Advertising Copy: An Advertising Copy Must Be Based On The Following Factors

Advertising copy
Ad copy or copywriting is the text of an advertisement and is delivered through several

methods, with the end goal of a completed conversion. The conversion can be a sale, a
download, data collection, a social action, such as a Facebook like, a YouTube play, a
reTweet, and so on.
Meaning and Characteristics of Advertising Copy:

An ‘advertising copy’ is the means by which an advertiser expresses his ideas in the form of a
message to the readers. If refers to all the reading matters of an advertisement, whether short
or long, and includes the headline, sub-headlines, text or body, and the name or the initial of
an advertiser. An advertising copy is sometimes referred to as ‘advertising message’.
Characteristics of Advertising Copy:

The format of advertising copy must be so designed that it possesses the characteristics, or
features like:
(1) Arresting pictures,
(2) Arresting headlines,
(3) Novelty and contrast of the product,
(4) Distinctiveness,
(5) Message size and position (how long, how short, how it is put, etc.),
(6) Color,
(7) Shape, and
(8) Movement.
Factors Affecting Advertising Copy:

An advertising copy must be based on the following factors:
(i) Is advertising believable?
(ii) Is advertising reliable?
(iii) Does it appeal to the consumers’ needs and wants?
(iv) Does it explain the benefits of a product realistically?
(v) Is it based on creativity? etc.
An advertising copy or message has to be designed by identifying the target audience. What
are the audience needs? attitudes? preferences? It is very difficult to pinpoint various factors
in detail, because much depend on the perception, attitude and social status of the audience.
The aim of advertising copy is that it shall be seen, read, the messages conveyed, and then
acted upon. It is necessary that an advertisement copy creates curiosity in the mind of the
prospect, invites his attention, produces an impression on his memory and turns his
impressions into convictions.
Different types of ad copy:

1. Print – Magazine, Newspaper, Direct Mailers
2. Radio – Commercials & Sponsorships
3. TV – Commercials & Sponsorships
4. Online – Banner Ads, Videos, PPC Ads
5. Outdoor – Billboards, Signs
6. Indoor – Point of Purchase, In-Store Displays, Aisle End Caps, Sporting Event
Placement
ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD ADVERTISEMENT COPY

An ad copy is made of various principles, all of which are integrated into a few lines of the
copy that the advertisers are allowed to engage. It combines search engine optimisation with
marketing strategies and is used in all kinds of advertisements, not only pay per click and
contextual ads. The essentials of a good ad copy are as follows:
Credibility- An ad copy must focus on the credibility or the reliability of the ad. The
copywriters should essentially flaunt an element of reliability in the ad so that the consumers
are convinced to go ahead with the product. The credibility of an advertisement is the extent
of honesty in the ad message. Misleading and misinterpreted ads harm the reputation of the
selling house.
Attention- The keywords, punch lines or phrases that seize the attention of the potential
consumers or some component in the ad that attracts the target audience is essential in a good
advertising copy.
Assurance of benefit– An advertisement copy must contain some promise of the benefits
that the product offers if the consumer purchases and uses the product.
Brief and clear- An ad copy must be brief and clear, i.e. it must be to the point. It doesn’t
mean that the copy must omit the important elements of the ad. A clear copy is easy and
quick to be read by the readers. It is self-explanatory, definite, and precise. Clarity makes
way for interpretation.
Apt and conforming- The copy must be apt and must match the needs of the prospects. A
copywriter has to use the most suitable USP. Every ad copy must meet the conforming
standards and rules acceptable to the advertising media and the laws of the land. A copy that
offends the morality challenges religious beliefs of the people is not welcomed by any media.
A good advertisement copy has the following attributes:

