How to make a 1 million dollar budget advertisement look like 10 million dollars?

George Lewis: Great advertising can make a million look like ten million, but if you can't sell the idea, it's worthless.

Creative people must understand that all creative ideas are ultimately decided by the clients, which means that clients need to fully understand every creative detail to ensure that there are no gaps in their cognition and understanding.

George Louis demonstrated a three-step model:

1. Tell customers what they are going to see.

2. Show the prepared items to the customer.

3. Tell customers what they are looking at.

Next, let’s take a look at how George Louis impressed his clients with his big ideas and created a miracle of 10 million with 1 million.

Client: Stouff Frozen Foods

brief: Develop the weight loss food market

Big idea: Choose a name that consumers will immediately desire.

In the late 1970s, more and more American women entered the workplace and began to pursue healthy and trendy lifestyles. Before understanding the nutritional ingredients of a new weight loss product, it first needs a clear name. George Louis came up with the idea - Slimming Special Meal. "Slimming" means making people slim, and "special meal" implies deliciousness. With such a name, this product became a great success.

Lesson: Sometimes the big idea is a great product name.

Client: InterContinental Hotels

brief: In the fiercely competitive hotel market, grasp the InterContinental business philosophy and pass it on.

Big Idea: InterContinental Hotels, again and again.

Through the survey statistics of hotel chains, it was found that 75% of customers would visit InterContinental again after staying at it for the first time. The reason for their continuous visit is that InterContinental has top-notch quality, which embodies the theme of reliving the wonderful experience "again and again".

Lesson: Sometimes the big idea is to find and amplify the facts.

Client: Pontiac Car Dealership

brief: Conduct a joint advertising campaign among 87 car dealers.

Big Idea: Create the "Pontiac Choir Boys."

87 dealers were organized into a choir to sing songs adapted from popular folk songs.

Lesson: Sometimes, the big idea is to create a great team.

Client: New York Herald Tribune

brief： The New York Herald Tribune lost its original customers by changing its style, but it reversed and boosted sales.

Big idea: Breaking traditional thinking & combining with news programs

Advertisement 1 – Who says a good newspaper has to be dull and boring?

Advertisement 2 - In conjunction with CBS News, a few seconds before the ad begins, the CBS anchor says: "Don't change the channel, and then please watch the news hosted by Douglas Edwards. Before that, please watch this ad first."

As the television cameras panned across the New York Herald Tribune, the ad said: "James Meredith Lectures in Mississippi." It was a headline. The ad then said: "There's more to this story than the headlines - you'll see more in the New York Herald Tribune than you'll ever see watching this news program."

Takeaway: Sometimes the big idea is to collaborate with a news or TV show.

Client: Jaffe Lubi Quick Refueling Company

brief: To enable a new company with only a few service stations to quickly capture the market.

Background: The company is small, but has a lot of logos.

Big Idea: Design a unified movement identity.

A deformed "J"-shaped logo was designed with a circle at the bottom and a conspicuous red arrow pointing to the right, making it look like a traffic sign. The benefit of this sign is that the curved arrow forces drivers to turn and drive into the Jaffe Luby Station lane.

Lesson: Sometimes the big idea is creating a new logo.

Client: Alexander department store chain

brief: Rebuilding the high-quality image of Alexander department store chain.

Big idea: Use a competitor’s product to endorse an original song.

It presents a fashionable professional woman who enthusiastically visits all the top shopping malls in New York, but ends up buying clothes at Alexandria, conveying the message that "I go to many places, but I only buy things at Alexandria."

I was browsing around in Bloomingdale's

I enjoy my breakfast at Tiffany's

But I buy things in Alexandria

I shop in Alexandria

I strolled on the saxophone

I was wandering around Macy's

But I buy things in Alexandria

I shop in Alexandria

I never forget to go to Metter

But I buy things in Alexandria

Lesson: Sometimes, big ideas are endorsed by competing products.

Client: Tommy Hilfiger Denim Brand

brief: Mogeni International hired a young designer, Tommy Hilfiger, to promote the unknown Tommy Hilfiger brand and its stores.

Big Idea: Connect with celebrities.

A suspense advertisement was produced with the following copy: The 4 most famous American menswear designers are: R___L_____; P____E_____; C_____K_____; T_____H_____; Tommy was included in the ranks of famous designers.

Lesson learned: Sometimes the big idea is connecting with a market leader.

Client: No Excuses Jeans

brief: After the popularity of hot girl Donna Rice (who once had gossips with presidential candidates), a new hot spokesperson is needed to regain the market leadership position.

Big idea: Create a “No Excuses Star of the Month Award.”

They featured controversial public figures in Vogue, such as Malcolm Forbes. He was hosting a 70th birthday party in Morocco at the time, and the riotous bash, which was known to the whole world, brought his public image to a low point. Under his photo, George Louis wrote a message: To Malcolm Forbes: For feeding 800 starving people in Africa.

Lesson: Sometimes the big idea is to capitalize on a trending trend.

Client: Prolet-Courier Express

brief: How to survive in the express delivery market dominated by FedEx.

Big idea: Use a cartoon spokesperson.

The widely known cartoon character of the public, the Beep Bird, was chosen. It is only 60 centimeters tall but can run around like lightning.

Revelation: Sometimes, the big idea is to find a spokesperson that everyone agrees on.

Client: Time Magazine

brief: When cable television invaded and was invaded by the information wave, the perception that Time magazine was the must-have publication became blurred.

Big idea: Capture the insights of the times and inject new era relevance into the magazine.

I found that the reason why people don’t read Time magazine is not because there are many things to read or many alternatives, but because people are under great pressure in their lives and don’t have time to read. So I came up with a theme - Create time for Time.

Inspiration: Sometimes, the big idea is to let the times empower a brand or product.

At the end of this issue, I would like to share with you how George Lewis judges whether a big idea can be magnified 10 times the budget:

Can we see it? If we see it, can we remember it or be impressed by it?

Author: Advertising Department Store

Source: Advertising Department Store