How to Make an Add
Method prompt

The nonprofit organization Adbusters created a guideline to follow when creating an advertisement. In this guideline, the company suggests potential advertisers to make their objective completely clear to the audience, as well as know exactly who they want their audience to be. The company stresses the important of a large visual, stating that 70% of people notice the visual. Adbusters also adds that one must have a good headline, as 30% of people notice that, while only 5% read the body copy. The final point Adbusters gives is not to make the advertisement cluttered. While creating an ad, less is always more.

Miss Clairol’s “Does she…or doesn’t she?” advertisement strictly follows Adbusters’ guidelines. It first follows the company’s advice by creating a large visual. The picture for Miss Clairol focuses on a middle-aged woman with shiny, well-styled hair close to a child. If a woman around the same age or mother were to pass by this advertisement, it is likely she would stop after seeing the visual. The picture is more the half the ad, and thus very noticeable. Yet more importantly, it shows women that even they, as mothers, can have nice hair. The picture is showing that just because a woman becomes a mother, that does not mean she can no longer take good care of her hair. The visual proves that Miss Clairol knows exactly who their audience is, and they successfully attract their specific audience. The picture does a great job luring in their audience, just as Adbusters pointed out was necessary for a good ad.

“Does she…or doesn’t she?” also follows the guidelines because it has a good headline. The headline is located directly under the main visual. It reads, “Hair color so natural only her hairdresser knows for sure!” The headline clearly reveals what the product is about. It immediately explains to the audience that Miss Clairol will color a woman’s hair so naturally that nobody else will be able to tell it is not her real color. The headline makes the product look good and sound like it works well. It also makes women potentially want to try the product for themselves. Finally, the advertisement does not appear cluttered. There is nothing too fancy, nor too many words or pictures. It is simple and gets its point across. The advertisement strictly follows Adbusters’ advice, which explains why it has become one of the most successful campaigns of all time.