1. It is brief:
Brevity is the soul of wit. Most readers are interested in shorter advertisements. Being brief is
not dropping words or chopping sentences. It is the meticulous work of eliminating and
substituting the words without jeopardizing the meaning. It cuts to the core; it is to the point
to cover all.
2. It is clear:
A clear copy is one which is easily and quickly read and grasped by the readers. It is
unambiguous and self- explaining. It is one that clicks fast. Clarity gives clue to
interpretation. The manner in which a copy is interpreted is dependent on factors like local
traditions habits, customs and nationality. Clarity is adjusted to these points.
3. It is apt:
A copy is apt that matches to the needs and counts of the prospects. Writing an apt copy is the
art of putting in the words that create strong desire to possess the product where the product
features or the qualities satisfy the consumers’ desire to possess. Copy writer is to place
himself in the position of a customer to make it apt. He is to use the most suitable USP.
4. It is personal:
A personal copy is specific where generality is dismissed to do away with ambiguity. A
personalized copy is centered on the prospect. It presents something of interest to the
prospect. It is an individualized appeal copy. It is written from ‘prospect’ to ‘product’ rather
than ‘product’ to ‘prospect’. The copy has ‘you attitude’.
5. It is honest:
Credibility or believability of an advertisement message is decided by the extent of honesty.
An ad to be good must be truthful. Misleading and mis-presented facts made in the copy only
damage the reputation of selling house.
One of the surest ways of winning the hearts of the consumers is to be honest. ‘Honesty’,
here, implies ‘commercial honesty’ and not the ‘judicial’.
6. It is conforming:
Every ad copy is to conform to standards, rules and regulations acceptable to the advertising
media and the laws of the land. Anywhere in the world, no copy is acceptable to any media
that offends the morality, declines decency and ravages religious susceptibilities of people.
That is why; we have not come across ads on cigarettes and alcohols on radio and television.
No advertiser can violate the provisions of the Act of Names and Emblems, Drugs Acts of
1940, 50, and 54.
Types of Advertising Copy

Technique or formula of presentation of an ad is the way in which a message is presented.
Various types of advertisement copies are formulated to inform, inspire, influence, affect,
engrave, and inscribe the mindset of the reader. Certain elements are significant in a copy like
the attention, conviction, sentiment, instinct, and education.
The advertisement copies can be divided into six main types:
 Human interest ad copy
 Educational ad copy
 Reason why? ad copy
 Institutional ad copy
 Suggestive ad copy
 Expository ad copy
Human Interest Copy

Human interest copy entices the emotions and senses of its prospective customers rather than
the intellect and judgment. This advertisement copy defines the product to people instead of
sticking to facts. Human Interest copy gets to selling part indirectly or reluctantly. It focuses
on people’s undying interest in themselves, their families and friends. The most important
forms of Human Interest Copy are- humorous copy, fear copy, predicament copy, and story
copy.
HUMOROUS COPY
Humorous ad copy is a copy which is designed to make the reader laugh. This copy brings
about a smile on the readers face.
FEAR COPY
Fear ad copy arouses a sense of fear in the reader to save their lives or to protect themselves
from something. It creates interest among its consumers by instilling a sense of fear in them.
Fear advertisement copies must be designed carefully as it may carry an unpleasant
association on the viewer’s mind concerning the product.
STORY COPY
In a story copy, a story is narrated in a very interesting way to develop interest amongst its
prospects. Customer experiences can also be narrated in the form of a story.
PREDICAMENT COPY
In a predicament copy, the copy provides a dramatic explanation about the product. This copy
explains all the advantages and benefits of using the product. The predicament copy usually
takes over the other three forms of the advertisement copy.
Reason Why Copy
A Reason Why advertising copy offers reasons as to why the consumers are expected to buy
the product of a particular brand. The reason why copy appeals directly to the intellect or the
judgment of an individual than the emotions. It tries to explain the product qualities and
benefits by giving evidence in the forms of testimonials, guarantees, customer experiences,
and so on.
The approach of this copy explains reasons to readers as to why the advertised product has to
be purchased. The format of this copy states a fact about a product or a service in the headline
and then explaining why the fact is true in its further text. This form of advertising works
better in print than on media, because broadcasting an ad has a limitation with respect to time.
There are good chances of the viewer missing the headline or the reasons why the headline
claims to be the truth.
Educational Ad Copy
An educational ad copy attempts to inform, update and prompts its clients to buy a product by
educating the prospective customers. It is designed to educate the public about the attributes
of the product. Introductory ad copies are usually created in this way. It is the responsibility
of every manufacturer to educate the prospects regarding the product and endure a warm
welcome amongst its clients. Such an ad copy signifies the benefits and special features of the
product.
Institutional Ad Copy
Institutional copy doesn’t sell its goods and services. Institutional ad copy aims at promoting
the selling house. It focuses to build a strong reputation for the selling house. The main
objective of this type of ad copy is to create, maintain, and increase the goodwill through its
philosophy, objectives and policies so that the prospective customers register it in their
minds. Institutional copy invites the target customers to the selling outlet. It is also called as
prestige or corporate advertising.
Suggestive Copy
A suggestive copy suggests or attempts to convey the message to the readers directly or
indirectly and prompts them to purchase the product. Suggestive ad copy works best when
the reader is confused regarding the quality of the product and is juggling with decision
making regarding his purchase.
Expository Copy
Expository copy conflicts with the Suggestive copy. An Expository copy doesn’t conceal
anything about the product but instead exposes the facts that are clear and apt. It describes the
product features, uses, merits, operation and benefits of the products or services. Even a swift
glance registers quickly in the consumer’s mind and is quite easy to remember or pick up.
Writing an ad copy is an art of putting in the words or the elements that create a strong desire
to possess the product wherein the product features satiate the consumers desire to possess
the product. It is the ability to eliminate the surplus and substitute it with the essential
elements without jeopardizing the meaning.
Action is the essential end goal of any advertisement copy, which is to receive some reaction
from the target audience for the advertisement. It could be just about visiting the page of the
brand on the net, enquiring or filling a form or the actual purchase itself.
Elements/layout of an Advertising Copy

