THE MAKING OF IDEAS (Building Blocks of Local Radio-TV Copy)

Never ask yourself where your next idea is coming from.

It's a bit like asking a centipede how he manages to synchronize his legs when he walks: dwelling on the question is apt to throw you.

A dictionary phrase defines idea as "a thought; mental conception or image." Everybody has these. The trick is to summon them at will and make productive use of them.

They should grow organically out of the problem at hand-in this case the product or service to be advertised.

SET A DEADLINE

Don't let the pressures of necessity paralyze you; let them work for you. When the deadline is hovering and the client is bellowing, the most extraordinary ideas may occur to you (just as the pangs of stagefright may help even experienced actors to give better performances). Why? Any crisis you face causes a flow of adrenalin. Result: You think faster, clearer, and better than normally. To capitalize on this, many copywriters put off writing anything until the last minute, counting on the tensions produced by that looming deadline to spur them to their creative high point. I can't say I recommend this form of mental roulette, but it does pay to set an artificial deadline-earlier than the real one, giving yourself the luxury of excess time. Condition yourself to observe this imaginary deadline. If you learn to be your own worst critic, this method can build the same pressures as a genuine deadline and help you produce some of your best ideas. Ideas simmered under pressure usually turn out well done.

THE TWO IDEA FAMILIES

For purposes of discussion, I've divided types of ideas into two categories: Copy ideas and merchandising ideas. A copy idea presents the product without altering it or the manner of selling it. A copy idea may simply be a clever bit of dialog calling attention to the product. For example:

(SOUNDS: COCKTAIL GLASSES, PIANO CHORDS, VOICES)

WOMAN: Hi Mister. How'd you like to buy me a little drinky-poo?

MAN: Anything you like, honey. I'm the happiest salesman in the world tonight.

WOMAN: Ah...your wife just ran off with your biggest competitor.

MAN: Hey...not half bad. My biggest competitor is Bethlehem Ford, see.

WOMAN: You sell cars?

MAN: Well, right now I'm just sitting here waiting while Bethlehem Ford sells itself right out of business.

WOMAN: Oh?

MAN: They'll take anything to make a deal. Have to. They've got cars coming out their ears.

(CHUCKLING AS HE TALKS) They got some idea they're Little Detroit.

WOMAN: Little Detroit? MAN: Yeah...ain't that a scream? WOMAN: And you're just sitting here buying little old me a drinky-poo while Little Detroit sells itself right out of business. Pretty cute.

MAN: Yeah... ( LAUGHING STOPS...HIS MANNER SOBERS UP) It...ah...only has one drawback.

WOMAN: What's that?

MAN: Could you...lend me enough money to pay the check? The humor is used to get attention and to make a sales point.

To merchandise a product or to get merchandising ideas in general, you have to dig deeper, often changing something or adding something new to the client's policies.

Guarantees, giveaways, and complimentary services all come under the heading of merchandising:

1ST MAN: Oh boy, do I have a headache.

2ND MAN: How long have you had it?

1ST MAN: About a year.

2ND MAN: A year? Have you been to a doctor?

1ST MAN: No...but I've been to an awful lot of mechanics.

2ND MAN: Mechanics?

1ST MAN: They can't seem to do a thing for me.

2ND MAN: Mechanics? For your headache?

1ST MAN: Oh! (SUDDENLY REALIZING THE HUMOR OF THE SITUATION, STARTS LAUGHING)

2ND MAN: Yes... I.. .figured...

1ST MAN: I'm talking about my car.

2ND MAN: Your new car?

1ST MAN: Hasn't run like new since the day I got it.

2ND MAN: Oh, headaches, huh.

1ST MAN: I should have suspected something though...

2ND MAN: Why was that?

1ST MAN: I found a free aspirin dispenser beside the cigarette lighter.

2ND MAN: Too bad you didn't buy from Al Smith Buick.

1ST MAN: They got somethin' stronger than aspirin?

2ND MAN: Yep. A free mechanic.

1ST MAN: Free what?

2ND MAN: Free mechanic. Comes with every Al Smith Buick. For one full year. So if anybody gets a headache...

1ST MAN: Yeah?

2ND MAN: It'll be him.

The merchandising idea must offer the average ad-hardened listener a strong benefit. Every commercial must sell, not the "new, exclusive features" but the way in which these features will benefit the listener. The more concrete and direct the benefit, the easier it is to get action.

The benefits you build for your clients should be so believable, so provocative, so exciting that you are torn between finishing the commercial and running out to buy the product yourself! Note that you must build benefits-usually out of the raw factual material you collect from the client. Here is a good time to point out that you must get to know the client's business or product in depth. You should know at least ten times as much about the client as you'll need to know for his commercials-fifty times as much if you have the opportunity. If you are chained to the typewriter and are impoverished by the material the salesman brings you, see if you can get permission to call the client for a chat. It's almost certain to be worth the effort.

