Determining Message Strategy

Message strategy guides the creative team in creating the advertising message, determining what the creative strategy will be. Once the message strategy is determined; it involves developing a message tactic that translates this into an action plan, specifying the message tone, advertising approaches, and narrative styles according to the advertising message.

To determine the message strategy for an advertising campaign, first identify the main proposition to be highlighted in the advertisement and decide which creative strategy to use. For instance, if creating a television commercial; decide which approach—direct, indirect, exaggerated, or humorous—will be used, and which narrative format (demonstration, testimonial, slice of life, musical, storytelling, fantasy, product alone) fits this approach, shaping the campaign's message strategy accordingly. 

Message strategies and tactics also include determining how the advertising message will be crafted in terms of tone (dynamic, lively, emotional, fun, or soft, etc.).

In short, message strategy includes defining the target market clearly and realistically, the goals of the advertisement, the intended path to achieve these goals, the overall strategy, the supports for this strategy, the tone of the advertisement, and other important aspects related to the advertisement. 

Key Elements of an Advertising Message

Determining the message strategy for an advertising campaign is influenced by the following elements:

1. Target audience: The audience that the advertisement aims to reach and motivate, characterized by demographic, psychological, and sociocultural traits, guides the creation of the message strategy. 
2. Objectives: What impact the advertisement aims to achieve or what is intended to be accomplished as a result of the advertisement also influences the determination of the message strategy.
3. Strategy: Determines how to achieve the objectives of the advertisement. The strategy specifies what type of content, approach, and tone the advertisement should have to persuade the target audience to use / purchase / prefer a particular product.
4. Support: Ideas that articulate the fundamental reasons for how the objectives of the advertisement will be achieved are also part of the message strategy.
5. Attention / Interest: Includes decisions on how other elements of the advertisement, such as visuals and sound, will be created.
6. Tone: Specifies how the advertising message will be delivered.

Determinants of Message Strategy

When determining the message strategy in advertising campaigns, three key issues should be carefully considered first: Questioning the product, understanding the target audience, and analyzing the competition. Following this, it is necessary to find the proposition that forms the basis of the message strategy. 

The proposition that forms the basis of a successful message strategy should be unique to the product, compelling consumers to take action, and differentiate the brand from its competitors, providing an advantage. 

When determining the message strategy, the following questions should be answered:

• What should the advertisement say to be right for the product?
• What should the advertisement say to prompt the consumer to take action?
• What should the advertisement say to be different from competitors?
• What should the advertisement say to align with the role and purpose of the advertisement?

There are three guiding points in determining the message strategy:

• Creativity alone is not enough. A clear, easily understandable, and memorable main message must be presented.  
• Focus on a single objective. Advertising creates the greatest impact when it communicates with a single main message.

Advertisements are effective not when they tell consumers what to think, but when they provide an opportunity to decide the meaning for themselves. People engage with advertisements by trying to understand them in their own way. Therefore, advertisements should enable viewers to participate in the message.

Message strategy guides the creative team in advertising campaigns on which product feature to emphasize, why and how the target audience buys, and what can motivate the target audience. Key elements that influence the creation of the message strategy include the target audience, characteristics of the target market, type and purpose of the advertisement. These are:

• Reaching the entire market or a specific segment
• Creating primary or selective demand
• Creating direct or indirect consumer behavior
• Advertising a product or institution
• Targeting consumers or intermediaries

Strategy can also be shaped by the areas in which the brand operates in the market and the size of the demand that the advertising aims to create.

If a product is the first in its category in the market, the aim is to create general demand for the product category, known as primary demand creation.

If distinguishing a brand from competing brands in a product category is desired, known as selective demand, the message strategy is determined accordingly.

For indirect behavior change (soft sell), a persuasive process is required. In this method, advertising messages aim to fill knowledge gaps and build trust to create a positive brand image.

If directing the target audience towards direct purchase behavior (hard sell) is the goal, the advertising message strategy is created to immediately guide the target audience towards purchasing.

In corporate advertising, emotional appeals are used more than product advertisements. The aim is to create a positive view, trust, and sympathy towards the brand, thus establishing a strong corporate brand image. Symbolic expressions conveying corporate identity components such as achievements, philosophy, and perspectives towards internal and external customers are used as the basis for the message strategy.

When creating the advertising message strategy, whether the target of the advertisement is end consumers or intermediaries also guides the process. Identifying who the advertising is addressing is crucial not only for the content of the message but also for deciding through which channels the message will reach the target audience.

Key Creative Strategies

Decisions related to designing and creating the advertising message constitute the creative strategy. Creative strategy is the method that determines "what and how" will be said about the product or service in the advertisement. It is the most crucial factor determining the success of the advertisement.

The focus of advertising strategy includes elements such as target audience, objectives, and positioning. The focus of creative strategy, on the other hand, revolves around the message itself and how it will be communicated. Before determining all these strategies, insights gathered from market research, target audience analysis, and brand situation analysis should be thoroughly analyzed. Information obtained from such research acts as a kind of lighthouse.

