Equine Advertising - Getting Noticed.

Some of the most important elements to consider in equine advertising are the very same as apply to corporate ad work.

One Idea Per Ad

People are busy and often "glance" rather than read most ads. In fact the average viewing time for most advertising is about six seconds, not very long to make an impression! For ads to be noticed and effective, it's a good idea to limit a single clear idea per ad message. Sometimes clients are tempted to try to impart too many messages for a single advertisement, thereby making each of them less potent. In many ways, the more simple the message... the more powerful the impact.

Superior Photography

Using superb photography is critical for getting noticed in advertising. If you are going to invest the resources to plan, design and insert advertising into the various equine magazines, or on the web, it makes great sense to have unique, clear and meaningful photography for your message. A great photo stops the audience... that critical first step in getting your message noticed. (The Landy Paint Ventures advertising is a good example of this concept). Meredith Landy utilized a highly respected fashion photographer to shoot each of her three show horses on location, thereby obtaining a year's worth of gorgeous photos for her advertising.

Hierarchy - That Thing That Shouts

Just as the "one idea per ad" is important... equally important is the hiearchy in each piece of advertising. If all elements that appear in the ad are of the same weight and importance, the ad simply loses it's punch. Make that most important idea shouts and leave space for all the other elements in the message to whisper. Once again... proper hierarchy stops the audience, gets you noticed... and leaves a greater impression.

Colors - Developing A Color Scheme

Colors make us notice. Some of the most powerful color combinations come from nature. This is especially true in good web design. Whether developing a single ad message or a year long campaign, consistency in color, font and style help you get noticed and remembered. When we use colors that tie into or are in the same family with horses or outfits, the message pops! (A good example of this can be seen in the Gabrielle Lofton idea). Miss Lofton had a very unique color of outfit and we took advantage of this color to get her ad message greater impact and notice.

The All Important Point of Difference

So what makes you special? What makes your horse, your relationship with your horse, your barn, your training, your farm, your stud... different and unique? This is what we like to refer to as the relevant point of difference. It is one of the first and most important things we discuss before developing ad campaigns, large or small. A very good example of this would be the ad campaign developed for Nancy Renfro Performance Horses. Nancy has achieved 13 world championships in many different events... a truly impressive and very relevant point of difference for her clients. We expressed this point of different through images of her world show trophies as seen in the example here.

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These are just a few of many important details and concepts that go into making advertising work harder, obtain better results and get you noticed. With more than 20 years experience and a Masters Degree in Advertising Design, we'll help guide you through the design process to achieve all that you wish. Just give us a call!

We love collaborating on different ideas and looks for clients. Call or email us... we're passionate about the work and your results!
kathleen@marketstreetmarketing.com

Kathleen Downs, MA, Principal
Market Street Marketing
530-244-9202