I was flipping through an old magazine while in a waiting room of a doctors office and I found this RosettaStone ad. As soon as an advertisement captures my attention, I begin analyzing the design, the messaging, and the chosen communication channels to determine if this ad would be effective to the general public. I have to remind myself that my opinion of the ad would typically be skewed because of my educational background and professional experience in marketing. In an attempt to keep my blog as objective as possible, I address three marketing operations: create, communicate, and execute.
Create
RosettaStone has remained consistent to its brand identity in this ad. The text in the logo is always on the same plane and the blue image is aligned on the right hand side of the text. To the best of my knowledge that blue image is a stone, but it is an ambiguous shape that can easily be interpreted as something else. The logo is the businesses attempt to embody their product, service, or culture, but it does not have to contain an obvious image declaring what they do. What truly matters is that the logo is placed on all materials in a consistent format in order for it to increase brand recall.
The brand’s color palette uses the solid yellow as the background and blue to highlight key messages and the call-to-action. This is just as important as the logo because it ties the whole piece together. The colors direct your eyes to the important regions of the ad, so you automatically understand where to get the details and move on; top and bottom.
Communicate
Decide on clear, concise messaging. What does RosettaStone want us to get out of this ad? “Unwrap a new language.” Positioned at the top, is a very clear statement that is relevant to the time period (holiday season). The word “language” is used in about 20% of the ads message* and it is used next to the key words: world, need, learn, fast, give, gift, life. These words are helping to shape the main message. “GIVE THE GIFT OF LANGUAGE” is the call-to-action, or what the ad wants us to do. It is appropriately combined with the time of year RosettaStone wants you to purchase it as a gift: christmas, the biggest winter holiday.
Execute
This is one of the most important stages of outbound marketing materials. Great, they saw us! Now what? Two to three avenues of contact is sufficient as long as it is executed properly. As a marketer, we tend to give the viewer as many channels as possible, but an ad can easily get overwhelmed by too many choices. “Look at our Facebook! Look at our Twitter! Email us!” Ahhh, overwhelming!
RosettaStone supplies us with their website URL and a phone number. The issue with the website address is that it is not a unique landing page URL. A unique URL allows a company to track advertisement results more effectively. If the URL read, “RosettaStone.com/give” and brought us to a unique page on the website, RosettaStone analysts could determine how many people read the ad, visited the website, when the ad was viewed, and what information was the viewer interested in – all by reviewing their navigation summaries. It is an ineffective print ad if you do not take advantage of the ability to track it and learn from it.
The phone number still works! Excellent. And I was immediately connected with an English speaking representative. The issue with this communication channel was another example of missed opportunity. The representative only asked for my first name. I was never asked if I would like to provide my email address, phone number, etc. Even though my intention was to research and not purchase the product, a person who makes the effort to call RosettaStone should be considered a quality lead and they should develop a conversation with the lead to gather as much relevant information as possible.
The important reminder to those involved in marketing is that the process of producing a campaign should be fully integrated from the creative stages to the execution. Pay attention to advertisements that capture your interests and analyze their design, messaging, and communication channels. There are infinite examples to learn from to help you better invest your marketing budget into producing quality leads.
Natalie Ripoli
*This number was determined by counting the words in the messaging of the ad, excluding a, the, this, etc.