts in a descriptive, straightforward manner. Information dissemination.

• Emotional - Appealing to he heart or the gut, and involves the reader by dwelling on feelings (hopes, desires and aspirations)

• Humorous - To create interest by entertaining. Appealing to the sense of humor of the reader.

•  STYLE: In terms of style, or how the ad concept can presented, there are three basic options -dramatization, demonstration, presentation, or a combination.

• Dramatization - Narrative re-enactment of story, usually emotional or humorous, evoking a particular mood. Informing and entertaining.

• Demonstration - Usually factual in tone, shows (demonstrates) how a product/service is used.

• Presentation - Features or benefits are presented rather than dramatized or demonstrated. Could be factual or humorous in tone (usually depending on the presenter). Testimonials where presenter describes experience with product/service.

NOTE: In addition to taking into consideration the processes described above, graphic artists have to create/select images and typographic elements and develop a format for presentation based on the principles of design and composition, and applicable concepts of color theory. The images, typographic elements and the format are intended to enhance/facilitate the communication with the audience (consumers) and/or draw attention to the ad and to the product or service (brand, family of products, or individual product). In addition, graphic artists have to take into consideration other aspects related to the placement/location of the advertising element as well as, production and placement costs and time/schedule requirements.