IBRAHIM OLAMILEKAN FATAI

21D/47MC/02540

FACULTY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION

AD COPY WRITING AND PRODUCTION (MAC 313)

LECTURER IN CHARGE: DR. KAMALDIN BABATUNDE

SUBMITTED ON MAY 02, 2023

1. List five (5) types of Appeals and explain them giving examples each on how one can use

them in advertising a product or service.

i. Primary and Selective Appeal: Primary appeals are aimed at inducing the purchase of a

particular product while selective appeals are aimed at inducing purchase of a particular brand or

a product. The planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), for example, frequently runs

advertisements urging Nigerians to plan their family by spacing child birth through the use of

condoms. This is purely a primary appeal because no mention is made of a particular brand.

Beedee Enterprises, in it’s advertisements, not only attempts to induce Nigerians to plan their

families but also advised them to use Bedel condoms, because a particular brand of condom has

been favoured in the advertisements, Beedee Enterprises has used a selective appeal.

ii. Emotional and Rational Appeals: Emotional appeals are directed at the prospective buyer’s

sense of feelings and their purpose is to stimulate desire for a product on the basis of certain

psychological or social wants. Emotional appeals are directed at primary wants which include the

desire for social approval, self image and superiority over others. Most insurance companies use

emotional appeals in their advertisements. NICON effectively used this appeal with the picture

of a youth crying with the headlines announcing, “IF ONLY DADDY HAD TAKEN NICON

INSURANCE “

Rational Appeals are directed at the consumer’s intellect or reasoning faculty and they provide

information for the benefit of people who wish to deliberate before purchase. Rational Appeals
are directed at secondary wants such as efficiency, economy and pride. They are often used to

advertise durable products requiring a relatively huge investment. Examples are capital

equipment for industry, building, expensive automobiles, etc. Any advertisement placing

emphasis on price coupled with quality is making use of a rational appeal. The Volkswagen of

Nigeria, while extolling the qualities of it’s Santana model said: “There is nothing more to add”.

iii. Product and Institutional Appeals: An advertisement’s objective determines whether the

appeal used is a product or an Institutional appeal. If the advertisement is basically to sell a

product, then a product appeal is used. If on the other hand, the advertisement is to sell an

institution, an Institutional appeal is then used. A product advertisement is basically designed to

sell a particular product. An institutional advertisement has as its primary objective, the creation

in the minds of people, a particular image of the advertiser. Institutional appeals are generally

more subtle because they are less personal and do not demand a direct response from the target

audience.

iv. Positive and Negative Appeals: This classification is based on the way of presentation

rather than the consumer motive at which it is directed. Positive appeals are presented in such a

way as to suggest that the reader, in responding to the appeals, will derive something useful or

beneficial. Negative Appeals warn people against an impending danger if a particular product is

not used. Negative appeals are intended to arouse fear in varying degrees, to the extent that the

only situation to avoid the undesirable situation is the purchase and use of the advertiser’s

product.

According to Wirsig(1965), there are two shortcomings of the negative appeals. Generally,

people dislike criticisms and hate to feel guilty about anything. They would rather prefer to be
advised than warned. The other danger is the possibility that the negative situation may be

associated with the product rather than failure to use it.

V. Sex Appeal: Under normal circumstances, advertiser’s constantly use sex appeals to attract

attention. A pretty face with a beautiful hairdo, a pair of lovers embracing each other usually

wins attention, more especially if the product is a cosmetics. Women are a powerful force in

determining the target audience of most products. Women generally tend to like and embrace

products with pictures of fellow women, especially if the picture is good.

2. List and briefly explain any five factors the media planners consider when preparing the media

plan.

a. Target audience

b. Campaign objectives

c. Budget

d. Media availability

e. Competitor ability

Target audience: The media planner needs to identify the target audience for the campaign and

understand their media consumption habits. This includes factors such as age, gender, location,

interests, and media preferences.

and how they will be measured. For example, if the campaign objective is to increase

brand awareness, the media planner may recommend a mix of TV, radio, and outdoor

advertising.

2. Budget: The media planner needs to work within the budget allocated for the campaign.

This will impact decisions around the media channels selected, frequency of advertising,

and geographical reach.

3. Media availability: The media planner needs to assess the availability of media channels

in the target market. For example, if the target audience primarily consumes media

online, the planner may recommend a digital campaign.

