By Jeffrey Hedquist
Listeners will automatically position your advertiser in their minds whether you do anything or not. You can help influence their perceptions by linking your advertiser with something familiar. You can call it creating an image or identity in the minds of the target audience.
Build it around the benefits customers get from the advertiser. Are there characteristics that make the advertiser’s product or service different from those of their competitors? If not, you may want to rethink putting them on the air.
If so, which ones would the target audience relate to? Create a link to the lives of your audience with comparisons, which we call similes.
A simile is a comparison of two unlike things, typically marked by use of “like”, “as” or “than”. Examples include “the streets were like a maze” “the snow was as thick as a blanket”, or “the atmosphere was more somber than a funeral.”
Remember, your audience is already buried in a sea of offers, so make the message simple and consistent with what the audience already believes.
Use similes as opening lines. They’ll help you write the rest of the spot. They can also make client-positioning statements.
What niche in the mind and heart does the advertiser fill? Here are some suggested ways to construct similes. Just fill in the blanks with the appropriate nouns, adverbs, or adjectives.
It’s like a turbo-charged___. It’s like___on___. t’s like a___for your___. It’ll feel like___. Ot’s like the___version of___. It’s like___on steroids.
It’s as relaxing as___. It’s as fresh as___. It’s as funny as___. It’s as exciting as___. And they cost the same as “ordinary”___. You’ll ___as___as a___.
It’s stronger than___. It’s smoother than___. They’re___than ordinary___. You’ll feel___ than___. We’re___than___. It’ll___you___than___.
So whether you’re advertising a search engine that’s like Google on speed, a day spa with a one hour treatment as relaxing as a week’s tropical vacation, or a loan process that’s quicker than making a cup of coffee, give your audience a simile to grab.
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