Most Millennials (born 1981-1996) had some form of at-home access to the internet before leaving the proverbial nest, but still vividly remember the majority of advertising they were subjected to being on TV or the radio, and not the web. Gen Z (born between 1996 and 2010), on the other hand, have always lived in a world with smartphones, and are generally more tech savvy than their elder generational counterparts. In the last five years, a shift from marketing targeting Millennials to that that appeals more to Gen Z has started taking place, and is expected to continue as the latter generation starts to enter the workforce and have more disposable income. Here is a look at some of the changes in advertising techniques that took place with Gen Z in mind.

Worldly Focus

With technology and web accessibility, there are plenty of negative things that happen like cyber-bullying and overexposure to things that most kids without tech wouldn’t be subjected to. But some other things that some kids wouldn’t have been subjected to, like global atrocities, implicit biases, and bigotry are easier to see with the internet, and that has molded a generation (Gen Z) of individuals who want to think bigger than themselves, and want to do business with people who do the same. This began with Millennials, and most of the individuals in this demographic have some interest in things like sustainability and combating world hunger, but they don’t particularly fight those fights with their dollars. 55% of Gen Z, however, claim they will only do business with companies who are eco-friendly. With this in mind, the first step to be able to market to these individuals is to actually be eco-friendly, and the second is to tell them all about it via marketing. Recommended: 5 Tips for Improving Inclusion in 21st Century Advertising

New Markets

The “what” in marketing isn’t the only thing that differs between advertising geared to Millennials and advertising geared towards Gen Z. Social media affords marketing teams near-endless new niches to explore and hopefully grow your brand. In 2020 alone, brands spent $84 billion on advertisements on Facebook, and ROI for these types of ads is generally pretty stellar. Facebook is still the social media kingpin, and used by people from all generations, but the others like Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok all have opportunities aplenty, as well. Marketing psychology would dictate that as these services grow, so will the opportunities to market on them. Within these markets exist a few different ways of reaching your target audience. First, social media analytics make it extremely easy to see who ‘follows’ whom, and what the common interests are for groups of people who have a common interest (generally a celebrity). Being able to find a group of individuals who may all be interested in your product or service without leaving your desk is a business blessing that gets understated often. Targeted ads on these services show up to users labeled as “sponsored content,” but the analytics allow you to continually mold where your messages go, to ensure the right eyes are seeing them. Generally these sponsored advertisements contain similar messages as ads your company would place in print or TV, though can be more geared for a younger audience without too much fear of pushing anyone away. Another great marketing opportunity that exists for both Millennials and Gen Zers is through brand influence marketing. Instead of making your own message to share with these targeted markets, brand influencer marketing is having someone else, who the audience already loves, deliver your message for you. At roughly $10 per 1,000 followers, brand influence options exist for every single business, big or small, and determining who the followers of a given social media influencer are is where you find the greatest ROI on your brand influencer marketing. Finding someone who is very popular within a niche relative to your product, but not quite a household name is where you find the most success in brand influencer marketing. Recommended: A Brief History of Influencer Marketing

Continued Shift

That old saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words” might be tired, but it’s never been more accurate in our visual society. People love images and videos, and they’re willing to give their precious attention away if visual content is compelling enough. Visual advertising isn’t new, but it’s changed a lot in the last hundred years. In the 20th century, illustrated print advertisements and television commercials were important visual advertising techniques. Today, digital marketing has taken over, offering marketers opportunities to use high-resolution images, video, and even interactive content in marketing. As generations change, so do tastes. Gen Xers want something different than Millennials or Gen Z. Younger generations are more interested in video and mobile content. Although the underlying psychology of advertising and marketing never changes, smart marketers have to keep up with the preferred mediums and platforms of their target audience. But even as times and trends change, many of the fundamental best practices stay the same. Whenever you design any digital advertisements, it’s important to keep these factors in mind. Recommended: 5 Visual Design Trends Proven to Increase Sales

Color Psychology

We’re all affected by color, even if we don’t realize it. Subconsciously, certain colors affect our behavior and can have a big impact on whether or not someone clicks on an advertisement or call-to-action (CTA) button on a website. Learning about color psychology is important for any marketer because these subtle differences in how we perceive color can be hugely influential in the success or failure of an advertisement. For instance, Hubspot’s research discovered that red CTAs are much more effective (21% more) than green CTAs—using the exact same text! Fast food brands also use color psychology to their advantage. Red and yellow are popular colors for fast food chains because red is known to encourage appetite and yellow is a “happy” color. Combined, they make people think of quick service, essential for any fast-food brand. We’re all being influenced, even if we don’t know it! Recommended: The Do’s and Don’ts of Data Visualization on the Web

