This is an accessible introduction to creative advertising techniques. Featuring 100 spreads detailing concepts such as the 'Reveal' and the 'Mash-up', it presents the key methods of devising print, television, radio, direct, and online ideas. The process of creating an ad can be divided into three steps: planning; concept creation; crafting. This book provides a straightforward guide to concept creation, including methods that are applicable across media and offering wide-ranging examples from international campaigns. Aimed at agency creatives, planners, and account handlers, as well as graphic designers, marketing professionals, and students, this book has wide-ranging appeal.

Includes index.

Reveals -- Mash-ups -- Double meanings -- Puns -- Visual puns -- Visual metaphors -- Visual similes -- Analogy -- Omission -- Minimalism -- Rhyme -- Alliteration -- Questions -- The rule of three -- Contrasting pairs -- Lists -- Storytelling -- Consequences -- Sequences -- Homages -- Borrowed interest -- Reversal -- Displacement -- Disruption -- Contradiction -- Repetition -- Hyperbole -- Visual hyperbole -- Understatement -- Comparison -- Surrealism -- Shock -- Irony -- Bathos -- Paradox -- Slang -- Killer facts -- Self-awareness -- Anti-advertising -- Advertising parodies -- Brand mascots -- Bringing the product to life -- Personification -- Catchphrases -- Neologisms -- Long copy -- The curiosity arouser -- Arguments -- Advice -- Insults -- Compliments -- Challenges -- Crusades -- In-jokes -- Interaction -- Crowdsourcing -- Ambient -- Installation -- Special builds -- Stunts -- Using the medium -- Hoaxes -- Hidden camera -- Documentary -- Big ads -- Branded content -- Playing with the logo -- Symbols -- Typography -- Pricing -- Competitive ads -- Range -- Product demonstration -- Product shot -- Product sampling -- Topical -- Puzzles -- Illusion -- Diagrams -- Annotation -- Perspective change -- Details -- The effects of time -- Dramatizing the negative -- Dramatizing product experience -- Scale -- National identity -- Regional identity -- Alternative uses -- Transformation -- Product transformation -- Heritage -- Product story -- Product features -- Local knowledge -- Endorsement -- Testimonial -- Reverse testimonial -- Manufacturer's testimonial -- Staff.