A Few Observations on Framing and Language

One of the important things you'll have to do many times in your advertising career is craft language to frame a topic a certain way. This simply means that you control how someone looks at an idea. What perspective are they viewing it from and how are they judging it?

You obviously can't always control how someone perceives your idea, but with the right language and the right tone, you certainly can influence it. Here are some examples:

1) Setting up your work for a client. I like to let the client know, as I set up the work we're showing, how I judged the work and what I think it has going for it. This doesn't always mean they'll agree, but it lets them understand where I'm coming from before they form their own opinion. Or I'll ask them to put their 12-year-old boy hat on (or whatever the target is) for a moment as they listen to the script.

2) Is there a completely different strategic approach? When my agency did a campaign for Brita Water Filters, which had always been about super-clean water without impurities, someone had the smart idea to re-frame the issue to be about conservation. Because a good deal of the plastic water bottles that people use end up in landfills or circling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Here's another example, the likes of which you've probably seen in hotel bathrooms.



The cynic in me sees those signs and thinks, "Yeah, right. The hotel's just trying to save money on laundry." Which may be true, but it is helping the environment too, and in the end I reuse my towels.

3. Word choice for the little things. Consider these possible call-to-actions in a banner ad:
Click here to visit blah.com.
Discover more at blah.com.
Start the journey at blah.com.
They're all asking me to do basically the same thing, but each sets my expectations for blah.com. Is there a better way to say what you want?

Here's another example that always strikes me when I see it. Rather than the typical SELL BY DATE, some drinks have the much more promising ENJOY BY date.



Framing is not about tricking anyone. It's about asking someone to consider something from a different viewpoint. And if you have any questions as to whether it's important, I invite you to listen to this episode of one of my favorite podcasts, Radiolab. In it, they discuss the potential effect of Obama's election on the academic performance of African-American students, as well as how the simple act of framing a test (i.e. the language used to say what the test measures) can have a huge impact on test scores.

Obama In Our House

A side project from a good friend of mine, proving that just because Obama isn't saying something foolish every 10 seconds doesn't mean he's not great inspiration for fun stuff.

OBAMA IN OUR HOUSE

The Power of Suggestion

As much as I'd love to keep politics out of this blog, the different messaging tactics of the campaigns and their supporters are fascinating (and sometimes scary).

Here's one of my favorites. Soft sell. Make sure you click on the site several times. It changes with each click.

I'd love to know what people think. Is this garbage? Does it affect you in any way? How do you feel about it?

Love Is In The Air

This is not an endorsement of either John McCain or Barack Obama. I don't want to bring politics to this blog. But communication stategy? That's worth talking about in this forum.

Frustrated with the media attention Obama's been receiving, the McCain camp created the following ad (I assume as online content as it's way too long for primetime)...

Does the McCain team have a point that the media is favoring Obama? Sure. Is it fair to say that just because the media prefer one candidate, that's no reason to vote for them? Again, sure. What the McCain people really want to say is, "Don't listen to the talking heads. Look at the issues and make your own decision. Ignore the media." That's a decent argument. But, at least with this piece, it's communicated all wrong.

And here's the problem: When you try attacking emotion, you're fighting an uphill battle. I wrote about this in an earlier post. Whether you agree with Obama's politics or not, you can't attack him by discrediting the way people feel about him. You end up insulting the people you're trying to communicate with. "That's how you feel? Well, let me tell you why you're wrong." Not the best way to be persuasive.

How does this affect you as a young advertising professional? Understand that facts are good. And you should use them to your client's advantage. But you can't build your entire case on them. You need emotion. You need that thrill going up Chris Matthew's leg.

(As a side note, the original piece featured Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." But since the rights to the song were never cleared, the original was pulled. What you see here is a second generation edit with some elevator music and the "Paid for by John McCain for President" stripped off the back end.) 

How Good Is Your Story?

This is not a political post. It is not an endorsement, or a condemnation. It's simply an observation that applies to each of us.

I was watching Hillary Clinton's speech last night after she lost Wisconsin. This being Obama's ninth straight win over her, it's fair to say she's really on the ropes. Her political advisers must be acutely aware of this, because she's starting to attack Obama's strength. Over and over again, she pronounced "We need solutions, not speeches!" This weekend on Face the Nation, I heard Clinton's campaign manager accusing Obama of being all fluff and no substance. They're trying to take Obama's public speaking strength and turn it into his Achilles' heel.

But here's the thing: After Hillary's speech - which was punctuated by pattered applause - Obama takes to the podium to address his supporters in Texas.

And the place is going absolutely nuts.

Sure, they were celebrating his Wisconsin win. But it's more than that. When Barack Obama speaks, people behave the way our parents did when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Whether he's fluff or substance isn't something people debate when he's speaking. Because when he speaks he excites people. He makes them feel great. He stirs their emotions. Hillary can talk all she wants about solutions vs. speeches, but if she doesn't start to elicit responses the way Obama does, she'd better get comfy in her Senate chair.

What does this have to do with advertising? It's all storytelling.

Say I have two ads for two different pairs of jeans. One ad gives me the straight facts. It tells me in simple terms that these jeans are made of the most durable material, that they will not fade, and they will be comfortable. The other ad simply makes me feel "I have got to get those jeans!" Which ad is more persuasive?

I don't pretend to know which candidate's going to be the best for our country. But most people vote the same way the buy: heart first, and maybe the head can tag along. People want a candidate/brand/product/service that makes them feel good. Don't confuse this with lying or covering up the truth (that's just a false feeling waiting for backlash to happen). It's about emotion.

When you're doing your ads, you need to use emotion. Facts are good. Facts can even help. But emotion is what is going to convince, persuade, and even rally.