Composition

Simply slapping different elements into an advertisement isn’t going to produce good results. The composition needs to be balanced and aesthetically pleasing. An ad should be composed to draw the eye to certain components and subtly take the viewer through all the important elements. Ad composition can be tricky to get right, but it’s essential for creating a cohesive and effective advertisement.

Focal Point

Composition is important for the overall aesthetics and feel of an advertisement, but not all components are equally important. It’s the advertiser’s job to make the most important elements stand out. Your key message or image should be the focal point of the advertisement. All the other elements will support the focal point, but shouldn’t distract from it. A designer needs to be able to draw the eye and the attention to the most important message.

Visual Path

It might seem like we take in an advertisement as a whole, but that’s not the way our eyes and brain process information. We take a “visual path” when looking at an image, and the path we take is influenced by the layout and composition of the ad. There are two main visual paths: the “z-shaped” path and the “f-shaped” path. The z-shaped path means our eyes move across the content in a zigzag, going back and forth on the diagonal. The f-shaped path is similar to how we would read a block of text, back and forth in straight lines. Be intentional in the visual path you want to use. By choosing the “shape” of your advertisement, people will scan it and get the most important messaging with less effort. Recommended: 5 Trends and Rules of Visual Storytelling that Designers Must Follow

Typographic Composition

Most people have surprisingly strong feelings about fonts and text color. The shape, font, size, and color of the text in your advertisements can be extremely powerful in drawing people in. However, it can also easily push people away! In addition to great copywriting, you also have to pay close attention to the visual impact of your text. Think about your brand voice and values in selecting colors and fonts. Make sure the text is integrated into the overall composition of your ad. Recommended: Understanding the Psychology of Typography While Designing

The Ad as a Whole

That old saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words” might be tired, but it’s never been more accurate in our visual society. People love images and videos, and they’re willing to give their precious attention away if visual content is compelling enough. Visual advertising isn’t new, but it’s changed a lot in the last hundred years. In the 20th century, illustrated print advertisements and television commercials were important visual advertising techniques. Today, digital marketing has taken over, offering marketers opportunities to use high-resolution images, video, and even interactive content in marketing. As generations change, so do tastes. Gen Xers want something different than Millennials or Gen Z. Younger generations are more interested in video and mobile content. Although the underlying psychology of advertising and marketing never changes, smart marketers have to keep up with the preferred mediums and platforms of their target audience. But even as times and trends change, many of the fundamental best practices stay the same. Whenever you design any digital advertisements, it’s important to keep these factors in mind. Recommended: 5 Visual Design Trends Proven to Increase Sales

Color Psychology

We’re all affected by color, even if we don’t realize it. Subconsciously, certain colors affect our behavior and can have a big impact on whether or not someone clicks on an advertisement or call-to-action (CTA) button on a website. Learning about color psychology is important for any marketer because these subtle differences in how we perceive color can be hugely influential in the success or failure of an advertisement. For instance, Hubspot’s research discovered that red CTAs are much more effective (21% more) than green CTAs—using the exact same text! Fast food brands also use color psychology to their advantage. Red and yellow are popular colors for fast food chains because red is known to encourage appetite and yellow is a “happy” color. Combined, they make people think of quick service, essential for any fast-food brand. We’re all being influenced, even if we don’t know it! Recommended: The Do’s and Don’ts of Data Visualization on the Web

Composition

Simply slapping different elements into an advertisement isn’t going to produce good results. The composition needs to be balanced and aesthetically pleasing. An ad should be composed to draw the eye to certain components and subtly take the viewer through all the important elements. Ad composition can be tricky to get right, but it’s essential for creating a cohesive and effective advertisement.

Focal Point

Composition is important for the overall aesthetics and feel of an advertisement, but not all components are equally important. It’s the advertiser’s job to make the most important elements stand out. Your key message or image should be the focal point of the advertisement. All the other elements will support the focal point, but shouldn’t distract from it. A designer needs to be able to draw the eye and the attention to the most important message.

