Angus Young of AC/DC is a genius. He has a knack for writing simple and catchy three-chord guitar hooks. Those three-chord masterpieces have made him millions upon millions of dollars.
It takes great talent to be that simple, especially in advertising.
I heard a Honda dealership advertise on the radio yesterday. The commercial started off promoting their great selection of Civics. OK… but then it mentioned that they have Accords too. And the CRV for those looking for more room. They then moved into their over-stock of used vehicles. They added a few lines about their unbeatable warranty. It wrapped up with their super-duper financing deals.
What a collosal waste of time and money.
Great ads are simple, like an AC/DC guitar riff. They are singular and focused. Because they are simple and focused, they can touch emotional hot buttons with the customer, inspiring them to buy.
Here are 3 simple things to remember when putting your next ad together:
1. Focus on the customer and how they feel when they use your product. Don’t waste time talking about the product itself until you’ve gained emotional buy-in from your customer by selling the experience.
2. Always deliver only one message in your ad. Don’t try promote every aspect or benefit of your product. If you need to do that, then you need more than one commercial.
3. Great commercials motivate customers to buy. That’s all. You don’t need to win a million awards or become a YouTube sensation. You need to motivate customers to take action. Remember that. If you entertain me, but don’t motivate me, you wasted your money.
Here’s a classic simple Angus riff, performed at the 2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. I was fortunate enough to be in the audience for this one… a night I’ll never forget.
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