We’ve all heard challenges described as puzzles. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a real puzzle and see how it relates to the particular challenges of creating advertising. Jigsaw puzzles, of course, are illustrations, photographs or other graphic representations that are cut into many pieces. The challenge is to fit them together, each piece in its special place in the overall picture. The more pieces in the puzzle, the bigger the challenge.
In my opinion, the most important part of a jigsaw puzzle is the picture on the box which shows what the completed puzzle looks like. Imagine the difficulty of working on a puzzle without that guide. Is it a beach scene or a cityscape? Is it birds of North America or antique sports cars? You’ll never know unless there is something to follow.
It’s just as difficult – and a lot more costly – to put together an ad campaign without a guideline to follow. If you dump the pieces out of the box and try to force them to fit, you’ll end up with a jumbled mess that is destined to fall apart. But if you start with a plan, you’ll have a picture to guide you along the way.
Here are some thoughts on advertising’s puzzle box:
It’s the same in advertising. After you gather the right kind of information, take time to separate and prioritize the pieces. As you clearly identify a target audience and their buying motives, you’ll see matches with certain product benefits. And as you consider the way those bits can fit together, the bigger picture will begin to emerge.
The point is simple: When you open the box to work with a new advertiser, make sure to have a good picture to follow.
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John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training DVDs to save time and get quick results from in-house training. Email for information: john@johnfoust.com