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Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. If electronic transmission of reserve material is used for purposes in excess of what constitutes "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. University of Nevada, Reno What Elements Make an Effective Advertising Campaign? A Review of Common Elements among Proven Effective Advertising Campaigns A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, minor in Business Administration and the Honors Program by Jessica M. Ranftl Robert Felten, Thesis Advisor December 2013 UNIVERSITY THE HONORS PROGRAM OF NEVADA RENO We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by JESSICA RANFTL Entitled What Elements Make an Effective Advertising Campaign? A Review of Common Elements among Proven Effective Advertising Campaigns Be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR OF ARTS IN JOURNALISM, MINOR IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND THE HONORS PROGRAM Robert Felten; Faculty Mentor Tamara Valentine, Ph.D., Director, Honors Program i Abstract: A Brief Overview What makes a marketing or advertising campaign effective? Many advertisers and marketers have asked this question at the start of creating a campaign. The goal is to create a campaign that generates a desired response effectively. To find and commend effective campaigns, the New York chapter of the American Marketing Association founded the Effie Awards in 1968 to determine the year’s most effective advertising work. These awards are not based on creativity, instead they measure the outcome of campaigns as effective or not and to what extent. Effie Worldwide Inc. then shares the gathered information with the advertising industry and public. This thesis determines what elements create an effective advertising campaign through a scholarly review of articles, journals, as well as Grand and Gold Effie Award winning campaigns from the past five years (2008-2012). According to the Effie Awards’ website, “With marketing budgets under pressure in many parts of the world, there is ever-increasing pressure on marketers and their agencies to demonstrate a return on their investment. A great creative idea is not enough – there must be proof that the idea worked” (Effieindex.com). Measuring effective elements from various Effie Award winning campaigns and finding the most prevalent elements is the primary goal of this thesis. Comparing past winning campaigns of Effie Awards, this thesis will determine if there are common elements found within the majority of the winning campaigns. Since any medium for marketing is eligible for an Effie Award submission print, TV, radio, online, public relations, paid, and unpaid media will be examined (and explained). The benefit of this thesis to the advertising and marketing community will be to provide elements proven to be effective to the industry for future use. ii Acknowledgements: Special Thanks I would like to give special thanks to my thesis mentor and advisor, Professor Robert Felten. Thank you for your encouragement and positive feedback throughout this process. It has been a long year, however I am proud to have finished my senior thesis and contribute to the advertising and marketing community under your guidance. I would also like to thank the Honors Program for allowing me to complete and submit this thesis to their archives. iii Table of Contents Abstract: A Brief Overview ............................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements: Special Thanks .............................................................................................. ii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................iv Introduction: Common Approaches to Advertising .................................................................... 1-2 Literature Review: Published Advertising Techniques and Opinions ....................................... 3-12 Methodology: The Process ...................................................................................................... 13-15 Breakdown of Research Steps………………………………………………………. 15-17 Results: Surprising Identifiable Elements ............................................................................. ..18-20 Results: Applied to Exemplary Effie Award Winning Campaigns……………..……21-32 Conclusion: Unexpected Elements ......................................................................................... .33-34 References .....................................................................................................................................35 Appendix: Table of Contents ...................................................................................................36-37 Appendices...…………………………………………………………………...…….38-96 iv List of Tables Figure 1. Percentages of Hypothesized and Found Elements……………………………………19 1 Introduction: Common Approaches to Advertising In the field of marketing communications students learn that an advertisement that achieves a pre-set goal successfully is effective. The goals are to create awareness, change attitudes, and facilitate an action such as purchasing a product. For years it has been taught that goals or plans “are based on a systematic analysis of the product, the market, the consumer, [and] they involve an intelligent selection of media” (Burton-Hotchkiss, 1924, p. 2). This thesis aims to find elements a marketer or advertiser should incorporate into his or her advertising tactics to create an effective campaign. The Effie Award Winner’s Showcase database supplies the cases to research these traits. The Effie Awards are given to the year’s most effective advertisements by a selected panel of Effie Award World Wide Inc. judges. The Effie Award winners serve as the pool of research data for this thesis because the winning campaigns are already proven effective (by Effie Award Judges). This thesis reviews material from Effie Award winners from the past five years to seek common elements in Grand and Gold award winning campaigns. Every marketing and advertising team strives to create a successful advertisement or campaign because success is key to generating revenue or awareness. This thesis will answer a set of deeper questions to determine if there is a common link of proven successful (by the Effie Awards) elements among Effie Award Winning advertising campaigns. The goal of the thesis is to prove there are one or more elements that consistently contribute to the success of many broadly ranging advertisements. The best way to determine if such factors exist is to review the demonstrable entities in the advertising and marketing industry. Researching and reviewing the winners of the Effie Awards from the past five years supplies a starting point from which a conclusion can be 2 reached. Personally viewing each campaign and assessing the methods used by each winning campaign contribute to the final conclusion of the thesis. A literary review of past research and opinion conducted on this topic gives the reader knowledge about the marketing and adverting industry. The expected results for this thesis are to find commonalities among campaigns that have won an Effie Award during the past five years. One or more elements are expected to be uncovered. Each campaign or advertisement may use the found element to varying extents; however, it should be apparent to the viewer that the element is used. If the hypothesis is correct and there are one or more elements an advertising firm can use to create a successful campaign, then this new perspective will bring efficiency to advertising and marketing firms alike. The marketing and advertising community is continually looking for elements to use to connect with their target audience. Proving there are elements available to increase the probability of a campaign’s success will bring new light for advertising and marketing professionals. The discovered elements can then be enhanced or changed for continual success in the industry. Finally, uncovering the common element or elements that make an advertisement inherently successful also speaks to the nature of audiences. This information will help marketers and advertisers better understand their audiences and what speaks to them on a strong enough level to make a campaign or advertisement effective. 3 Literature Review: Published Advertising Techniques and Opinions “It is easy to get opinions on [advertising]. It is hard to get facts” (Caples, 1974, p. 9). The purpose of this literature review is to give an overview of selected advertising and marketing professional’s recommendations, or opinions, for creating an effective advertisement. It is also the goal of this literature review to discuss multiple case studies and their implications on the marketing and advertising industry. The advertising industry is continually changing and success is always up for interpretation; therefore, this literature review contains many professional's opinions