RECOGNITION AT A GLANCE. ADVERTISING THAT WORKS AND WHY.

by Bob Beaulieu

How many times have you heard a radio spot, seen a television commercial, glanced at a newspaper ad, or had an ad pop-up while surfing the internet, only to be completely confused as to what it’s about, or in some cases not even identify who sponsored the ad?Its ultimately a simple case of lack of recognition.

Recognition, or branding is your most important sales tool.  Through consistency, legibility and messaging of your product or service, is how the public is going to immediately identify you. A few basic rules should be used when putting a promotion together to work for your organization.

First,  is your logo clear.  Does it have a sharp contrast within the ad. Is it not being crowded out by surrounding information. If it is not self-explanatory, does it have a tag line that immediately assists in describing your service or product.

Second.  School colors. Ensure that you keep your color palette consistent. Your signature color will immediately assist in recognition.  Think of how distinct Home Depot orange is.

Third. Establish a type face and stick to it. Headline, body copy, tags whatever, set a consistency that becomes universal with your company.

Fourth. Design. Use of graphic design, whether through the use of borders, layout and similarity of artwork is important for identification. A word of caution, if too similar, the viewer will not recognize a new ad, a simple line listing is not enough, Make sure your main visual or headline changes enough to recognize a new ad… yet, the overall look still retains your unique branding.

We can go on about music tag lines, visual styles, introduction of characters etc,. but the point is maintaining the consistent look of your promotion. Once your viewing public recognizes your ad instantly, your branding and recognition will lead to successful sales.

Robert Beaulieu is a board member of the South Shore Ad Club and president of Beaulieu Advertising and Design, based North Scituate, MA. www.beaulieudesign.com, 781.378.1742