SCABs

Slippery Little Barstools by @AshJBibby

Ashley

 

 

 

 

 

By Ashley Bibby

 

 

Sadly, even though it would make an enthralling scab I am not talking about slippery barstools, I am talking about the often illusive Single Minded Proposition. The single thing that I would like to say in an interesting way so that it gets ingrained into peoples minds. The ingraining part is where the actual advertising helps but without a great thing to say all you are doing is waffling on about nonsense.

 

Exaggeration is a huge part of advertising as it helps show the point in a much simpler way. Almost anyone could take a product benefit, exaggerate it in a mildly interesting way and create great ‘studenty’ looking adverts. For me the greatest advertising is the type that opens your eyes to a new way of looking at the world, the type where you can tell that there has been some clever thinking behind the ad. This is where the wonderful SMP comes in.

 

It all sounds so easy, nail the SMP and then fly to Cannes to collect your awards. But the SMP is an intangible character. Not only does it need to involve a great bit of thinking that will resonate with the audience; it also needs to be fresh, something which the brand or a rival hasn’t claimed before. Once you think you might have nailed down the little barstool it then has to be executional. There is no point having a great thought if you then can’t get it onto ads in a simple and succinct way.

 

Rosser Reeves said it best with “You must make the product interesting, not just make the ad different.” A good bit of exaggeration will make your ad different. However to make it interesting you need something people can connect to, something which will make the product relevant in their lives, something which a great SMP will give you.

 

It would be great if at the bottom of the scab I had some great advice on how to solve mine and possibly your SMP woes but I don’t. All I will say is be one of the very few students that bother, as after all — practice doesn’t make perfect but it bloody helps.

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