Creative Pitching: 8 Secrets You Should Design In

Could you guess the most creative pitching or advertising ever? You might ask about the criteria for the most popular, yes? In this case, we will use the most awarded ads, according to the Gunn Report.

The Bear Commercial

Target market

Grab and hold the attention

Value proposition

Tell fun story

Make messages simple

End state values

Influence and persuasion

Design of visuals

In the advertising business, everyone is familiar with a commercial for the French TV company Canal+, titled “The Bear.” Created by ad agency BETC Paris, this commercial is now, officially, the best TV ad of all time, according to The Gunn Report, which tracks advertising awards.

Adweek notes that the ad has received more industry awards than any other single piece of work in the Gunn Report’s history.

Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.

Released in 2011, it has been viewed 1 million times on YouTube but, obviously, has never aired in any of the larger TV markets in the English-speaking West because it’s for a French brand.

For Canal+, its communications are driven by a desire to remind audiences of its commitment to quality cinema. As part of this strategy the channel’s ad agency, BETC Paris, produced an offbeat, witty TV commercial – ‘The Bear’ – in which a bearskin rug explains what it takes to become a great Hollywood director.

Have you seen this advertisement? If you have not seen this 30-second ad, you can check it out here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3393O1uD_w8

In marketing or advertising, you need to create information that your customers find interesting and worth talking about and remembering. This advertisement certainly achieves this goal, don’t you think?

Let’s examine this commercial and what contributes to the secrets of its success. And its ability to influence or persuade.

Creative advertising is relevant to the target market

Keep in mind that one message does not fit all. It starts with knowing your target market. Here the target market is families who like to watch cinema. This commercial is certainly relevant to this market, isn’t it?

Creative advertising ideas … grab and hold the attention

Hold attention to interesting information. Keep in mind that people don’t watch ads … they watch what interests them. Your ad messages must be interesting to your target communities.

This message certainly grabs and holds attention based on the simple emotion of effective humor.

define value proposition — **You must define the value proposition.**

Define the value proposition

A unique selling proposition that truly discriminates you from your competition. Give your customers reasons to select you. Maybe not the most significant visible feature, it does illustrate Canal+’s claim as a company that puts a high priority on great cinema, which is their clear, yet very simple message:

‘The more you watch Canal+ the more you love cinema’

See our article on building the best Unique Selling Positions.

tell fun story — **Did you tell a fun story?**

Tell a fun story

This is definitely a humorous story that draws in potential customers. It stars a bearskin rug who, having seen a lot of movies on TV from his spot on the living room floor, becomes a movie director himself in the egotistic style of Stanley Kubrick.

Through a combination of live-action and CG ‘The Bear’, shows the rug at work as a film director behind the scenes of his latest film, complete with mood swings and tantrums. The narrative wittily and succinctly brings to life Canal+’s claim that: ‘The more you watch Canal+ the more you love cinema’.

Make messages simple

Simple enough that the reader will quickly understand. Keep in mind that pictures are far more valuable than words. Creating customer emotion through solid humor does not get any simpler than this, does it?

Customers’ end-state values

Customers and particularly the target customers are looking for new winning cinema features. No reason to buy without these and the marketing strategy certainly is addressing this end state in our opinion.

The commercial does not address any specific examples of Canal+ cinema examples or features or why Canal+ is the best. A weakness we believe.

Influence and persuasion

There are no better means of influence or persuasion than emotion. Hands down the best, in our opinion. This commercial focuses on emotional appeal in grand fashion, with its witty humor.

A real pleasure to watch in our minds.

It is the secret of this commercial’s success.

Outstanding visuals

This video would have been a winner without the commitment of the outstanding visuals. The bear rug visuals pushed it well over the top, didn’t they?

Successful Advertisement Design … 12 Best Examples to Study

The bottom line

Remember, it is not what the most popular advertisement does with the consumer; it is what the consumer does after viewing the advertisement.

