Template #6 - Time Leap
This template shows a situation, then jumps either forward or back in time to entertain or to demonstrate the value of the product.
In the first example from for a Playstation 2 game, time is rewound to show the consequences of a single action.

Template #5 - The Interactive Experiment
The concept here is to get your customer to take some action to “prove to themselves” that your product is right for them.
There are several excellent examples of this, both current and historical.
One commercial and print campaign that ran in the 1970’s used a credit card to demonstrate […]

Week over week changes in sales as reported by Zata participants.
BC Restaurants: Down 2.52%
BC Retail Stores: Up 8.7%
Stop guessing how you’re doing and find out. Zata compares your sales and costs to other businesses in your market. Sign up today at www.myzata.com.

Template #4 - The Uncommon Use
While similar in many respects to the Extreme Situation Template, there are two key differences.
Key #1: There is an element of surprise in the ad. Often it is not clear what the advertisement is for until the end of the commercial.
Key #2: One key feature is […]

According to a survey conducted by a gift card company:
OCCASIONS GIFT CARDS PURCHASED FOR:
Birthdays – 78%
Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa – 67%
Wedding shower/gift – 27%
Graduation – 18%
Mother’s Day – 17%
Anniversary – 16%
Thank-you gift – 16%
Baby shower/gift – 15%
Father’s Day – 14%
Congratulations – 11%

Template #3 - Extreme Consequences
In contrast with the second template, Extreme Situations, this template exaggerates either the consequences for using or not using your product, or dining at your restaurant or shopping at your store.
Here are some examples of the use of this technique.
The first comes from Dairy Queen, which shows just how hot their […]

Template #2 - Extreme Situations
This template takes your product and puts it into an extreme situation.
In the following clip from Columbia Sportswear, a man is strapped to the roof of a 4×4 and driven through a variety of terrible weather conditions. The implication, of course is that if the product can withstand this […]

In the previous post, How to Create an Effective Advertisement - Introduction, I described how the researchers came to develop the six templates of effective advertising. While there is effective advertising that does not fall into one of these templates, much of it does. As you learn the templates, you’ll start to identify […]

When it comes to magic, there are two types of people in the world. The first type enjoys watching a magic trick performed extremely well. They like the feeling of being surprised and have no interest in how it is done. In fact, finding out how the trick is done would spoil […]

Yesterday, Harmony Airways decided to end its scheduled flights, cutting some of them as soon as this Friday. As a result 350 staff are being laid off.
But the staff aren’t the only casualties in this; while customers have been issued full refunds, they’re now forced to rebook travel on short notice. This leaves […]