In my experience, one dairy had a process which extracted odors from milk-something the dairy hadn't talked much about. A copywriter for our agency learned about the process, and found out also that no other dairy in town had it. Rather than dwelling on the negative or technical-sounding features of the method, the copywriter centered a campaign on how the device made it possible for the dairy to deliver truly fresher tasting milk to each family's door.

While nearly every dairy tries to use the theme of freshness, this was the first one in its area that actually had a believable reason why its milk was fresher. Because a copywriter went for facts, his commercials outperformed all competition, as the dairy's sales curves demonstrated.

Another merchandising idea which provided a good customer benefit was a Magic Menu created for a grocery chain in a medium-sized town. Tired of listing a catalog of specials day after day in the chain's advertising copy (specials that few really heard and fewer remembered) , a writer wondered "What if we were to combine these specials into meals and break down the overall cost per meal?" The grocery chain hired a home economist to try out the idea. They discovered that balanced and attractive meals could be planned from their specials for about 25¢ a serving. "Prepare balanced meals for 25t a serving" promises a benefit that the lists of specials had only weakly implied.

While it is true that long lists of special prices are effective in newspapers, they simply can't be absorbed by radio listeners. Notice how the Magic Menu idea is the single idea around which the following commercial is built.

This is a straight no-gimmick spot-but it was one of a series that helped build a strong image for a previously struggling chain: Now, for just twenty-five cents a serving, you can prepare exciting meals planned by a home economist for your family. Just follow the Magic Menu when you shop for specials this weekend at your Piggly Wiggly store. At Piggly Wiggly, you do more than just save on a few unrelated items. At Piggly Wiggly, specials are planned so they can be prepared into complete meals for as little as twenty-five cents a serving. Spice up every meal with vitality. Shop the Magic Menu way at your Piggly Wiggly Store. Ask for your free Magic Menu today--at Piggly Wiggly.

The Magic Menu was a fairly complex merchandising idea, involving additional planning and expenditure for the client. There are, however, uncountable ways to merchandise when you know your client doesn't want a heavy cash outlay for the idea. Don't let cost considerations inhibit your thinking. Sometimes an idea that's too expensive can be modified-and sometimes an idea only seems as if it's going to cost the client money.

As an example: a cafeteria was persuaded to offer "All you can eat for $1.98" on its off nights. This idea managed to draw new customers-who then became repeat customers-and the cafeteria made money on the dollar-ninety-eight nights.

Whenever you as a writer get the chance to help plan a client's advertising (this situation should be mandatory but unfortunately is but rarely), suggest more than just copy ideas. Suggest new ways to merchandise and you'll make more money for the client.

A WAY OF PRODUCING IDEAS

Did you notice the Magic Menu idea resulted when a writer wondered, "What if...the specials could be planned into meal menus?" The cafeteria made money because a writer wondered, "What if...we were to serve a customer an entire meal--all he wanted--for less than two dollars?" Good copy and merchandising ideas often start with the words "What if?" For an exercise, start a sentence with those two words and finish it with whatever occurs to you-and don't worry if the exercise doesn't turn into a workable commercial the first few times you try it. Eventually it will.

One night I was at a concert absently thumbing through the program as the orchestra tuned up, and suddenly a thought came to me: "What if you could give a car a tuneup over the radio?" Later that night, I wrote this spot: As a service to you, car owners of Norfolk, Jones Brothers Oldsmobile will now attempt to give you a free tuneup, right over the air. Are you ready? Are your cars ready? Okay. At the end of the countdown, Jones Brothers Oldsmobile will at tempt, through the miracle of modern electronics, to give you a free tuneup.

10...9...8...7...6... 5...4...3...2...1... Free .. Tuneup!

(LOUD SOUND EFFECT: ORCHESTRA TUNING UP)

There.. does your car run noticeably better now? If not, maybe it's time to see about a new Jones Brothers Oldsmobile. It's yours...to the tune of just $3942.

The tuneup commercial is typical of the way to beef up copy that contains no strong merchandising idea. There is a hairline of distinction between being clever and being cute, and you'll have to let your own judgment, or that of those around you, be your guide as to which is which. A clever copy idea keeps a commercial from being dull, gets it heard and remembered.

When you have a strong merchandising idea, something new and newsworthy such as the Magic Menu, that in itself can carry the copy. Clever ideas may even get in the way.

In this case, the copy should simply be sharp and to the point.

When you have a merchandising idea of only medium impact, you may want to link it with a clever copy idea to double the interest. For example:

( SOUND OF BULLDOZERS)

We wanted to call it Smith Ford's Bulldozer Sale.. only we were afraid some people might get the idea we were selling bulldozers. Actually, as you can hear in the background, the bulldozers are leveling Smith Ford's outdoor display area here at 100 Union Avenue. We must move our new and used cars out of the bulldozers' way and we've got no place to put them! That's why we're giving you sacrifice prices to drive them away. Choose from Memphis' widest selection of factory-fresh Smith Fords and the best-serviced, cleanest used cars.

