Developing and Managing the Advertising Campaign 283
as T-shirts, magnets, and talking dolls. Taco Bell’s sales shot up 4.3 percent in the cam-
paign’s first year; the firm now spends $200 million a year on advertising and is keep-
ing the chihuahua in its ad campaigns.^18
In developing a creative strategy, advertisers follow four steps: message genera-
tion, message evaluation and selection, message execution, and social responsibility
review.
Message Generation
The product’s “benefit” message should be decided as part of developing the product
concept. Yet there is usually latitude for a number of possible messages. Over time, the
marketer might want to change the message, especially if customers seek new or dif-
ferent benefits from the product.
Creative people use several methods to generate possible advertising appeals.
Many creative people proceed inductivelyby talking to consumers, dealers, experts, and
competitors, while others use a deductiveframework. Regardless of the process, how
many alternative ad themes should the advertiser create before choosing? The more
ads that are created, the higher the probability of finding an excellent one. Yet this is a
balancing act, because the more time spent on creating alternative ads, the higher the
costs, even with the use of computerized tools to create rough versions of ads.
Message Evaluation and Selection
A good ad normally focuses on one core selling proposition. Twedt suggested that
messages be rated on desirability, exclusiveness,andbelievability.^19 When the March of
Dimes searched for an advertising theme to raise money for its fight against birth
defects, managers brainstormed several messages. They asked a group of young par-
ents to rate each for interest, distinctiveness, and believability, assigning up to 100
points for each. For example, “Seven hundred children are born each day with a birth
defect” scored 70, 62, and 80 on interest, distinctiveness, and believability, whereas
“Your next baby could be born with a birth defect” scored 58, 51, and 70. The first mes-
sage outperformed the second on all accounts.^20 Smart advertisers conduct market
research to determine which appeal works best with their audiences.
Message Execution
The message’s impact depends not only upon what is said but also on how it is said.
Some ads aim for rational positioningand others for emotional positioning.U.S. ads typi-
cally present an explicit feature or benefit with a rational appeal, such as “gets clothes
cleaner,” while Japanese ads tend to be less direct and appeal more to the emotions.
Message execution can be decisive for highly similar products, such as deter-
gents, cigarettes, coffee, and vodka. Consider vodka. Although it is generally viewed as
a commodity product, the amount of brand preference and loyalty in the vodka mar-
ket is astonishing. Most of it is based on selling an image. The Swedish brand Absolut
became the largest selling imported vodka in the United States by mounting a well-
integrated targeting, packaging, and advertising strategy geared toward sophisticated,
upwardly mobile, affluent drinkers. The distinctively shaped bottle, suggestive of
Swedish austerity, has become an icon—and is used as the centerpiece of every ad,
accompanied by puns such as “Absolut Magic.” The firm also runs short stories about
the brand written by distinguished authors in ads designed to appeal to readers of
such magazines as The New Yorker.^21
In preparing an ad campaign, the advertiser usually prepares a copy strategy state-
mentdescribing the objective, content, support, and tone of the desired ad. Creative
specialists must also find a cohesive blend of style, tone, words,andformatfor executing