Visual Path

It might seem like we take in an advertisement as a whole, but that’s not the way our eyes and brain process information. We take a “visual path” when looking at an image, and the path we take is influenced by the layout and composition of the ad. There are two main visual paths: the “z-shaped” path and the “f-shaped” path. The z-shaped path means our eyes move across the content in a zigzag, going back and forth on the diagonal. The f-shaped path is similar to how we would read a block of text, back and forth in straight lines. Be intentional in the visual path you want to use. By choosing the “shape” of your advertisement, people will scan it and get the most important messaging with less effort. Recommended: 5 Trends and Rules of Visual Storytelling that Designers Must Follow

Typographic Composition

Most people have surprisingly strong feelings about fonts and text color. The shape, font, size, and color of the text in your advertisements can be extremely powerful in drawing people in. However, it can also easily push people away! In addition to great copywriting, you also have to pay close attention to the visual impact of your text. Think about your brand voice and values in selecting colors and fonts. Make sure the text is integrated into the overall composition of your ad. Recommended: Understanding the Psychology of Typography While Designing

The Ad as a Whole

Did you know that Procter & Gamble (P&G) has recently announced that they won’t be investing in digital advertising? Wondering why? Most of the time, digital ads don’t even reach the target audience. And most internet users don’t want to be bombarded with ads. It’s very annoying to experience an interruption in the otherwise smooth-running browsing process. To get rid of irritating and annoying ads, many internet users use ad blockers. That’s why the use of ad blockers has also increased. Also, digital advertisements from brands can really look spammy and much too salesy. There is also the issue of trust and credibility. Digital ads cannot easily win the trust of your target audience. Still not convinced? This post will give you four of the most important reasons you should stop investing in digital ads.

1. Your Audience Uses Ad Blockers

According to an IAB report on ad blockers, 26% of the respondents said that they use ad blockers. The same study also found that in December 2016, approximately 600 million devices worldwide were blocking ads. Out of these 600 million, 62% were mobile devices. So, you see? Nearly one-fourth of global internet users have blocked any form of digital ads. Most internet users are scared of being exposed to viruses and malware. This is the most important reason why they use ad blockers. Obviously, this means your money spent on digital ads is being wasted.

Image Source – PageFair What’s even more concerning is that the use of ad blockers on mobile devices is increasing rapidly. The 2017 Global Adblock report found that 94% of mobile devices that block ads are from the Asia-Pacific region. And 68% of desktop devices using ad blockers are from North America and Europe. Generation Z is the predominant user of ad blocking software and tools.

Image Source – PageFair So, the question that naturally arises is - how are you going to evade ad blockers and get your message across to your audiences? The answer is influencer marketing. Social media influencers have a sizable, engaged fan following. If you can team up with influencers in your niche, you can get your message across to people who are your target audience. Influencers are able to create genuine and authentic stories to promote a brand or their products. Their posts are appealing, aesthetic, and don’t look pushy, spammy or salesy. For instance, Airbnb teamed up with many big celebrities like Lady Gaga and Martin Garrix to promote their brand. Their Instagram post generated millions of likes and increased brand awareness as well. Airbnb made the most of the hype of Coachella and provided lavish homes to celebrities attending the festival. Below is the screenshot of Martin Garrix, from Coachella. This particular post from Marin gained more than 10% engagement rate.

Image Source - Instagram The entire campaign was a success and the brand managed to gain 510K comments, 18 million likes and a 4% overall engagement rate.

2. Digital Ads Don’t Instill Trust

Some may argue that people are more likely to survive an accident than click on a banner ad. That may be a debatable topic, however, you certainly can’t deny that ads don’t instill trust in people. The reason? Anyone can pay their way to the top of those ads. That doesn’t indicate whether your products truly are valuable or not. Trust is a very important factor in marketing. If your audience doesn’t trust you, they’ll never buy from you. And today, people look for social proof before buying anything at all. So, many brands work with influencers as they can help you win the trust of your prospective customers. Because generally many people search for product recommendations and reviews on social media before buying any product. If an influencer recommends your product, you will certainly be trusted by their audience. Why? Because followers of an influencer trust and value their opinions and recommendations. Collaborating with a relevant influencer also empowers your brand to venture into new markets. Sephora has a community of beauty bloggers whom they call “Beauty Insiders.” They try new products and share their honest feedback with the community. Since consumers appreciate such genuinity, they too, start to trust the brand through these reviews.

