A.I.D.C.A. IN AD DESIGN.
The buying path that follows is the one that you can rely on whenever you need to sell an idea or a product. It is provided as an overview with a brief explanation of the key components.

A- ATTENTION
Attracting favourable attention.

I – INTEREST.
Holding and developing interest with layout & design.Creating a need within the reader using good copy.

D – DESIRE.
Presenting the solution using benefits.Presenting the price

C – CONVICTION.
Offering testimonials and reassurance

A – ACTION.
Asking for action. Providing the means to act


ATTENTION

We gain favourable attention by using relevant pictures and headlines.

There are five ingredients that can be used to make up a good headline.

• Mention the word ‘New’ or something Newsworthy.

‘New in the latest……’

‘Beat the Budget with…..’

‘Exciting news for football fans.’

‘Now is the time to decorate your new home.’

‘Goodyear Tyres win the Austrian Grand Prix.’

• Identify the customer or mention their interests.

‘Do you want to learn to drive?’

‘Golfers, improve your game.’

‘Calling all walkers.’

‘Are you planning a holiday?’

• Promise a benefit (to the prospect).

‘Now you could lose weight for summer.’

‘Save time this washday.’

‘Fun for all the family.’

‘Save money this weekend.’

‘Everything for your home under one roof.’

• Provoke curiosity.

‘S p EX.’

‘Do working women age faster?

‘So you think you’ve got a good deal?’

‘Are you paying more than you have to?’

‘Find out how to lose weight easily.’

‘How to afford a brand new car.’

• Mention the product favourably.

‘Hand crafted, perfectly fitted fireplaces.’

‘Ford, peak performance everyone can handle.’

‘Delicious home made pasta.’

‘The perfect combination of style and comfort.’

‘Quality 100% wool carpets.’

INTEREST.

Here we enlarge and develop the points made by the headline. We use sub headlines and copy to create a need by talking to the reader about their potential needs.

We use good design and layout to hold the attention of the reader. (See later).

DESIRE.

Here we sell a solution to the readers needs using selling points and benefits. We use strong describing words (adjectives), and personal pro-nouns like ‘you’, ‘yours’ and ‘your home’. These help to paint a word picture of the relevant benefits.

We build up desire by using selling points and adding benefits.

Putting Price Into Copy.

We present price in the Desire stage by softening it with phrases like ‘Only…..’, ‘As little as..…’ ‘Just…..’ and by sandwiching it with a benefit before and after the price is mentioned.

Benefit / Price / Benefit.

CONVICTION.

Here we convince and reassure the reader.

We can mention Trade Associations the company belongs to, guarantees, the date the business was established, well-known brand names, awards.

We can use testimonials from happy customers and proof sources like market research.

We can offer free trials / test drives.

ACTION.

Here we urge the reader to action by using ‘call to action’ phrases like: -

‘Hurry now’, ‘No time to lose’, ‘First 200 customers only’, ‘Offer ends soon,’, ‘Buy now while stocks last’.

We give them the information they need to act.

• Company name, address, tel. no, contact name, web address.
• Opening hours.
• Parking
• Methods of payment.
• Location, map.
• Disabled, child facilities.

PROCESSING THE ADVERT

USING Illustrations

An illustration is the key to gaining the readers attention in the short time available. It will create the mood of the advertisement once they have read the initial headline.

• SIZE: Make it big enough to attract attention.
• COPYRIGHT: Ensure no copyright is involved i.e. unless the user or we own it.
• Photographs: Give more credibility to an advertisement than line drawings, especially if you have people in them. Photographs show the customer exactly what they are buying, and with a person demonstrating the produce, re-assures the customer that it works. Use photographs of people the reader can identify with e.g. in an advert for a first time buyer property you could use a young couple.

Using Borders

Unusual borders can help make an advertisement attractive and hold the reader’s eye within the readable area. Make sure the border is necessary and that the page on which it appears will allow it to stand out. Choose one that will enhance the ad by being in tune with the rest of the message. Remember, readers are interested in content once they have been attracted to the advertisement.

SIMPLE AD DESIGN

To become even more effective we need to be able to combine visuals, layout skills and copy to closely control the final appearance of our ads. The following tips will help you do this.

Decide the size:

Look at the products for sale and decide

• How big the ad should be.
• How you need to divide up the space. Try and have a ‘birds eye view’ of the layout as soon as possible.

Start by drawing a box the size of your ad (in light pencil).

Chose a visual :

• Choose a picture or photograph that suits your message first, then match it with a headline. This can be quicker than thinking of a headline then looking for a picture that may not exist.
• Have photographs / pictures facing in towards copy to draw the eye into the advert.
• Use white space to good effect.
• Limit the use of white on black – it is hard to read and black ink can bleed into white type.
• Use paragraphs where possible.

Body Copy

• DON’T WRITE ALL IN CAPITAL LETTERS. IT IS VERY HARD TO READ WHEN YOU SEE TOO MUCH OF IT AT ONCE.
• Don’t mix too many typefaces. T his can be hard to read and look unprofessional! Try and use no more than two in any one advertisement.

SUMMARY: A snappy headline/visual idea can really swing a sale, so make them work for you. Try and prepare an idea before you go on a call. Build up a bank of headlines relevant to the particular lines of business you deal with.