If there’s one thing this year’s SuperBowl commercials proved, it’s that today’s consumers aren’t looking for advertisements that sell. They’re looking for ads that entertain. If you’re not sure about that, just take a look at Volkswagon’s “Little Vader”. Not only was the clip making the rounds on YouTube before the SuperBowl even aired, it was also sitting pretty as one of the best liked commercials of the game.
It’s easy to see how you play the entertainment card when you’re filming a video. You’ve got action on your side. But if you’re going to do business with this new brand of customer, you need to entertain as well as inform in all aspects of your marketing campaign-including your offline marketing materials.
Comic strips and mini-novellas are taking the place of the traditional brochure. Poster designers are climbing over each other to see who can create the most audacious images and get that all-important second look. “Make ‘em laugh” is making a reappearance as one of the most repeated phrases in the advertising industry.
Witty dialogue. Clever wordplay. Eye-popping images. And the element of surprise. All key ingredients in any successful print media.
Here’s a piece of advice for you. The next time you sit down to write copy and design images for printing, ask yourself, “Am I entertained?” Then take your design to the guy down the hall and ask him the same thing. If the answer is yes on both sides, you’re gold.
If the answer is no, it’s back to the drawing board.