5 Main aspects of understanding the basic elements of advertisement

Companies use the tool of advertising to promote their product across the target audience. What one seeks is an ad which will capture its reader/audience instantly and convert them into buyers/consumers of their product. Advertisements operate according to the principle of AIDA, which revolves around grabbing the Attention, generating an Interest, stimulating a Desire to purchase and eventually convincing him to take Action in the form of purchase.

A successful ad contains five major parts:

1. Headline: The headline is that part of the copy which grabs all the attention in a matter of seconds. Containing just a few words of text, a headline needs to be direct and to the point. A lot of interest has to be captured with just a headline in order to create the impact as the audience must feel the connection immediately.

2. Sub headline: Appearing directly beneath the main headline, a sub headline is a text which provides the reader with more information that he is left wanting after reading the headline. The subhead highlights features of the product and outlines the reason as to why the consumer should look into the ad further.

3. Bodycopy: Aimed at stimulating the desire of purchase, the bodycopy provides in depth information about the product and also provide facts & figures to substantiate their claims.

4. Images: Advertisements use visual images to back their texts and to grab the reader's immediate attention. Images can be used in the form of photographs, graphics, hand drawn illustrations etc. depending on the requirement of the client. In most ads, the company's logo is highlighted.

5. Call to action: In what can spark the decision to purchase, the close of an ad should be equally stimulating as the start. This part instills a sense of urgency. It should ideally provide instructions to the reader as to what needs to be done in order to purchase the advertised item.