The world of advertising is complex and often defies logic. Efforts to find an infallible formula of advertising have failed, but we must still recognize formulas in use and consider how to improve them. This article will discuss some common advertising strategies and mistakes.

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	The ad copy may be a masterpiece like Shakespeare's Othello, but tragically doesn't tell customers what they should do after reading.

There are several self-professed gurus on advertising. Tread cautiously. A failure-proof plan may sound appealing, but avoiding some common mistakes may be a wiser choice.

To customers, the copy and the design of the ad equal the product until they buy it. Today, many similar products are competing fiercely for an identity. The ad must exploit slight differences among competitors to create an image and to survive. It's expensive to create a great ad campaign, but changing brand identity midstream may cost even more.

You may have scores of reasons and temptations to brag about your company and your brand, yet you only say what you offer to your customers. The space filled with the features of the products is often money wasted. And for God's sake, avoid having a photo of the company CEO smiling and praising the product in the ad.

The ad copy may be a masterpiece like Shakespeare's Othello, but tragically doesn't tell customers what they should do after reading. Ask them to buy your product or take action. An ad without a message for an action is a big waste.

Never make an ad just to please the owner of the business. You may not get paid. Gaps between the producer's perception of the product and the consumer's may be wide. An outsider can see things more objectively.

A single ad will fail to activate a customer. A single overexposed ad is less effective than several visually-related ads with slightly different messages. You may have many things to say about your product, but avoid the temptation to cram the ad space. Say one thing in one ad; create a strong message. Plan a campaign with purpose. Excessive wordiness will kill your ad, besides irritating your customer.

Often designers, with the help of technology, impress businessmen. They create great designs. But it may be lacking good copy. It is not a designer's job to write copy. Don't even ask your accountant or your secretary to create copy for the ad.

Good design shouldn't be fixated on the designer's pet interests. Just because you like babies or parrots doesn't mean you should use their pictures in your ad for selling cement or washing machines.

Never try to copy your competitors. It will never get you an advantage. Ideally, you'd try to create something which cannot be copied.

Designers believe in learning through experimentation. Because they have never used Gothic they may try using it in this ad and strain the readers' eyes and make them leave copy unread. Thank god, doctors don't follow their example.

Justify urgency in the ad. Proclaiming that "this offer won't last long!" will lower the impact of the message and cheapen the company image. The products offered this way are forgotten as soon as the time limit is up, fostering no brand loyalty.

It is difficult to judge an ad and its impact, but it is essential. Don't go by your perception or your friend's appreciation. Monitor the results very objectively.

The best approach would be to understand as well as trust the product, the customer, the tool, and the time. Trust yourself, trust your product; the ad cannot go wrong.

On the net:

William Shakespeare
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

Successful Advertising Copy
www.trainersdirect.com/resources/articles/Sales&Marketing/AdvertisingCopy.htm

Writing Effective Headlines
www.web-source.net/david_garfinkel4.htm

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