An ad is a communications tool, first and foremost. The most basic communications principles should be applied when developing an ad. An ad has several elements:

Message

Audience

Action

Expected outcome

Measurement

Some general things to keep in mind when developing ads.

If you're writing for public consumption, you MUST own a stylebook and you must use it.

Often times a client will have a certain style for their communication, this applies to more than design elements, it applies o words too. Know what this is and make sure you follow along.

Every agency has a style, whether it's the Oxford comma or the term they use for an enewsletter. Know it, use it. Follow the rules and your approval process will be much smoother.

I'm not just talking about jargon. Some clients prefer certain terms over others. Know those and use them accordingly. It's your job to know what the client expects of your work.

Example: daycare vs. child care

You have to be constantly aware of what's going on in the world. Will your message be offensive due to recent events? Will you seem unsensitive? Don't ,ale the client tell you. Know BEFORE you start the project and always be aware of what's happening in your client's market.

There are certain pieces of information that you need to develop an ad. These steps should be followed every time, without fail.

What does the client what to achieve with this ad? We should always have an objective when communicating for a client. The objective should be your road map.

Understanding the audience, not only who they are, but what is important to them will help you make your message relevant. You can tell the. What you want to say or you can tell them what they'll here. Make your message focused and targeted.

It's important to not only know, but understand the message your client is trying to communicate. Make sure this guides your process.

The channel is one of the most important pieces of information you will have. People consume media in many different ways and you must consider how a medium is consumed when you're developing an ad.

Measurement is arguably one of the most important step. We have to know what worked and it's up to us to translate the results to our clients.

This step also allows us to make changes so that we can improve the work we provide for clients.

Internal review often has many steps:

PR team review

Account service team review

Agency president - depending on client

Make revisions of the internal teams

Proofing - never send something out the door without proofing

Often times, a client will have several approval channels to navigate. You should know about their approval process before developing a timeline for development, allow for their processes.

Client approval process

Make client revisions

Proofreading

Back to client for final approval

Sure, ads are important part of what we do, but it's not ALL we do. Your clients are looking for more than ads from you. You should actively seek creative solutions to your clients problems. Always look for the best way to tell you client's story. We're here to provide big ideas, not big ads.