After looking over these enablers, we believe Canal+ has created a very effective commercial, well worthy of its awards and popularity.

What do you think? Does this commercial persuade you? It certainly persuades me. What are some of your experiences with advertising as a component of an integrated marketing campaign?

Need some help in capturing more customers from your advertising? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with your customers?

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improving your advertising design?

Do you have a lesson about making your innovation better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

The Secrets to This Volkswagen Ad Effectiveness?

Is it a secret? Probably not. But it seems like a hidden truth. Under wraps until the Volkswagen ad effectiveness was achieved.

Or camouflaged. Certainly, something we can learn from, however.

The secret of all effective advertising is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures. It is one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships.

– Leo Burnett

Have you seen the recent Volkswagen safety commercial? Let’s examine this commercial and what contributes to its strengths and weaknesses. And its ability to influence or persuade.

Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.

Marketing or advertising, you need to create information that your customers find interesting and worth talking about. Talking about and remembering. This advertisement certainly achieves this goal, don’t you think?

Volkswagen advertising strategy

Let’s evaluate other keys to effective marketing strategy in this advertisement:

Here is a short video showing some tips on effective ad design.

Volkswagen ad effectiveness … be relevant to your target market

Keep in mind that one message does not fit all. It starts with knowing your target market. Here the target market is families with young children and people with a high focus on car safety. Certainly relevant to this market, don’t you think?

*Volkswagen commercial grandma … define your positioning*** … your frame of reference.

Make comparisons to your competitors if you can. Volkswagen certainly knows who its major competitors are. However, it chooses not to take them on in this commercial. A good move we believe.

Grab and hold viewers’ attention

Do this with interesting information. Keep in mind that people don’t watch ads, they watch what interests them.

Your ad messages must be interesting to your target communities. This message certainly grabs and holds attention based on simple emotion.

Define a value proposition

A value proposition that truly discriminates you from your competition. Give your customers reasons to select you.

Maybe not the most significant visible feature, it does illustrate Volkswagen as a company that puts a high priority on passenger safety. This is their clear objective, isn’t it?

Make your messages simple

Ones that the reader will quickly understand. Keep in mind that pictures are far more valuable than words. Creating customer emotion does get any simpler than this, does it?

Any effective marketing campaign will only work if it focuses on a single message. This is true whether it’s a series of Web videos, direct emails, magazine display ads, banner ads, outdoor billboards, television and radio spots,

At the heart of all advertising is the promise you commit to delivering to your clients. No matter how clever or memorable your marketing, if you fail to deliver on that promise, you will fail.

Learn a lesson from the politicians. The general publics’ opinion of politicians is about on a par with having a prostate exam.

Politicians can’t help themselves. They promise the electorate what the electorate wants to hear, and then fail to deliver on promises that can never be kept.

Consequently, people become cynical and distrust everything politicians say.

Failure to deliver on your promise to be the cheapest, the best, or the guy with the most features, is like a politician promising no new taxes. Read my lips! Those kinds of promises are a prescription for a marketing disaster.

Taking the conceptual approach requires a certain degree of confidence. It requires an understanding that you are going to have to give something up to get something in return.

Do you present your identity as the Timex of widgets, inexpensive and ubiquitous? If so, then you are giving up the audience looking for the Rolex of widgets, expensive and exclusive.

This list could go on, but I’ll end with one last powerful principle that is useful in reshaping opinions. It is useful for getting people to rethink brands or categories. It is one of the best reasons to invest $5 million in a Super Bowl ad in the first place.

In early 2011, selling an American car was a tough ask. Most people still associated Detroit and American automakers with failure and bailouts.

The principle of “two-sided messaging” was brilliantly used in Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit”(No. 13). We are more likely to engage with a message that fits with what we already believe.

If someone feels negatively toward a brand, they’ll be resistant to hearing a direct, positive message. By first acknowledging a few of its flaws, they’ll be more open to changing how they feel and what they believe.

