Woody Allen once said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Advertising works in much the same way. Show up in popular media and you stand a chance that people will recall your product when they’re making a purchasing decision. For successful brands, this image building strategy is often enough to sustain and increase sales without a specific call to action. It’s a long term approach and it’s costly. Most of the marketers I deal with are looking for a more targeted approach.

This series will explore advertising messages that employ specific strategies for success. Though the examples focus on print-based wine advertising, the principles apply to advertising in general.

The first advertising message that works is tried and true – the special offer. When the consumer considers, “What’s in it for me?”, the answer is obvious. The marketer is either selling at a discounted price or providing added value.

The Santa Margherita ad above uses the added value approach. The offer is for bonus points from a very popular rewards program – one that is proven to attract sales. But there’s more to the strategy than that. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is a top selling product. The objective of the ad is to attract consumers to purchase their lesser known Prosecco. To receive the bonus, both products must be purchased together. The headline, “add a little sparkle” refers to the sparkling Prosecco and alludes to the offer.

One of the challenges in creating this ad was presenting the bonus information in a way that didn’t detract from the established brand image. Santa Margherita is a mature, premium brand. Its image is sophisticated and confident. To portray that, the visual representation in the ad is simple, quiet and elegant. If this was showing up, it would be in Italian designer style.

More:
Advertising messages that work – Part 2: You’re The Best
Advertising messages that work – Part 3: Support a Cause