ADVERTISING: What Today's Ad Should Be — and Shouldn't Be.

Ad people talking about advertising can be so much, well, hype. But research people talking about advertising and doing so in a way that makes sense? Well, that's when we should all listen.

According to a recent article by J. Walker Smith, president of the Yankelovich Partners research, what today's advertising should be ain't what it used to be — and we all better be aware of it. Smith notes the following very important points:

1. Great advertising is great, simple storytelling. It's a story that we want to share with others, and it's a story that advertisers must tell more than one way (literally and figuratively). New media should be actively involved in the telling of the story; and when you connect with your audience on these multiple levels, that's where great advertising accelerates, as consumers retell your brand's story to others.

2. Great advertising must get into the conversation. It's not good enough to deliver a message. It's not good enough to simply purchase time or space. We must reward the consumer's investment of time and attention. When we do so, they'll talk it up.

3. Great advertising narrowcasts to its audience. Here's another not: it's not about being everywhere anymore. Rather, Smith argues, it's about being discussed by everyone in your target audience, which means that relevance is the better measure of a media buy's efficiency, not exposure.

4. Great advertising is about the experience of it. This may be one of the hardest concepts for advertisers to accept, but Smith passionately argues that the true measure of great advertising is in its enjoyment, not its specific recall. That means advertising that somehow rewards its viewer — with a chuckle, a nice feeling, an aha! moment — will be most effective, and should be the goal of your messaging.

As Smith concludes (and as we at Trendspottings agree): "The meaning of a brand is in the dialogue about it, not in the text of an ad. Persuasiveness comes as much from the manner in which a story is told, versus the logic of it. Entertainment in advertising has always been important, but today it's paramount because — with new media, and so many media options — our attention is no longer a lock. We'll hang around to participate only if the experience is worth it."

SOURCE: Marketing Management, NOISE