Attention Getting - Cognitive Attention Getters

1. Humor. In a crowded and cluttered ad environment, humorous ads may be the most common, best-loved, and most tolerated by audiences, but they are often not very effective in actually selling the product .Lighthearted, mellow humor (not biting satire) is used both to get attention and to stir up good feelings.

2. News Many ads are simply announcements providing information about new products, availability, and price.

3. Lists & Displays. People like to read lists, especially in rank-order, such as "5 Best Buys." Displays and catalogs are very popular, showing the many items, choices, and varieties.

4. Claims and Promises. A claim asserts that the product is something, has some quality, or does something; a promise means that it will benefit the buyer.

5. Advice. People seek advice. Even those who rebel against "orders," often welcome "hints" and "suggestions." Two simple words ("how to") are very effective attention-getters.

6. Lead-ins. Some language patterns prompt completion or closure: a teaser, a fragment, an interruption, a quick peek, a come-on,"coming attractions." Other lead-ins are congratulatory phrases ("Congratulations, you've just won...") or even the simple word "Wanted" used in a bold headline. More subtle lead-ins include periodic sentences (in which the full meaning is withheld until the end); premise indicators ("since, because") which lead to conclusion indicators (thus, therefore"), and hypotheticals ("if .. then").

7. Questions. The most common and obvious lead-in is the rhetorical question, which does not expect an audible outward response, but does seek to prompt a silent inner response.

8. Stories. TV ads are often brief, dramatized problem/solution stories. The characters act as role models providing examples of behavior, either in realistic settings ("plain folks" - housekeeping, local bars) or non-realistic settings ("beautiful people" - elegant parties,yachts) which are romanticized wish-fulfillment fantasies.

9. Demonstrations. Four major kinds explain or illustrate how things work are: a step-by-step sequence to show how to use a new product: a before-and-after set to show effects or results; a side-by-side comparison to show one is better; a behind-the-scenes revelation to show how or why the product was made.

10. Breaking Rules. Deviation from any rule, norm, custom, or standard gets attention;. For example, some ads use deliberate misspellings and "bad grammar."