Last time I talked about how breaking the rule that says “watch what your competitor does and make sure you do that too” is the critical first step in creating a brand that gets people out of their houses and into your place. Now I will share with you a little secret. 

There is one rule that I believe in NEVER breaking. In fact it’s more than rule – it’s almost like a system of beliefs about what makes ads good.

Of course there are some basics: 1) good brand registration, 2) quality look and feel – after all, you can’t really expect people to look at a commercial that was shot at your local TV station for 500 dollars then somehow think that same ad makes a good stand-in for your multimillion dollar property; and 3) uniqueness of concept and 4) memorability of concept.

Once you’re kept true to the four basics, I would add this as a rule that one should never break: Respect your viewer and treat him/her as a friend. The ad you develop should create a friendship with the viewer – and because of that friendship, you have certain responsibilities. If it is a target customer you don’t know yet, you have to be especially sensitive to the rules of friendship. You do not make fun of your new friends. Even when you do comedy, you do not portray people in your ads as objects of ridicule – even if they are meant to be caricatures of people who are not in your target. Insult NO ONE with your ads. It’s just basic good business. I am constantly amazed by the tonnage of ads that air everywhere every year which make fun of people the way a 9th grade bully does – laughing at them, not with them. 

It also makes sense that if you agree that you should not insult or degrade people in your ads, that it might be a good idea to establish an emotional connection with them. That’s why most of our favorite campaigns we’ve done for our Red Circle clients use some core truth-of-the-heart about gaming to show how a guest feels about a great experience at casino. What makes it memorable and, just as important, what makes that memory proprietary to your place. Take a look at our work for Grand Casino and Kewadin Casinos, especially.

If you ever meet anyone who says that people who work in advertising have no souls or convictions, would you please send them my number? Or write to me at cathy@redcircleagency.com. I would beg to differ!

posted by CathyGrisham No Comments »

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 7:42 am and is filed under advertising, marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.