Does Your Business Stand Out In A Crowd?

Pretty pictures, great. Well written copy, excellent. But what truly differentiates your creative pieces from those of your competition? The challenge in advertising today is that you are competing against the virtual universe as you try to gain the attention of a population that is afflicted with ADD. Between family, work, social networking, actual networking, and a real social life, how do you create impressions that are meaningful and lasting to a society that is being overloaded with information?

SUCCESS

In Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath, the authors discuss why some information sticks while others go where many a great idea have gone to perish. These "sticky" messages are the holy grail of creativity, but as Chip and Dan explain, a successful creative process will contain just as much science as art. The principles to creating a sticky message are outlined below, and should serve as a checklist of sorts for any creative piece in your advertising campaign.

1. Simple- Find the core message and relay it faithfully.
2. Unexpected- Be tasteful, but be shocking. Tell 'em something they don't know.
3. Concrete- Abstract is good for art, but bad for sticky. Give the audience something they can relate to.
4. Credible- If they don't believe you, it doesn't matter what you say.
5. Emotional- If they don't care, they won't act. Make them feel something.
6. Stories- Engaging the audience in a story creates a relationship where they can place themselves in the story. This simulation encourages action when they are actually in the environment in which you want them to act.