Advertising to a Tea

G&R Scores

Food and beverage copy has an advantage over advertising in other product categories. It can use mouth-watering visuals sensory evoking words to command attention by inducing taste-appetite appeal. As a result, food and beverage advertising is often one of the strongest advertising categories.

Ad A is the stronger of the two ads in terms of Recall and Persuasion, and well above the norm for the product category. It employs the taste-appetite technique admirably by creating a strong visceral appeal. One actually thirsts for the product just from the visual. Brand identification is also very strong, aided by the unusual use of the Lipton name in the melted ice At the advertisement’s bottom, the cluster of containers displays the product variety clearly, opening the ad to people who prefer other flavors.

In contrast, Ad B eschews a tantalizing visual in favor of more cerebral one. The text is concrete, but the headline is less so and the overall result is less appetite appeal in Ad B. The illustration invites interest, but lacks immediate emotional impact.

Ad B is by no means a poor advertisement, and a more visceral illustration and direct headline could make it stronger.

Generalizations:

• A unique advantage of Food and Beverage advertisements is the opportunity to use appetite-inducing visuals and sensory-evoking words that command attention by inducing taste-appetite appeal.
• Clever word play by itself may please writers, but on its own, without direct benefit messaging, is less effective with readers.