Image Source - Sephora

3. Digital Ads are Expensive

In order to ensure that your digital ads can have a decent impact, you need deep pockets. PPC ads, for example, can be quite costly. The cost of PPC ads increased by 25% from 2015 to 2016. In comparison, influencer marketing is a cost-effective form of marketing. According to a Linqia report, 66% of brands, on average, spend $50K or less on influencer marketing. You can even work with micro-influencers if you have a tight budget.

Image Source - Linqia Micro-influencers are pretty affordable, which can help you cut down the budget for your campaign. A Bloglovin’ study found that 84% and 97% of micro-influencers charge less than $250 and $500 respectively, for a branded Instagram post. On the other hand, micro-influencers can successfully generate high engagement rates - truly, a cost-effective option. It can be difficult, however, to find relevant influencers in your niche. Fortunately, there are many platforms out there which can help you find and connect with suitable influencers. Platforms like BuzzSumo, Reelio, BuzzStream can help you find influencers and even help you run and manage your campaigns. Koa Organic Beverages is made out of fresh fruits grown organically. For one of their campaigns, they collaborated with micro-influencers in fitness. Here’s an example of a post from their campaign by micro-influencer, MaLyn.

Image Source - Instagram The campaign turned out to be a major success. As the brand managed to increase their reach by more than 500K. And their promotional posts managed to gain more than 10K likes.

4. Ads Aren’t Multi-Channel Friendly

Mostly digital ads focus on placing a banner on websites. There’s no way or repurposing them on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. On the other hand, you can repurpose content created by influencers across all social platforms to promote yourself. Because influencer content can be used on so many social platforms, it’s easier for a brand to enter a new market. By using multiple social platforms, brands can successfully increase their reach. For instance, to promote their new products, Moto Mods, and Moto Z, Motorola teamed up with YouTube influencers. Their primary target audience was Generation Z. So the brand partnered with 13 YouTube influencers to produce 13 videos for their campaign.

Image Source - YouTube The campaign was a huge success - the videos generated more than 11 million views. This was followed by 122K clicks to Motorola’s website. This is one of the best examples of brands and influencers using YouTube as a platform to promote their products.

Final Thoughts

Most Millennials (born 1981-1996) had some form of at-home access to the internet before leaving the proverbial nest, but still vividly remember the majority of advertising they were subjected to being on TV or the radio, and not the web. Gen Z (born between 1996 and 2010), on the other hand, have always lived in a world with smartphones, and are generally more tech savvy than their elder generational counterparts. In the last five years, a shift from marketing targeting Millennials to that that appeals more to Gen Z has started taking place, and is expected to continue as the latter generation starts to enter the workforce and have more disposable income. Here is a look at some of the changes in advertising techniques that took place with Gen Z in mind.

Worldly Focus

With technology and web accessibility, there are plenty of negative things that happen like cyber-bullying and overexposure to things that most kids without tech wouldn’t be subjected to. But some other things that some kids wouldn’t have been subjected to, like global atrocities, implicit biases, and bigotry are easier to see with the internet, and that has molded a generation (Gen Z) of individuals who want to think bigger than themselves, and want to do business with people who do the same. This began with Millennials, and most of the individuals in this demographic have some interest in things like sustainability and combating world hunger, but they don’t particularly fight those fights with their dollars. 55% of Gen Z, however, claim they will only do business with companies who are eco-friendly. With this in mind, the first step to be able to market to these individuals is to actually be eco-friendly, and the second is to tell them all about it via marketing. Recommended: 5 Tips for Improving Inclusion in 21st Century Advertising