There are Seven (7) basic elements of an advertising copy. Some advertisement may contain almost
all or while some may contain two or three elements, the most important to the copy, is its ability to
deliver and get desired result. As said elsewhere, no rules guide the application or usage of copy
elements; it is solely the creative responsibility of the copy writer to determine that. The followings
are the basic elements ofan advertising copy, these are:
1. The headline
2. The sub-head
3. The body copy
4. The caption
5. Illustration
6. The box and panels
7. Slogans, logotype and signature.
1.The Headline:This is the first copy interface which anyone would come in contact with, it is
usually written in large type face. Also referred to as caption, the headline is designed alongside a
catchy illustration to capture and attract attention to the advertisement. It drives prospective buyers to
further investigate the brand.
2.The Sub-Head: This goes after the headlines often, sometimes some copy writers, display the
subhead first before the headlines, this is basically for a purpose which they deemed would drive in
audience to the entire copy. The subhead is written in a smaller type face lesser than headlines but
larger than the body text.
3.The Body Copy: This is the illustration text, always in the smallest type face in the copy than the
headline and the subhead. The body copy explains a brand in a few and concise but creative words
that stick faster in the mind of the audience. It explains a brand in the best possible ways.
4.Captions: These are written in a smaller type face than the body copy to represent sales points by
illustrating and explaining them at the same time. Captions are less important to the main selling
points in the advertisement than the body copy
5.The Blurb or Balloon: This is term used in advertising to represent that the illustration of an
advertising copy is coming out from mouth of one of the characters used in the advertising campaign.
At times they are used as headlines and displayed in large size.
6.Box and Panels: These are elements in a copy which display unique and special information other
than those already displayed by the advertisement. They are use in such features as coupons, special
offers and contest rules
7.Slogan, Logotypes, Trade –Mark and Signatures: These elements often show themselves in every
advertisement. They are companies identifying tags; they differentiate one organization from another
especially when they offer competitive brands. For instance: MTN, GLOBACOM, ETISALAT, and
AIRTEL, all these organizations offer telecommunication services, if they have none of these
elements, they might just confuse customers in a bid to identify with their preferred brand.

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Advertising copy

Ad copy or copywriting is the text of an advertisement and is delivered through several

Meaning and Characteristics of Advertising Copy:

Characteristics of Advertising Copy:

Factors Affecting Advertising Copy:

Different types of ad copy:

ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD ADVERTISEMENT COPY

A good advertisement copy has the following attributes:

Types of Advertising Copy

Human Interest Copy

Elements/layout of an Advertising Copy

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