hamp's ads and ends: Let's hear it for the box

Think inside the box.

While you're encouraged to think outside it, it's best not to forget what's in it. If it came with a tag like the one on mattresses and pillows, the tag on the box would read, " Warning! Discard or tamper with the contents of this container at your own risk,"

The box holds such mundane items as the creative strategy and its components: the objective of the advertising, target audience,the selling idea, support for the idea (reason for claim) and tone of the advertising...all those important guidelines for creating effective advertising.

Mid the cacaphony of the meshegas that today passes for advertising we have lost track of what we're supposed to be doing. Advertising is and always was a medium of persuasion, a selling tool.

How persuasive is the placement of a product in a movie, or the logo slapped on a race car to compete with the camouflage of a dozen other logos. What is preferred position in this situation? And yet the mere sighting of a product or merely its name constitutes advertising in many quarters.

I wouldn't retire the storyboard or the printed page just yet.Cherish the time and the space to convince.

And remember the box. It's the brake that stops you before plunging into a sea of vacuity. It's the string around your finger that reminds you what you're being paid to achieve.

It must be obvious by now that I'm from the school of "It's Not Creative Unless It Sells".

I should be. I wrote it.

Comments

I couldn't agree more. I've always believed that it's not about creating "outside the box," but rather to create inside the box while pushing vigorously on its walls... from the inside, outwards.

Creating advertising without a box is far too open ended. There's no place to start. And, as such, too much time is wasted in places that aren't relevant.

The attitude of advertising's creative people should not be, "don't put me in a box," but rather, "put me inside a relevant box with solid and well-defined walls, and then leave me alone to find the greatest, freshest expression of the answer that is needed."

Thanks.

Posted by: WordGuy | June 18, 2006 at 11:06 AM

Dear Word Guy:
Unfortunately there are not enough of us left.I appreciate your comments and you sound like just the kind of person I'd want writing ads in my creative department.
Thanks.

Posted by: alhamp | June 19, 2006 at 03:59 PM

Hey Al. Good luck with the blog. And how weirdly ironic that your first post be this particular subject. I have a book coming out this August 31 on this very subject: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/007146204X/qid=1151006287/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-7683415-8139859?v=glance&n=507846
Needless to say, I agree with you:)

Posted by: ernie | June 22, 2006 at 03:58 PM