Clean-if you don't mind a little dust right now. You can save a wheel-barrowful of dollars. Help Smith clear the lot to make room for the bulldozers and we'll level off prices for you. During this sale, new Smith Fords and used cars are just plain dirt cheap.

On the level.

There's one danger of playing the "What if?" game. If you do it thoroughly, you are going to write down a lot of ideas which have been used before. This is inevitable. Ideas you've heard before are bound to pop into your mind. Fine.

Only don't use them. They may suggest a fresh twist or application, but stay away from the ruts of well-worn ideas and techniques. This is not to say you should be different for the sake of being different, but don't imitate or you will wind up being dull.

You'll know you're doing well when your original approach is imitated by others. This will force you to cast around for another new idea...something else that is unique.

And this is the way careers grow.

DON'T BE CRITICAL

For the "What if?" method to produce worthwhile results, allow your mind free rein, and don't-repeat, don't-be critical of each new idea as it comes to you. Think of your mind as being divided into two channels, each competing with the other for dominance as you sit at your desk. These would be your critical and creative channels.

Start by creating as many ideas as you can, with your critical switch turned off! There's a time to be critical, and it's later! Meanwhile, stretch your creative muscles, concocting as many ideas as you can from the facts you've gathered. You'll be surprised at how many ideas will occur if you don't inhibit yourself and aren't afraid to think of things that are "too far out," "too silly," "too sophisticated," "too lowbrow," etc. Don't lose any of them.

Write all your ideas, at least in brief note form.

What are the results of all this? Again, let's look at a few examples: A finance company threw off the doldrums by getting a telephone number made of the exchange prefix "Capital" followed by D-O-U-G-H. This .was easy to remember. And the slogan used, "Dial for dough," was virtually impossible to forget. The company's business tripled on the first day and stayed at the new level. This success story couldn't be told had the copywriter "logically" discarded the idea as "too impractical." A department store invited customers to "Mark Your Own Specials!" Every customer was handed a red tag at the door and could affix it to any item not already on sale.

This created an automatic markdown and a definite saving-but the big factor was the appeal of directly influencing the purchase price. The open-marketplace bargaining and haggling of yesterday held a definite intrigue, and customers still like to create their own benefits-thus the inflated window sticker price on automobiles these days.

ACCENTUATE THE NEGATIVE

As mentioned, don't apply judgment to your ideas as you're producing them in your own mind. Only after you have a number of idea possibilities jotted down should you analyze them for freshness, believability, practicality, etc.

Even if your critical sense then rejects some of your ideas, examine the reasons for rejection. These very reasons may become the foundation for a good, workable idea. This is called "making the negative a positive" and it can be a very interesting and valuable approach.

Volkswagen capitalized on the bug-like car shape, and Avis Rent-A-Car used its Number 2 position as a believable motive for "trying harder." Similar reasoning must have prompted a Baltimore menswear retailer to forgo the usual sale captions like "end-of-season bargains!" "unbelievable savings!" "storewide clearance!" etc. The merchant put a big sign in the front windows with one word: Leftovers.

Let's take an example you might be faced with. Suppose you're trying to write a commercial for an Oldsmobile dealer who ranks seventh in sales in his market. He is off the beaten path. He has a dirt-floor service department.

Most people never think of him when they think of buying an Oldsmobile, and no amount of fancy cover-up talk is going to change the facts of the situation or people's impression of this dealer. But a line which did change a lot of people's minds-in just such a situation-was You probably don't think of Motor City first when you think of buying an Oldsmobile... This candid, statement-of-negative-fact intro was followed by:

...That's why we have to sell for less. The truth is, we can afford to sell you an Olds for less.

Oldsmobile’s cost all dealers the same amount of money to begin with. But we're off the beaten path-with a small building, small staff, small over head. That's why we can afford to make a smaller profit on every Olds we sell. We may not be the first dealer you thought of. But, when you price our Olds, we'll be the last you'll see! Candor helps make any commercial more successful.

When you admit your weaknesses, people are more willing to believe your strengths.

Let's take another example. A shoe store wanted to advertise a beginning-of-the-week sale on Mondays.

Reason: Mondays were usually poor business days. The store manager, though, was taken aback when the writer wanted him to admit this lack of Monday traffic in the copy.

The commercial was written announcing a Monday sale with no real reason behind it and in the face of consumer preference for shopping on weekends. The commercials didn't pull very well because the client ignored his negative instead of turning it into a positive by advertising it.

EXERCISES

1. Write ten outlandish "What if?" ideas concerning items you see around your home or office.

2. Develop three of these ten ideas into partial commercials for any kind of business. (Write the opening and a skeleton outline.)

3. Choose several representative businesses around your town. For each one, write ten merchandising ideas which really interest you as a consumer. Now, check around. Are these businesses presently using any of the ideas you thought of? Should they be?

4. Think of five reasons for any kind of business to have a sale. Write them down and save them for a rainy day.