12 MASTER FORMATS OF ADVERTISING
These strategies were identified more than 30 yrs. ago by Donald Gunn. In 1978, Donald Gunn was a creative director for the advertising agency Leo Burnett. Though his position implied expertise, Gunn felt he was often just throwing darts–relying on inspiration and luck (instead of proven formulas) to make great ads. So, he decided to inject some analytical rigor into the process: He took a year long sabbatical, studied the best ads on TV, and looked for elemental patterns.
It was a revelation: The curtain had been pulled back on all those sly sales tactics at the heart of persuasive advertising. As you can see by the current TV commercials listed with each format below, these strategies are alive and well in today’s advertising market!
I’ve also included a link at the top of the page to a slide show that presents ads exemplifying each of Gunn’s 12 Master Ad Formats.
With a little practice, you, too will be ticking off the master formats during commercial breaks.
1.) The Demo - Visual demonstration of a product’s capabilities…as in late night TV spots.
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EXAMPLES: SHAMWOW, George Foreman Grill, The Magic Bullet
2.) Show the Problem - The Classic “I’ve Fallen and I can’t get up!” strategy.
- EXAMPLES: A man is using his cell phone to communicate with a woman following their first date. He’s starts to tell her how they made a connection and he asks her out again…but there is no response-just silence. He starts apologizing for his breath, spilling food at the restaurant…still nothing. Little does he know, his sub par cell phone company dropped the call. AHA! Now they present the BETTER cell phone company which is the FIX for the phone and his date life.
3.) Symbolize the Problem - Use symbols or exaggerated graphics to bring the problem to life.
- EXAMPLES: MUCINEX-the mucus is a gross, green, blob that sets up house in your lungs, NYQUIL-When you have a bad cold you become a ghostly, colorless, version of yourself until you take Nyquil’s new warming syrup.
4.) Symbolize the Benefit - Use of symbols to focus on a product’s benefit.
- EXAMPLES: A Laxative company uses the “Old faithful Geyser” to highlight their new-found regularity.
5.) Comparison - Pointing out how one product is superior to others.
- EXAMPLES: Comcast Cable Versus Verizon
6.) Exemplary Story – when an ad uses a story narrative to exemplify the products benefits.
- EXAMPLES: Allstate and Volkswagen’s jarring car crash ads from the car passenger’s unsuspecting perspective.
7.) Benefit Causes Story – Use of product causes a unique story.
- EXAMPLES: AXE Body spray turns a man into a chocolatey version of himself that LOTS of women can’t help but consume.
8.) Testimonial – Real people telling other real people about the product.
- EXAMPLES: CAR INSURANCE-A celebrity ( Joan Rivers, Little Richard) narrate a customer’s car trouble story, ROOMBA-this robot vaccum gave this lucky housewife free time again.
9.) Ongoing Character or Celebrity - Consistent character/celebrity keeps brand in your memory.
- EXAMPLES: Jared From Subway, Valerie Bertinelli with Weight Watchers, Geico Caveman
10.) Associated User Imagery - Ads that showcase the types of people brands want to associate with.
- EXAMPLES: NIKE-Who wears Nike? Hard working, successful athletes.
11.) Unique Personality Property – Highlighting feature that makes the product stand out.
- EXAMPLES: (Such as long product history, product’s memorable name, or the company’s founder)WENDY’S-Dave Thomas, KFC-the Kernel.
12.) Parody or Borrowed Format - Parody of well-known movies, TV, or other ads that infuse humor.
- EXAMPLES: Celebrities go back into their most famous movie/TV roles to pitch a product.
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