4. Competitor activity: The media planner needs to be aware of the media activity of

competitors in the market. This helps to identify opportunities for differentiation and to

avoid over-saturation in certain media channels.

a. Size of the Budget: This refers to the total money available for the media. Effective advertising

is saying the right thing, in the right medium, at the right time. The goal of the media planner is

to spend money available where it will achieve the desired goal. Budget determines the media
affordable by the advertiser. A bigger budget allows room for a variety of Media while smaller

budget makes media selection decision more tasking.

b. Media Characteristics: Reach, Frequency, Continuity and Circulation are the four key

characteristics of the media that should be taken into consideration when developing media

objectives. The first two, that is Reach and Frequency are rated highly in media planning. Reach

(R) is related to coverage. It is the number of people exposed to the advertisement. On the other

hand, Frequency (F) is how often, that is , the number of times the target audience are exposed to

the message. The use of many media will give the advertiser a high rate of reach while frequency

will employ a limited number of media with emphasis on repetition. The task of media planners

is to have a plan that yields most impressions (I) for least money. Impression (I) is determined by

multiplying Reach ® by frequency (F) which in notation means: I= R × F

Using this formula, an advertisement seen by 100 person’s ® four times (F) will have the same

impression as an advert seen by 50 person ® eight times (F). I = R × F = 100 × 4 or 50 × 8 = 400

c. Media Cost Efficiency: The advertiser is concerned with the relative cost of the expenditure.

The cost expended is seen in relation to or compared with the increase in sales. This becomes

necessary because of the limited budget which must be judiciously allocated.

D. Media Availability: how “available” is the medium? The problem of availability is more

pronounced in the electronic media. Often, advertiser’s cannot use the medium because “peak”

and suitable periods have been fully booked. This problem does not arise in the print media

because the number of advertisements determine the number of pages of a particular edition of

most newspaper and magazines. A newspaper could increase the number of its pages from 20 to

50 if there is corresponding increase in the number of advertisement placements.

The format for radio and television commercials is similar in many ways, but there are some key

differences. Both radio and television commercials typically begin with an attention-grabbing

opening that introduces the advertiser or product. This can be through a catchy jingle, a

memorable tagline, or a compelling statement.

The body of the commercial provides more information about the product or service being

advertised, including features, benefits, and any special promotions or sales. In television

commercials, visual elements such as product demonstrations or animations can be used to

enhance the message.

The call to action Is an important component in both radio and television commercials, as it

encourages the listener or viewer to take a specific action, such as visiting a website, calling a

phone number, or making a purchase.

One key difference between radio and television commercials is the use of visual elements.

Television commercials can utilize visual storytelling techniques to convey the message, while

radio commercials rely solely on audio elements such as music, sound effects, and voiceover.

Another difference is the length of the commercial. Television commercials are typically longer,

ranging from 15 seconds to a minute or more, while radio commercials are shorter, typically

ranging from 15 to 60 seconds. Overall, the format for both radio and television commercials is

designed to convey a memorable and persuasive message that resonates with the audience and

encourages them to take action.

The Radio is the medium of mental images and there are three major elements to be considered

in preparing a radio commercial. They are:

a. Words: The first step to be taken is the development of a FACT SHEET to be used by an

announcer or radio personality. Fact sheet is a document that contains essential selling points and

suggestions regarding appropriate words to describe product benefits. A fact sheet does not

suggest copy to be read or any particular manner of delivery. Fact sheet is to ensure uniformity in

the gist of a message in different radio stations because of the stations’ different characteristics.

For example, the way an announcer with the Radio Nigeria “2”, Lagos will present an

advertisement will be different from that of his counterpart in Gateway Radio or Paramount FM,

but the gist of the different presentations will still be the same. If there is no fact sheet, then a

recorded message (commercial) which can either be straight from an announcer, multiple voice,

drama, testimonial, musical off beat, educational or humourous can be played

b. Music: music in a radio commercial is used to establish the proper mood necessary for the

advertising message. It can be used as an introduction which serves as ATTENTION GETTING

or as a BED when it remains at the background or as a STINGER when it ends a message. It is

particularly important to choose the right music for the right message. For example, the use of

Johnny Nash’s music- “Lean on me, When you cannot stand, I will hold you” by the National

Insurance Corporation of Nigeria could be considered good because the music is not only good

for the content of the advertisement but reflects its mood.

c. Special Effects: A special effect in radio commercial could be cough, sounds of bell or

engine, moving vehicle or any effect that can used to dramatize or establish a mood. Most car
and car parts dealers use automobile sound in their commercial to make it real and more

effective. There are five other factors that influence the creative format of the use of the radio

commercial and they are tagged as the 5Ps, namely: Period, Plot, Personality, Pitch and Pace.

FORMAT FOR TELEVISION COMMERCIALS

The three elements discussed in radio – words, music and sound effects also apply to television

commercials. In writing a television commercial, there are two basic points that must be

addressed. They are:

a. The Basic Product Idea (BPI): This is obtainable from the creative strategy or copy platform.

It establishes product benefits and target audiences and it is always written by the research team,

if any.

b. The Execution Strategy (ES): This is the work of the creative team. It is the transition of the

BPI into graphics and art form. Execution strategy requires creative writers and artists. A

television script is divided into two portions. The right side is labelled audio and lists the spoken

copy, the sound effects and the music. The left side is the video, meant for the camera action,

scene and stage directions. However, after the basic script has been conceived, the wirjter and the

art director prepare the storyboard. The integration of the Basic Product Idea and Execution

Strategy leads to the development of a storyboard.