New Markets

The “what” in marketing isn’t the only thing that differs between advertising geared to Millennials and advertising geared towards Gen Z. Social media affords marketing teams near-endless new niches to explore and hopefully grow your brand. In 2020 alone, brands spent $84 billion on advertisements on Facebook, and ROI for these types of ads is generally pretty stellar. Facebook is still the social media kingpin, and used by people from all generations, but the others like Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok all have opportunities aplenty, as well. Marketing psychology would dictate that as these services grow, so will the opportunities to market on them. Within these markets exist a few different ways of reaching your target audience. First, social media analytics make it extremely easy to see who ‘follows’ whom, and what the common interests are for groups of people who have a common interest (generally a celebrity). Being able to find a group of individuals who may all be interested in your product or service without leaving your desk is a business blessing that gets understated often. Targeted ads on these services show up to users labeled as “sponsored content,” but the analytics allow you to continually mold where your messages go, to ensure the right eyes are seeing them. Generally these sponsored advertisements contain similar messages as ads your company would place in print or TV, though can be more geared for a younger audience without too much fear of pushing anyone away. Another great marketing opportunity that exists for both Millennials and Gen Zers is through brand influence marketing. Instead of making your own message to share with these targeted markets, brand influencer marketing is having someone else, who the audience already loves, deliver your message for you. At roughly $10 per 1,000 followers, brand influence options exist for every single business, big or small, and determining who the followers of a given social media influencer are is where you find the greatest ROI on your brand influencer marketing. Finding someone who is very popular within a niche relative to your product, but not quite a household name is where you find the most success in brand influencer marketing. Recommended: A Brief History of Influencer Marketing

Continued Shift

That old saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words” might be tired, but it’s never been more accurate in our visual society. People love images and videos, and they’re willing to give their precious attention away if visual content is compelling enough. Visual advertising isn’t new, but it’s changed a lot in the last hundred years. In the 20th century, illustrated print advertisements and television commercials were important visual advertising techniques. Today, digital marketing has taken over, offering marketers opportunities to use high-resolution images, video, and even interactive content in marketing. As generations change, so do tastes. Gen Xers want something different than Millennials or Gen Z. Younger generations are more interested in video and mobile content. Although the underlying psychology of advertising and marketing never changes, smart marketers have to keep up with the preferred mediums and platforms of their target audience. But even as times and trends change, many of the fundamental best practices stay the same. Whenever you design any digital advertisements, it’s important to keep these factors in mind. Recommended: 5 Visual Design Trends Proven to Increase Sales

Color Psychology

We’re all affected by color, even if we don’t realize it. Subconsciously, certain colors affect our behavior and can have a big impact on whether or not someone clicks on an advertisement or call-to-action (CTA) button on a website. Learning about color psychology is important for any marketer because these subtle differences in how we perceive color can be hugely influential in the success or failure of an advertisement. For instance, Hubspot’s research discovered that red CTAs are much more effective (21% more) than green CTAs—using the exact same text! Fast food brands also use color psychology to their advantage. Red and yellow are popular colors for fast food chains because red is known to encourage appetite and yellow is a “happy” color. Combined, they make people think of quick service, essential for any fast-food brand. We’re all being influenced, even if we don’t know it! Recommended: The Do’s and Don’ts of Data Visualization on the Web

Composition

Simply slapping different elements into an advertisement isn’t going to produce good results. The composition needs to be balanced and aesthetically pleasing. An ad should be composed to draw the eye to certain components and subtly take the viewer through all the important elements. Ad composition can be tricky to get right, but it’s essential for creating a cohesive and effective advertisement.

Focal Point

Composition is important for the overall aesthetics and feel of an advertisement, but not all components are equally important. It’s the advertiser’s job to make the most important elements stand out. Your key message or image should be the focal point of the advertisement. All the other elements will support the focal point, but shouldn’t distract from it. A designer needs to be able to draw the eye and the attention to the most important message.

Visual Path

It might seem like we take in an advertisement as a whole, but that’s not the way our eyes and brain process information. We take a “visual path” when looking at an image, and the path we take is influenced by the layout and composition of the ad. There are two main visual paths: the “z-shaped” path and the “f-shaped” path. The z-shaped path means our eyes move across the content in a zigzag, going back and forth on the diagonal. The f-shaped path is similar to how we would read a block of text, back and forth in straight lines. Be intentional in the visual path you want to use. By choosing the “shape” of your advertisement, people will scan it and get the most important messaging with less effort. Recommended: 5 Trends and Rules of Visual Storytelling that Designers Must Follow

Typographic Composition

Most people have surprisingly strong feelings about fonts and text color. The shape, font, size, and color of the text in your advertisements can be extremely powerful in drawing people in. However, it can also easily push people away! In addition to great copywriting, you also have to pay close attention to the visual impact of your text. Think about your brand voice and values in selecting colors and fonts. Make sure the text is integrated into the overall composition of your ad. Recommended: Understanding the Psychology of Typography While Designing

The Ad as a Whole

Most Millennials (born 1981-1996) had some form of at-home access to the internet before leaving the proverbial nest, but still vividly remember the majority of advertising they were subjected to being on TV or the radio, and not the web. Gen Z (born between 1996 and 2010), on the other hand, have always lived in a world with smartphones, and are generally more tech savvy than their elder generational counterparts. In the last five years, a shift from marketing targeting Millennials to that that appeals more to Gen Z has started taking place, and is expected to continue as the latter generation starts to enter the workforce and have more disposable income. Here is a look at some of the changes in advertising techniques that took place with Gen Z in mind.