The Chrysler spot tells us that, yes, Detroit has been through some tough times. But it’s also strong, resilient, and knows a thing or two about art and culture and luxury. By validating the viewers’ impressions of Detroit and, by reflection, Chrysler, the brand was able to turn “Imported from Detroit” into a “hell yes!” rally cry. A cry for the Motor City that everyone felt proud to get behind.

Whether or not any of these ads were developed with the conscious use of behavioral science, it’s clear to see that when ads work the way our brains work, they capture our attention.

And that usually means that make a lasting impact. Think how much further ahead you can be if you start your ideation with behavioral science in mind.

Consider the end state values to your customers

End states that customers and particularly the target customers are looking for in new safety features. No reason to buy without these.

The marketing strategy certainly is addressing this end state in our opinion. The commercial does not address any specific safety features or why the Jetta is the best. A weakness we believe.

Influence and persuasion

There are no better means of influence or persuasion than emotion. Hands down the best, in our opinion.

This commercial focuses on emotional appeal in grand fashion. It is the secret of this commercial’s success.

Remember, it is not what advertising does with the consumer; it is what the consumer does after viewing the advertisement.

The bottom line

Make your ad design thinking vivid by including what comes naturally to you. For example, you may not be able to imagine sequences of images very well, but you may excel in imagining other modalities such as smell, touch, and sound.

You may be excellent in infusing your visualization with emotional charge and great feelings. DO not feel compelled to stay within any single modality but make your visualizations and imagination vivid and rich by including numerous modalities.

Your senses are wonderful tools for you to engage while unleashing the power of the imaginative mind. Make it colorful and exciting.

Make your imagination your ally and your best friend.

Looking to create a smashing brand image?

After looking over these enablers, we believe Volkswagen has created a very effective commercial. What do you think?

What are some of your experiences with advertising as a component of an integrated marketing campaign?

Need some help in capturing more customers from your advertising? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with your customers?

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improve your advertising design?

Do you have a lesson about making your innovation better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he writes about topics that relate to improving the performance of business. Go to Amazon to obtain a copy of his latest book, Exploring New Age Marketing.

It focuses on using the best examples to teach new-age marketing … lots to learn. Find him on Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

Budweiser Ad … 11 Spectacular Secrets from These Examples

How do you learn creative ideas for building new advertisements? How would you go about it? For us, the answer is pretty simple. We learn best by studying and analyzing awesome advertisement design examples and then applying the best of the best ideas we’ve found. In this blog, we will illustrate 13 important design elements of our favorite Budweiser ad examples.

And there are many creative advertisements to choose from aren’t there?

Budweiser ad.

The secret of all effective advertising is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures, but one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships.

– Leo Burnett

Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.

Your expectations are not guarantees. Positive thinking doesn’t guarantee results, all it offers is something better than negative thinking. Did you win? A far better question to ask yourself is, “what did you learn?”

Learning compounds. Usually more reliably than winning does. So learn from these Budweiser design examples and you will find them useful next time you need to design an advertisement.

Related: Brilliant Advertisements to Rise Above the Noise

Here are 13 design elements we gleaned from a study of many, many Budweiser advertising examples. But don’t be fooled. They are not all equal in effectiveness, so we put them in order of importance. Let’s get started:

*Budweiser ad … e**motional influence and persuasion*

Budweiser puppy love that was, by most accounts, the biggest winner from the 2014 Super Bowl. There are no better means of influence or the power of persuasion than emotion. Hands down the best, in our opinion.

And Budweiser has been the master for a long time now. You will find the use of emotion in most of their commercials.

Experiences that trigger our emotions are saved and consolidated in lasting memory because the emotions generated by the experiences signal our brains that the experiences are important to remember. Check out this ad here.

There are eight basic, universal emotions – joy, surprise, anticipation, acceptance, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust. Successful appeals to these basic emotions consolidate stories and the desired calls to action in the lasting memories of audiences.