The most commonly used creative message strategy is the primary message strategy. The primary message strategy stands out from other strategies because it focuses not only on the general structure of the message but also on its presentation.

Other creative strategies include informational advertising and transformational advertising.

1. Informational Advertising: The informational message is based on presenting realistic and appropriate brand information clearly and logically to the target audience. The aim of informational messages is to make the audience feel sufficiently informed to evaluate the benefits of purchasing the brand after seeing the advertisement.

The dichotomy between informational and transformational includes logic - emotion, information - image, and product - consumer. There are five subcategories of informational message strategy: generic, comparative, preemptive superiority, unique selling proposition, exaggeration.

• Generic: Focuses on the product category rather than the brand in the advertisement. The goal is to increase consumption within that category and expand the market. For example, advertisements that explain the role of milk in children's development exemplify this generic informational creative strategy.
  
• Comparative: These are advertisements where the product is directly compared with another brand's products. Evidence, demonstrations, and claims highlighting the superiority of the product are presented. Comparative advertisements are prohibited in our country, except for political advertisements. Therefore, other brands are not explicitly named, but comparisons are implied or alternative methods such as mosaic-covered product displays are used in advertisements for baby diapers and detergents.

• Preemptive Superiority: Highlighting a positive feature or ease of use of a product for the first time and claiming it. The preemptive superiority strategy forces competitors to say, "I also have it." For example, Becel emphasizes the health benefits by highlighting the "unsaturated fat content."

• Exaggeration: Emphasizing or proving promises or claims in advertisements that may not be possible. The key point here is that the exaggeration must relate to the promise or claim. For example, advertisements promising "The sip is so light that those who sip in their meals fly" are examples of exaggeration strategy.

2. Transformational Advertising: Transformational advertising is based on a series of psychological associations related to the brand's usage or consumption experience. In transformational advertising, which is associated with brand personality and image, there is communication aimed at "transforming" as a result of the product's consumption, use, or experience.

• Generic: Focuses on the product category.
• Brand Image: Focuses on the brand image.
• User Image: Focuses on the user.
• Usage Opportunity:Focuses on usage opportunities.
• Generic: Focuses on the product category, not the brand. Aims to increase consumption within a specific category.

Brand Image: A creative strategy type that focuses on the brand image in advertising, sometimes emphasizing the brand personality. This strategy typically aims to associate concepts such as quality, status, and prestige with the brand. For example, Zeki Triko has created a modern brand image with its "we miss the sun" advertisements.

• User Personality: This strategy focuses on the users of the product and their lifestyle. Advertisements focus on the personality of the target audience rather than the brand, commonly seen in personal care and cosmetic products. These ads showcase user personalities, such as "For mothers who take care" or "Persil: The choice of meticulous housewives," aiming to attract individuals who identify with these descriptions to choose the brand.
• Usage Opportunity: This type of advertising shows the product's usage experiences or presents a new usage opportunity. The goal is to increase the product's usage by expanding its application areas. For example, there was an advertisement in the US saying "orange juice is not just for breakfast." In Turkey, during Ramadan, traditional meals are preferred, leading to a decrease in consumption of fast food and soda. Therefore, brands selling these products during Ramadan try to associate their products with Ramadan in their advertisements.

Creative Message Strategy: AIIEE Strategies

AIIEE (Argument, Information, Image, Emotion, Entertainment) strategies are also used in advertisements.

1. Argument: The argument strategy is based on advancing the sales promise. It aims to guide the consumer towards its goal by presenting logical messages. This strategy is often chosen in competitive environments where there are differences between products. The problem-solution advertising format is frequently used in this strategy. It highlights a consumer problem and then resolves it with the product, portraying the product as a hero.
2. Information: The information strategy is based on providing direct information, including news, claims, and performance tests. It is commonly used for introducing new products or newly developed features of a product. Additionally, it is used for presenting research results in product categories with intense competition. Demonstrations, side-by-side comparisons, before-and-after formats are often seen in this advertising strategy.
3. Image: Brand image advertising focuses on the brand or user, creating a brand image. Image advertising is an indirect and long-term advertising method. This strategy often involves creating a brand personality. The product itself is given a personality through elements such as brand name, packaging, product characteristics, and advertisements. Ads also focus on lifestyle and user image. Ads featuring users and their lifestyles reflect the personality and lifestyle idealized by the target audience.
4. Emotion: Emotional advertisements are created in this strategy. It is widely used in market categories where similar products exist, and there is low interest and brand loyalty. Emotional moments and experiences are used to create emotion in advertisements.
5. Entertainment: Techniques such as comedy, drama are used to attract the audience's attention to the product or brand. It is often used in product categories where products are similar and there is low brand loyalty. Watching the advertisement is considered a reward. The approach is based on transferring the positive attitude developed towards the advertisement to the product. Techniques like humor, musical elements, special effects are used to attract the audience's attention and enable them to watch the advertisement without getting bored.