Key Point 1: Message Executions
- What are the five key decision areas?
- Find an ad that illustrates one of the 13 common message story formats. Explain how it works.
- How do tone and style differ? Find an ad that you think illustrates a distinctive tone and another one that demonstrates a distinctive style. Explain how they work.
- Do you want a visual element to be a literal representation of the thought expressed in a headline? What is gained and what is lost with such an approach?
- What is the purpose of a headline?
- How do display copy and body copy differ?
- Find a copy-heavy print ad. Make a copy of it, and on the copy in red ink identify the headline and the body copy. If any of the following elements appear in the ad, identify them as well: captions, subheads, overlines, underlines, tag lines, call-out quotes. Finally, circle the brand-identification elements, and label them as a logo or signature.
- What is a script? How do scripts for audio and video media differ?
- Describe a broadcast announcement that you think is particularly intrusive. Why is it irritating? What might be done to soften the irritation yet keep the message on strategy?
- Find an ad that you think is particularly well written and one that isn't. Compare the two, and explain your evaluation.
- What is art direction? Explain the role of an art director.
- What is visualization?
- What is a layout? What information does a layout provide?
- What is a storyboard? What information does a storyboard provide?
- What is one-voice, one-look consistency? How does it differ from strategic consistency?
- Collect all the communication materials you can find from a local bank. Analyze them and your experiences with the bank in terms of the consistency triangle. Can you identify any gaps between the "say," "do," and "confirm" messages?
- Find a product or service that demonstrates inconsistency in the materials developed by the various marketing communication areas. Redesign the materials using a one-voice, one-look approach to create more consistency in these planned messages. Explain your changes.