Mom, Where Do Ads Come From?

About the same goes for advertising. Though Mad Men has done a lot to sexify our profession, absent are the scenes where mind-numb creatives stare blankly at a page as the clock tick, tick, ticks toward the deadline.

Not exactly riveting TV.

So how does an ad find its way from our brains to your copy of US Weekly? Let’s dive in.

STEP 1: Strategy

The indispensable Creative Brief. We’ve seen a variety of flavors; all are one-sheets that detail The One Thing that should happen if the ad is a success. The legendary Stan Richards calls it the “single most persuasive idea”; TM the “key thought”; Y&R New York the “single minded Differentiating Proposition” – you get the point. A great brief encapsulates why the ad will create value for your brand:

“Jeep. The outdoorsy-est of vehicles.”

In our example, Union Coffee needed patrons to know that every time they purchased a cup of joe, 10% went directly to charity.

STEP 2: Conceptualizing a Solution

With the goal line chalked, it’s time to unleash the creativity!

Cue the crickets.

Thus begins the long and arduous task of brainstorming, brainstorming, brainstorming. The trick to getting it right? “Cover the wall,” says reigning guru of ad creativity, Luke Sullivan.

The bad, (mostly bad), comes pouring forth with the occasional shiny piece of beach glass among the ocean of wet sand. The trick is to keep at it, knowing when the ideas are exhausted, that’s when the breakthrough comes. To quote The University of North Texas copywriting professor Mike Fisher, “You suck…until you don’t.”

STEP 3: Production

Following a presentation and client blessing, revision and retooling, either a photo shoot is scheduled or stock images bought, and the magic of retouching begins.

Finally, voilà, the finished ad.

And there you have it, from concept to completion. It’s an oversimplified look at the process to be sure. We’ve omitted the art of the media plan, methodical strategic planning, the entire online revolution of social interaction, etc.

But it’s just one blog post. First we’re going to need some coffee…