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Street-Smart Advertising
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Street-Smart
Advertising
How to Win the
Battle of the Buzz
M B
ARGO ERMAN
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
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ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Published in the United States of America
by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.rowmanlittlefield.com
Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2007, 2010 by Margo Berman
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-
copying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
The Library of Congress has cataloged the previous edition of this book as follows:
Berman, Margo, 1947–
Street-smart advertising : how to win the battle of the buzz / Margo Berman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Advertising. 2. Commercial art. 3. Graphic design (Typography).
4. Advertising media planning. 5. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) I. Title.
HF5823.B454 2007
659.1—dc22 2006016643
ISBN: 978-1-4422-0335-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN: 978-1-4422-0336-5 (electronic)
Printed in the United States of America
™
°° The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
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Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments ix
1 Rev Up Your Thinking to Tackle Economic Shifts 1
2 Play with Typography’s Multiple Personalities 27
3 Embrace Type as a Design Element 50
4 Master the Design Elements 69
5 Connect with Your Audience through Powerful Writing 82
6 Spark the Creative Process for Focused Campaign Strategies 107
7 Take Charge of the Design Principles 126
8 Explore the Power of Color Psychology 145
9 Discover Exciting Strategy-Based Ads and Campaigns 163
10 Learn the Latest through Inventive Case Studies with
Impressive Results 188
11 See Which Self-Promotions Really Work 203
12 Be Inspired by Creative Tips from Conceptual Thinkers 221
Glossary 229
Selected Bibliography 237
Index 239
About the Author 243
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Preface
While reviewing the literature that existed, I realized that although
quite a few volumes have been written on creative thinking, adver-
tising, and design, few cover the conceptual process as it relates to
creative strategy. While many of these books offer strong theoretical content and
excellent visual examples, they don’t necessarily take the reader from concept to
execution, step by step, something I believed would be helpful.
In this work, I covered the elements and principles of design, methods to
create sticky slogans, techniques to write powerful ad copy, global meanings of
colors, case studies of inventive campaigns, creative process with insightful inter-
views, insights into social networking, and examinations of self-promotions,
plus tips from conceptual thinkers at some of the most imaginative agencies and
design firms in the world. With this showcase of exceptional creative work,
readers can be guided and inspired to look for novel approaches and unique
solutions to marketing and advertising challenges.
Each chapter examines a particular aspect of creative development and
showcases examples through quotes, visuals, commentary, and exercises. Readers
can work at their own pace and refer first to the chapters they are most inter-
ested in. For easy reference, words in the glossary appear in italics, as do the titles
of the campaigns being discussed. This way, readers can more easily refer back
to a particular campaign.
Written with advertising professors and students in mind, the book will
also be interesting to seasoned professionals who enjoy reading about campaigns
that created a global buzz. This systematic explanation will also help marketing
executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs gain a richer understanding of
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viii PREFACE
advertising and what it takes to create campaigns that generate press coverage.
In addition, they will be able to better assess their immediate and long-term pro-
motional plans.
After completing the book, readers will be able to:
• rethink traditional media usage
• write more compelling copy
• evaluate and or modify slogans they might be currently using
• instantly identify and classify slogans in advertising messages
• create interactive campaigns
• consider developing a self-promotion
• explore new advertising vehicles
• develop concepts that spin out and work in multiple media
• think in a more creative way
I hope the information in each chapter will prove useful to readers and will
help them create innovative ideas to solve myriad marketing dilemmas. I am
inviting readers who might be working at agencies, design firms, or portfolio
schools and who have developed unusual self-promotions to let me know about
them, at [email protected], for possible inclusion in future works.
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Acknowledgments
There are so many people without whose help this work would never have
been completed, that I must take a moment to thank each and every one.
Many may feel no thanks are necessary, but I totally disagree. If in the
final push to complete this book, I inadvertently omitted someone, please for-
give me.
First, I must thank my husband, Jack, who listened to my many iterations
of “Sorry, I can’t talk now,” and second, Jennifer Minnich, creative director of
M2Design, who constantly cheered me on. Each one encouraged me along as I
moved down the long road from concept to final execution. Jennifer’s help was
invaluable in proofing, helping to design some of the graphics, and in pinch hit-
ting wherever needed. Third, I must say a special thank you to my niece, Ronni
Alexander, who always shared my vision.
Next, I must thank three people at Rowman & Littlefield Publishers for the
first edition. First, Brenda Hadenfeldt, acquisitions editor, communication and
journalism, who believed in me from the start and patiently persevered until we
found a literary vehicle. Second, Bess Vanrenen, her editorial assistant, who
never grew tired of answering my endless questions. And third, Jehanne
Schweitzer, senior production editor, whose editorial and visual expertise and
attention to detail brought the manuscript to fruition.
I wish to thank all the creatives and executives at ad agencies who inter-
rupted their busy schedules to assist me in obtaining visuals and participate in
interviews; gathering pertinent campaign information; and reviewing chapter
excerpts.
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