Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [186]
An analysis of non-experimental data on over 1,000 ads in the Minnesota Morning Tribune annually from 1948 through 1958, found that the picture–copy ratio had little influence on readership (Troldahl and Jones 1965).
9.6.3. Balance the layout
Starch (1914) said that an ad should look balanced. For example, an ad with a photograph that occupies the top half of a page looks top-heavy. If you enlarge the bottom section by about 3 percent, the ad looks more balanced.
The art community believes that the length versus width proportion affects our perception of balance and of beauty. Classic art works typically use a ratio of 1.3 to 1 for the length to width ratio.
Photographers advise dividing photos into thirds, horizontally and vertically. Items at the points at the intersections (denoted by the black dots in the exhibit below) and within the “inner box” attract the most attention.
In some cases, the layout might be used to emphasize a message rather than to seek balance as in this ad for Penn tennis balls to be used at an upcoming tournament:
Get
to
ready
pro
see
tennis
Penn
balls
Center the main headings when using full-text justification. When using left justification, as with an Internet ad, Lynch and Horton (2009) advise also using left justification for the headings.
It is difficult to explain all the factors that might affect balance, so it might help to ask a convenience sample of people whether an ad looks balanced.
Evidence on the effects of balance
Our analysis of quasi-experimental data supports the use of a balanced layout:
Print ads with a balanced layout had much higher recall. Our WAPB analysis found 36 pairs of ads in which one ad centered the picture to show the product in the ‘inner box,’ while the other ad did not. Recall for the balanced-layout ads was 1.5 times greater than the other ads.
Typical practice in art leads to a ratio of length to width called the “platinum number.” In a study of 594 works of classic art and 471 works of popular art, this ratio averaged 1.3 (Shortess, Clarke, and Shannon 1997). This is thought to provide an attractive and balanced look.
Answer to question on page 243, “How many mistakes can you find?”
This headline appeared over an ad for the Kodak EasyShare digital camera as the top half of a full-page ad in the December 19, 2004 issue of the New York Times Magazine. It used a dark gray font on a gray background. The ad overlooked or violated many principles, including the following:
1.1.1.
Describe specific, meaningful benefits.
1.1.2.
Communicate a unique selling proposition (USP).
1.2.1.
Provide news, but only if it is real.
1.3.1.
Provide product information that customers need.
6.12.1.
Use product-related questions only if you have good answers.
7.6.2.
Use words that enhance the purchasing and consuming experience.
7.6.3.
Use familiar words and phrases.
7.7.1.
Use wordplay if it is clearly related to the product.
7.8.1.
Consider using novel metaphors that are related to a benefit.
8.1.1.
Alert the target market early and prominently.
9.1.2.
Include the brand name in the headline.
9.1.3.
Lead the reader into the body copy (e.g., no period).
9.5.2.
Provide contrast between typeface and background.
Checklist 9 is designed to help you apply the principles for ads in still media.
Checklist 9 Still media
9.1. Headline
9.1.1. Use descriptive headlines for high-involvement products.
9.1.2. Include the brand name in the headline.
9.1.3. Lead the reader into the body copy.
9.1.4. Keep the headline