Clever and Cryptic is Not Good Messaging

Have you seen these ads for the Lung Cancer Alliance?

They’ve been the subject of editorials, articles and debate and – in some cases – public outrage. In a recent UPI.com blog, Stuart Elliot says the advertising campaign “features hipsters, cat lovers, tattooed people and crazy old aunts with a tagline reading that they ‘deserve to die.’ According to the Lung Cancer Alliance, the ads are meant to challenge the perception that people with lung cancer have brought it upon themselves.”

Provocative? Yes. Cryptic and clever? Yes. Effective? We’ll see. Even if the creators are courting controversy to gain our attention, how will this attention translate into changing health policy, elevating awareness, and empowering patients – which is the organization’s stated mission?

Out-clevering your audience is not good messaging. And it turns out funny ads are not necessarily effective either. New research by ad-testing firm Ace Metrix shows that funny ads are “slightly less likely to increase desire of purchase intent.” So two strikes against this campaign.

If funny, outrageous or clever doesn’t work, what does? Good messaging that produces results has the following characteristics:

Exposes a relevant problem
Uses contrast
Shows how you’re different

Watch this 10-min video on how to create effective point-of-view messaging:

Sources:

Lung Cancer ad photo: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/deserve-die-posters-ad-campaign-lung-cancer-201119572.html

“AdAge” article with Ace Metrix research:  (http://adage.com/article/news/10-funniest-tv-ads-sell-unfunny/236024/?utm_source=daily_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage)

Lilia Todorova

Communications Director

Corporate Visions

Filed under: Business-to-Business, Develop Messages that Matter, Distinct Point of View, Marketing, Message Creation Tagged: advertisement, Lung Cancer Alliance, meme