This puppy love commercial focuses on emotional appeal in grand fashion. It is a great example of a successful advertisement design.

One of my favorite experts in the field of creative advertising is Edward Bouches and Creativity Unbound. You’ll find lots of good examples and case studies to learn from in his blog.

Budweiser Superbowl commercials … tell a story

A good story has a beginning where a sympathetic character encounters a complicating situation, a middle where the character confronts and attempts to resolve the situation, and an end where the outcome is revealed. It does not interpret or explain the action in the story for the audience.

You will see many stories in Budweiser commercials. Here is a remarkable one about a baby Clydesdale. They don’t get much better than this.

Baby Clydesdale

Budweiser ad … coordinate identifiable music

A great ad design element is to match what viewers see with what they hear. Just like the use of emotion, Budweiser is a master of the use of music.

Check out this recent Budweiser commercial for great coordinated music and video:

And another one … Puppy love

This music selection in this commercial was so popular that Budweiser released a video of the group doing it. You can check it out here.

Grab viewers’ attention

Interesting information gets and holds attention. Keep in mind that people don’t read ads … they read what interests them. Be different and avoid normalcy at all costs. Stand out is the mantra. It’s OK to be controversial and to create conversation through the ‘buzz’. Headlines are the first place for attention.

I saw this commercial on the day that it aired. Since then I’ve not taken it for anything more than what I hope a corporation like Budweiser / Anheuser-Busch would have intended it to be. I couldn’t care less about accusations of financial intent & exploitation, Ad critics, or opinions on the product itself. It’s simply a meaningful tribute to those that lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Define the value proposition

A unique selling point that truly discriminates you from your competition is vital. It is essential that you give your customers reasons to select you. Paint the picture of value … make the value stand out. You won’t find many Budweiser commercials emphasizing value propositions though. Here is one that does … showing that their beer is brewed the hard way and is Beechwood aged. Check it out here.

Don’t need to say much as the video does the talking. Powerful.

Visual elements

Use pictures/visuals to convey the message much better than words. “Seeing is believing” and “actions speak louder than words” are two common sayings that reflect a bias and preference for visual presentation.

Next time you go out, be sure to make a plan to get home safely. Your friends are counting on you. Enjoy Budweiser responsibly.

#FriendsAreWaiting

That’s why it said, “For some, the waiting never ended”. For some doggies, their owners never return due to driving drunk or being hit by someone driving drunk. That’s why it’s such a powerful commercial. They promote their beer and the “drink (and make decisions afterward) responsibly” message.

Consider the end state values of customers

Focus on customer needs end state and not the means. The end state is the only priority.

This is another of Budweiser’s great stories, in this case about the lost puppy. Grabs and holds your attention until the end, when you can know the ending.

Make simple messages

Make the message as clean and simple as possible. You cannot overachieve on the simplicity of the message. A message that the reader will quickly understand.

Emotion is key to the Young Clydesdale ad

Superb visuals and visuals so simple that you quickly grasp them and don’t lose interest. Keep in mind that pictures are far more valuable than words. And the music has a way to keep you tied in.

Creating customer interest does not get any simpler than this, does it? A very simple, yet entertaining design, don’t you think? And the real message at the end that is very soft not selling.

Be unique

Showing social responsibility as a business is an awesome way to be unique. Check out this commercial on Epic Lyfts home.

***Be relevant to your* *target market***

Keep in mind that one message does not fit all.

You should start you thinking with knowing your target market. Here the target market is millennials that love to socialize. Nothing better than a beer and a burger with friends is there? Notice the focus on the subtle emotion to deliver the persuasion. Certainly relevant to this target market, isn’t it?

Picture of value

Using a great visual to show the picture of value … food and a Bud. An awesome way to create persuasion.

The bottom line

There is a reason why some change leaders succeed while others fail. At some point everybody needs to decide whether they would rather make a point or make a difference and, in the end, those that prevail choose the latter.

