Why Bad Ads Get Made
Ice cubes made out of actual Bad Ass coffee so your iced coffee never gets watered down. Part of the Bad Ass Coffee Rescube Program launching this week. Check out the work here!
6 common culprits and how to avoid them
Reason #1: Trying to say too much.
The #1 reason hands down. Value, service, selection, quality, heritage, two logos, three RTBs, a product demo…Let’s jam it all in there. When you try to say everything, you end up saying nothing.
Reason #2: No idea.
You can’t just list a bunch of things about a brand. No one remembers all that. It needs an interesting, unifying concept that makes it singular, memorable and easy to grasp.
Reason #3: The idea is too expensive for the budget
You can’t make a thousand-dollar idea for 100 bucks. It doesn’t work. Create to the budget and do the most interesting execution that budget can afford, not a compromised version of something that should have cost a lot more.
Reason #4: Poor execution
When you execute any piece of advertising, hundreds of creative decisions get made, type design, color palette, director, photographer, location, casting, wardrobe, music, sound effects. Each decision is one piece that adds to the greater whole. Brilliant executors make more smart decisions every step of the way.
Reason #5: The ability of the makers.
This is about talent. What else have they done? If they haven’t made great ads in the past, why would they suddenly start now? And even the super talented ones who make greatness on a consistent basis don’t bat 1000. The best swing and miss often.
Reason #6: Chickening out
There are lots of reasons to pull it back, not take the chance, insecurity, your mortgage, bosses, fear of losing your job. It happens the most right at the end.
And here’s the kicker…
Sometimes, you do everything “right,” and still people think it’s bad. Welcome to the 100% subjective world of advertising.
