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17/09/2018 06:53:13 PM

Copywriting for Print Advertisement

1. The Headline
  • The headline in an advertisement is the leading sentence or sentences, usually at the top or bottom of the ad, that attracts attention, communicates a key selling point, or achieves brand identification.  

- Purposes of a Headline. In general, a headline can be written to pursue the following purposes:

•     Give news about the brand. 

•     Emphasize a brand claim.  

•     Give advice to the reader.

•     Select prospects. 

•     Stimulate the reader’s curiosity. 

•     Set a tone or establish an emotion.

•     Identify the brand.           

- Guidelines for Writing Headlines.            

Once a copywriter has established the purpose of a headline, several guidelines can be followed:

•     Make the headline a major persuasive component of the ad.

•     Appeal to the reader’s self-interest with a promise of benefits for the brand.

•     Inject maximum information in the headline without making it cumbersome or wordy.

•     Limit headlines to about 5-8 words.

•     Include the brand name in the headline.

•     Entice the reader to read the body copy.

•     Entice the reader to examine the visual in the ad.

•     Never change the typeface in a headline (unless you’re trying to create a specific effect). 

•     Never use a headline that depends on reading the body copy.

•     Use simple, common, familiar words.

      Teaching Note: Now alert students to the fact that some of the best headlines have violated everyone of these guidelines!

  1.  The Subhead           
  • A subhead consists of a few words or a short sentence and usually appears above or below the headline. It includes important brand information not included in the headline. The subhead in the ad for Clorox in Exhibit 12.20 is an excellent example.     

•     The subhead should reinforce the headline and entice the reader to proceed to the body copy.

•     Subheads should stimulate a more complete reading of the entire ad.  

•     A good rule of thumb is the longer the body copy, the more appropriate the use of subheads.

•     Most creative directors try to keep the use of subheads to a minimum—they can clutter an ad and can’t make up for a poor headline or body copy anyway.

  1. The Body Copy        
  • Body copy is the text component of an ad that tells the complete story of a brand. Effective body copy is written so that it takes advantage of and reinforces the headline and subhead, is compatible with and gains strength from the visual, and is interesting to the reader.          
    1. Standard approaches to preparing body copy: 

•     Straight-line copy explains in straightforward terms why a reader will benefit from use of a brand.   

•     Dialogue copy delivers the selling points of a message to the audience through a character or characters in the ad.  

•     A testimonial uses dialogue as if the spokesperson is having a one-sided conversation with the reader through the body copy. The Nicorette ad in Exhibit 12.21 is a classic testimonial. Dialogue can also depict two people in the ad having a conversation, a technique often used in slice-of-life messages.

•     Narrative copy simply displays a series of statements about a brand. A person may or may not be portrayed as delivering the copy.   

•     Direct response copy is, in many ways, the least complex of the copy techniques. The copywriter is simply trying to highlight the urgency of acting immediately—phone now, log on now, etc.

3.2 Guidelines for Writing Body Copy.     

Regardless of the specific technique used to develop body copy, the probability of writing effective body copy can be increased if certain guidelines are followed: 

•     Use the present tense whenever possible

•     Use singular nouns and verbs

•     Use active verbs

•     Use familiar words and phrases

•     Vary the length of sentences and paragraphs

•     Involve the reader

•     Provide support for the unbelievable

•     Avoid clichés and superlatives.

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