Reading Chapter 6: Generating Strategies and Ideas

Chapter 6 is an intensive and extensive examination of different techniques and strategies that one can employ when creating an ad campaign. Barry defines a strategy as an approach, and idea that communicates the proposition to the right audience in a consistent tone (106). After this, he describes various types of strategies including: the 'Before and After Strategy', the Before Only Strategy, the After Only strategy, the Advice Strategy, the Knowledge Strategy, and so on. The point of these explanations is to detail some of the many ways in which a designer can focus a campaign idea on. He or she may use on or a combination of these techniques as long as the theme and tone remain cohesive and do not become disjointed. Following these descriptions are different types of ideas, such as visual metaphor and similie. These techniques are good for creating interesting and intriguing ads that go beyond the literal and into the lateral.I found most interesting the social commentary idea and how a designer can use social issues to sell a product or service/evoke emotion in the consumer. Also interesting was using truisms in a campaigns as well as interesting facts to draw in the viewer of the ad. The next section focused on how to use aspects of the individual product (such as the brand name, its packaging, or how it is consumed) to create individualized campaign that promote the specific purposes of a product. Barry advises against using college humor, but focusing on unique humor that ultimately promotes a product or service. He also explains how often times, ideas are 90% there but need that extra push to make it a great ad instead of a good one, which happens often with my own designs.