You just can’t say it. You have to get people to say it to each other.

– James Farley, CMO Ford

It is not what advertising does with the consumer; it is what the consumer does after reading the advertisement. So after looking over these enablers … how much have you learned?

Need some help in capturing more customers from your advertising? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with your customers?

Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.

Call Mike at 607-725-8240.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improving your advertising design?

Do you have a lesson about making your innovation better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.

A How-To Guidebook for Creating Winning Advertising

Brilliant Advertisements to Rise Above the Noise

The State Farm ‘Jake’ Commercial … No Art of Persuasion

Like this short blog? Follow Digital Spark Marketing on LinkedIn or add us to your circles for 3-4 short, interesting blogs, stories per week.

Could you guess the most creative pitching or advertising ever? You might ask about the criteria for the most popular, yes? In this case, we will use the most awarded ads, according to the Gunn Report.

The Bear Commercial

In the advertising business, everyone is familiar with a commercial for the French TV company Canal+, titled “The Bear.” Created by ad agency BETC Paris, this commercial is now, officially, the best TV ad of all time, according to The Gunn Report, which tracks advertising awards.

Adweek notes that the ad has received more industry awards than any other single piece of work in the Gunn Report’s history.

Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.

Released in 2011, it has been viewed 1 million times on YouTube but, obviously, has never aired in any of the larger TV markets in the English-speaking West because it’s for a French brand.

Related post: Insurance Advertising War … 8 Examples to Learn From

Have you seen this advertisement? If you have not seen this 30-second ad, you can check it out here.

In marketing or advertising, you need to create information that your customers find interesting and worth talking about and remembering. This advertisement certainly achieves this goal, don’t you think?

Let’s examine this commercial and what contributes to the secrets of its success. And its ability to influence or persuade.

Creative advertising is relevant to the target market

Keep in mind that one message does not fit all. It starts with knowing your target market. Here the target market is families who like to watch cinema. This commercial is certainly relevant to this market, isn’t it?

Creative advertising ideas … grab and hold the attention

Hold attention to interesting information. Keep in mind that people don’t watch ads … they watch what interests them. Your ad messages must be interesting to your target communities.

This message certainly grabs and holds attention based on the simple emotion of effective humor.

Define the value proposition

‘The more you watch Canal+ the more you love cinema’

See our article on building the best Unique Selling Positions.

Tell a fun story

This is definitely a humorous story that draws in potential customers. It stars a bearskin rug who, having seen a lot of movies on TV from his spot on the living room floor, becomes a movie director himself in the egotistic style of Stanley Kubrick.

Make messages simple

Simple enough that the reader will quickly understand. Keep in mind that pictures are far more valuable than words. Creating customer emotion through solid humor does not get any simpler than this, does it?

Customers’ end-state values

Customers and particularly the target customers are looking for new winning cinema features. No reason to buy without these and the marketing strategy certainly is addressing this end state in our opinion.

The commercial does not address any specific examples of Canal+ cinema examples or features or why Canal+ is the best. A weakness we believe.

Influence and persuasion

There are no better means of influence or persuasion than emotion. Hands down the best, in our opinion. This commercial focuses on emotional appeal in grand fashion, with its witty humor.

A real pleasure to watch in our minds.

It is the secret of this commercial’s success.

Outstanding visuals

This video would have been a winner without the commitment of the outstanding visuals. The bear rug visuals pushed it well over the top, didn’t they?

The bottom line

Remember, it is not what the most popular advertisement does with the consumer; it is what the consumer does after viewing the advertisement.

After looking over these enablers, we believe Canal+ has created a very effective commercial, well worthy of its awards and popularity.

What do you think? Does this commercial persuade you? It certainly persuades me. What are some of your experiences with advertising as a component of an integrated marketing campaign?

Need some help in capturing more customers from your advertising? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with your customers?

