SYSTEM NOTICE

Auto translation by AI. Be sure, accuracy, nuances and authorial intent may not be fully reflected.

Show original

A "Good" Advertisement Is Inconspicuous

setoさん

2026年3月25日 19:31

Turning words that don't reach into words that do.
To all advertising professionals.

For those working in advertising and promotion, I will organize
the essence of advertising as simply as possible.

To you, the young advertising professional.
And to you, the manager struggling with how to advise your subordinates.

Do you think that in advertising,
"the one that stands out wins"?

Becoming a hot topic in TV commercials.
Going viral on social media.
Winning advertising awards.

All of these are attractive.

But when you work in the field,
things like this happen.

"It became a hot topic, but it didn't sell."

Conversely,

"It's hardly known, but it's selling."

What is the reason for this difference?

This time, I will organize thoughts on "what is a good advertisement,"
something every advertising professional should stop and consider at least once.

There are two purposes for advertising

There are broadly two purposes for advertising.

The first is
to inform customers with problems that there is a product that can solve them.

And the second is
to provide a new realization of "I didn't know that!" and slightly change the way consumers think and their values.

In other words, advertising is

a job that generates sales and deepens the understanding of consumers
one could say.

The "misconception about advertising" that young professionals fall into first

However, the less experienced the advertising professional is,

"Eye-catching ads = good ads"

It is easy to think that way.

To be honest,
I was the same when I was first assigned to the advertising and publicity team as a new graduate.

When I saw flashy advertisements like TV commercials,

"Wow, it would be cool to be able to say I did that."

It is also true that I had that feeling.

And,
proposals from advertising agencies also tend to lean toward

"eye-catching ads"

inevitably.

This is because TV commercials and large-scale initiatives
involve high production and media costs.

However, we must not forget this here.

The purpose of advertising is not to become a topic of conversation.
It is to generate profit.

A "good" advertisement is an "inconspicuous" advertisement

There are broadly
two types of advertisements.

　・Eye-catching advertisements
　・Inconspicuous advertisements

Eye-catching advertisements

　TV commercials
　Large-scale events
　Ads aimed at creating buzz

Such advertisements

expand awareness by becoming a topic of conversation

is the goal.

However, what we often see is the case of
"it became a hot topic, but
sales did not increase much."

that kind of case.

Ads that do not stand out

On the other hand,
there is another type of advertisement.

That is

an advertisement that reaches only the target customers

From the perspective of the general public,
"I've never seen that ad"
is sometimes said.

But
if it is reaching the target
and generating both sales and profit

then,

"I've never seen it" is
actually the highest compliment.

What an advertising manager should aim for is

not an ad that stands out, but
an ad that works

I believe.

"Good" advertisements are hard to evaluate

As an advertising manager,
it is nice to be recognized by advertising awards and the like.

However, what I feel in the field is

that ads that win awards
often do not actually contribute to sales

Conversely

advertisements that contributed to sales
are often plain as advertisements

or so they seem.

The reason is simple.

Ads that sell

convey the reason for being chosen
straightforwardly

I think that is why.

They lack flashiness.
But they reach the customers you want to buy.

The purpose of advertising is

profit, not awards.

It is important not to forget this order.

A "good" advertisement is original

There is one more important condition.

That is

whether it is an advertisement that can only be said for that product

or not.

An advertisement that would still work for a competitor
if you changed the package or product name.

There are surprisingly many such advertisements.

But such advertisements

do not resonate with customers.

Rather than the competition

Why your own product

I feel, even now, that it is truly important to convey this reason
directly.

A "good" advertisement is remembered in one go

For TV commercials, there is

the three-hit theory

which says
you remember it after seeing it three times.

However, if possible,

an advertisement that is remembered in one go

is more efficient, isn't it?

Because rather than showing it to the same person three times,

showing it to different people once
expands the reach (the number of people who saw the ad)

is why.

Therefore,

what you should always aim for is

an advertisement that can be understood in one go

A "good" advertisement prompts action

The role of an advertisement is

not to force a reason to buy

It is not.

To be remembered

is.

In the customer's daily life,

"Oh, that's right, I had this"

to be remembered.

And

to research,
to buy,
to try out

to encourage these actions.

This is the role of advertising.

7 points for creating good advertisements

So,
how can we create "good advertisements"?

I believe there are 7 points.

1. Based on strategy

Advertising is

the embodiment of strategy

You must not think of advertising in isolation.

To whom,
What,
How to convey

Understanding this strategy is
the first job of an advertising manager.

2. Clarify "who" and "what"

3. Propose usage scenarios

Products

if not remembered,
are the same as not existing

That is precisely why

when to use it

called

Category Entry Points (CEP)

increasing these is important.

4. Know your customer's behavior

The easiest to understand is

search behavior

When people are lost or troubled,

they search first.

What words do customers use to search?

Just knowing this will improve
the accuracy of your advertising.

5. Set KGI and KPI

Advertising is

an investment

Therefore,

you need indicators to measure results.

Set KGI
Set KPI

Set them and

always make sure you can check them with numbers.

6. Do not rely on success patterns

It is unfortunate, but I believe that in advertising,

there is no universal pattern

Hit advertisements sometimes have
things in common.

However,

copying them does not mean
you will succeed.

Use them as a reference.
But do not over-rely on them.

This is surprisingly important.

⑦ Do not leave it entirely to others

Advertising agencies and production companies are

professionals in advertising expression and media.

However,

the ones who know the product and the customers best are
us, the manufacturers.

Consulting is good.

But
leaving it entirely to them is not.

The ones who bear the responsibility are
us, the advertisers.

Finally,

advertisements are

not things that stand out,

but things that work.

They are.

Advertisements that generate sales
rather than advertisements that win awards.

Advertisements that reach people
rather than flashy advertisements.

Creating such advertisements
one by one

is, I believe, the job of an advertising manager.