Guest Article: Haresh Nayak: Thou can be creative in small ways!

Being outrageously innovative in the Out-of-Home space in India is a challenge in itself. The MD of Posterscope Group explains how we can be creative.

Often, we talk of innovation, but seldom have we nailed it. Being outrageously innovative in the OOH space in India is a challenge in itself. Infrastructure limitations, the rules & regulations web, the pasa-malay state of affairs and lack of standardisation are just some of the issues that a creative mind has to fight against to dole out a kick-ass campaign. Nonetheless paucity of innovation doesn't mean we face a scarcity of creativity.

Despite these hurdles an effective OOH campaign is just a few commandments and small ideas away. If we do the basics right, a lot can be achieved. So for once let us keep radical innovations aside and concentrate on the minute nuances which are doable and also effective. These commandments tell you just one thing,
'Thou can be creative in small ways'

I. Thou shalt not use more than 7 words - This is hard, I know. But not a single driver in the world will be able to read much more. Even if the billboard is at a stop light, people won't even want to read it if you have more copy than this. The amount of time spent with a creative differs by environment but typically the message needs to be absorbed 2-5 seconds. As a rough guide 5-7 words can be read in 2 seconds.

II. Thou shalt not use system fonts - Stop using Arial, Impact and Times. There are much better fonts that are far more readable. The general public probably can't articulate this, but using these fonts makes your ad look generic and hurts your credibility. Just try something with a little personality. Making any font ultra-bold condensed and italic does not qualify as personality. If it came with your computer when you bought it, it's probably a good idea to not use it.

Here are some typeface techniques that are simple and effective -

Kerning

Sufficient kerning between letters assures the legibility test from far distances. Tight kerning reduces legibility causing adjacent letters to attach together visually. Without proper kerning "clear morning" could be interpreted as "dear moming."

Stacking

A single horizontal line of text allows rapid assimilation of a message without interruption. Multiple text lines increase the time needed to discern a message.

Leading

If more than one text line is necessary, use adequate leading between lines. When a line of text rides on the line below the interplay of descenders and ascenders it will make a message difficult to read.

III. Thou shalt not always include a call to action - Not every ad needs this. It's just a buzzword that some marketers made up so they could sound like they knew what they were talking about. Your entire billboard is a call to action whether that action is to buy something, turn at the next light, find more information, join a group, get excited, generate buzz or simply be aware that the brand exists. None of these actions are taken simply because you told people to do so. As long as your billboard creates some sort of emotional response, viewers will decide what action they want to take. If you don't create an emotional response, they won't take any action at all.

IV. Thou shalt not ignore thy audience - Take care to know who you're speaking to, and speak to them in the right tone. Your target audience is not everybody. Narrow your focus and you'll make more sales. The best analogy is a shotgun versus a sniper rifle. With a shotgun you spread your chances of making a kill. But the sniper rifle guarantees it.

V. Thou shalt think beyond billboards - Yes, outdoor advertising is synonymous with billboards, but the horizon is much larger. It is about Out-of-Home and thus you have a million avenues, you can go experiential, you can weave in technology, you can go ambient, you can be digital. Be what you want to but be beyond billboards.

Why just be billboard-centric? Here is a classic example of how a little creative thinking can help tremendously. We cracked an interesting intervention for TIGI Salon.

TIGI being a relatively new brand in India its global expert was flown down from UK to provide free consultations at a salon in Bangalore. The key challenge was to drive footfalls to the salon. We chose to engage the TG at a mall near the salon. Given that people tend to look into mirrors we arranged for hostesses wearing branded mirrors.

This was a perfect ice breaker to start a conversation with the person looking into the mirror. The hostess then explained the product features and hand them leaflets with details. We backed this activity with a ticket jacket branding at multiplexes inside the same mall. The tickets were given in branded jackets with information about the consultation & the salon. We inserted leaflets into newspapers and circulated them within the vicinity of the salons. The result was 14,000 visitors and direct engagement with 620 consumers.

VI. Thou shalt break the rules - Once you've mastered the rules, you can break them if you have a very deliberate purpose rooted in a strong concept. If your concept just wouldn't work without breaking a rule, then you've probably got an award-winning billboard on your hands.

Don't just bend the rules. Break the hell out of them and then stuff them into a wood chipper. But have a strong concept to back up your reasoning.

VII. Thou shalt do what you do with passion - Finally it all boils down to how passionate you are about the medium, your client, and the audience. So do what you do with passion!

Haresh Nayak is the MD of Posterscope Group.