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improving your advertising design?

Do you have a lesson about making your innovation better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

More reading on marketing strategy from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

Is it a secret? Probably not. But it seems like a hidden truth. Under wraps until the Volkswagen ad effectiveness was achieved.

Or camouflaged. Certainly, something we can learn from, however.

The secret of all effective advertising is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures. It is one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships.

– Leo Burnett

Have you seen the recent Volkswagen safety commercial? Let’s examine this commercial and what contributes to its strengths and weaknesses. And its ability to influence or persuade.

Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.

Marketing or advertising, you need to create information that your customers find interesting and worth talking about. Talking about and remembering. This advertisement certainly achieves this goal, don’t you think?

Volkswagen advertising strategy

Let’s evaluate other keys to effective marketing strategy in this advertisement:

Here is a short video showing some tips on effective ad design.

Volkswagen ad effectiveness … be relevant to your target market

Keep in mind that one message does not fit all. It starts with knowing your target market. Here the target market is families with young children and people with a high focus on car safety. Certainly relevant to this market, don’t you think?

Volkswagen commercial grandma … define your positioning … your frame of reference.

Make comparisons to your competitors if you can. Volkswagen certainly knows who its major competitors are. However, it chooses not to take them on in this commercial. A good move we believe.

Grab and hold viewers’ attention

Do this with interesting information. Keep in mind that people don’t watch ads, they watch what interests them.

Your ad messages must be interesting to your target communities. This message certainly grabs and holds attention based on simple emotion.

Define a value proposition

A value proposition that truly discriminates you from your competition. Give your customers reasons to select you.

Maybe not the most significant visible feature, it does illustrate Volkswagen as a company that puts a high priority on passenger safety. This is their clear objective, isn’t it?

Make your messages simple

Ones that the reader will quickly understand. Keep in mind that pictures are far more valuable than words. Creating customer emotion does get any simpler than this, does it?

Any effective marketing campaign will only work if it focuses on a single message. This is true whether it’s a series of Web videos, direct emails, magazine display ads, banner ads, outdoor billboards, television and radio spots,

At the heart of all advertising is the promise you commit to delivering to your clients. No matter how clever or memorable your marketing, if you fail to deliver on that promise, you will fail.

Learn a lesson from the politicians. The general publics’ opinion of politicians is about on a par with having a prostate exam.

Politicians can’t help themselves. They promise the electorate what the electorate wants to hear, and then fail to deliver on promises that can never be kept.

Consequently, people become cynical and distrust everything politicians say.

Failure to deliver on your promise to be the cheapest, the best, or the guy with the most features, is like a politician promising no new taxes. Read my lips! Those kinds of promises are a prescription for a marketing disaster.

Taking the conceptual approach requires a certain degree of confidence. It requires an understanding that you are going to have to give something up to get something in return.

Do you present your identity as the Timex of widgets, inexpensive and ubiquitous? If so, then you are giving up the audience looking for the Rolex of widgets, expensive and exclusive.

This list could go on, but I’ll end with one last powerful principle that is useful in reshaping opinions. It is useful for getting people to rethink brands or categories. It is one of the best reasons to invest $5 million in a Super Bowl ad in the first place.

In early 2011, selling an American car was a tough ask. Most people still associated Detroit and American automakers with failure and bailouts.

The principle of “two-sided messaging” was brilliantly used in Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit”(No. 13). We are more likely to engage with a message that fits with what we already believe.

If someone feels negatively toward a brand, they’ll be resistant to hearing a direct, positive message. By first acknowledging a few of its flaws, they’ll be more open to changing how they feel and what they believe.

Whether or not any of these ads were developed with the conscious use of behavioral science, it’s clear to see that when ads work the way our brains work, they capture our attention.

And that usually means that make a lasting impact. Think how much further ahead you can be if you start your ideation with behavioral science in mind.

*Volkswagen commercial grandma … define your positioning*** … your frame of reference.