Worldly Focus

With technology and web accessibility, there are plenty of negative things that happen like cyber-bullying and overexposure to things that most kids without tech wouldn’t be subjected to. But some other things that some kids wouldn’t have been subjected to, like global atrocities, implicit biases, and bigotry are easier to see with the internet, and that has molded a generation (Gen Z) of individuals who want to think bigger than themselves, and want to do business with people who do the same. This began with Millennials, and most of the individuals in this demographic have some interest in things like sustainability and combating world hunger, but they don’t particularly fight those fights with their dollars. 55% of Gen Z, however, claim they will only do business with companies who are eco-friendly. With this in mind, the first step to be able to market to these individuals is to actually be eco-friendly, and the second is to tell them all about it via marketing. Recommended: 5 Tips for Improving Inclusion in 21st Century Advertising

New Markets

The “what” in marketing isn’t the only thing that differs between advertising geared to Millennials and advertising geared towards Gen Z. Social media affords marketing teams near-endless new niches to explore and hopefully grow your brand. In 2020 alone, brands spent $84 billion on advertisements on Facebook, and ROI for these types of ads is generally pretty stellar. Facebook is still the social media kingpin, and used by people from all generations, but the others like Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok all have opportunities aplenty, as well. Marketing psychology would dictate that as these services grow, so will the opportunities to market on them. Within these markets exist a few different ways of reaching your target audience. First, social media analytics make it extremely easy to see who ‘follows’ whom, and what the common interests are for groups of people who have a common interest (generally a celebrity). Being able to find a group of individuals who may all be interested in your product or service without leaving your desk is a business blessing that gets understated often. Targeted ads on these services show up to users labeled as “sponsored content,” but the analytics allow you to continually mold where your messages go, to ensure the right eyes are seeing them. Generally these sponsored advertisements contain similar messages as ads your company would place in print or TV, though can be more geared for a younger audience without too much fear of pushing anyone away. Another great marketing opportunity that exists for both Millennials and Gen Zers is through brand influence marketing. Instead of making your own message to share with these targeted markets, brand influencer marketing is having someone else, who the audience already loves, deliver your message for you. At roughly $10 per 1,000 followers, brand influence options exist for every single business, big or small, and determining who the followers of a given social media influencer are is where you find the greatest ROI on your brand influencer marketing. Finding someone who is very popular within a niche relative to your product, but not quite a household name is where you find the most success in brand influencer marketing. Recommended: A Brief History of Influencer Marketing

Continued Shift

That old saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words” might be tired, but it’s never been more accurate in our visual society. People love images and videos, and they’re willing to give their precious attention away if visual content is compelling enough. Visual advertising isn’t new, but it’s changed a lot in the last hundred years. In the 20th century, illustrated print advertisements and television commercials were important visual advertising techniques. Today, digital marketing has taken over, offering marketers opportunities to use high-resolution images, video, and even interactive content in marketing. As generations change, so do tastes. Gen Xers want something different than Millennials or Gen Z. Younger generations are more interested in video and mobile content. Although the underlying psychology of advertising and marketing never changes, smart marketers have to keep up with the preferred mediums and platforms of their target audience. But even as times and trends change, many of the fundamental best practices stay the same. Whenever you design any digital advertisements, it’s important to keep these factors in mind. Recommended: 5 Visual Design Trends Proven to Increase Sales

Color Psychology

We’re all affected by color, even if we don’t realize it. Subconsciously, certain colors affect our behavior and can have a big impact on whether or not someone clicks on an advertisement or call-to-action (CTA) button on a website. Learning about color psychology is important for any marketer because these subtle differences in how we perceive color can be hugely influential in the success or failure of an advertisement. For instance, Hubspot’s research discovered that red CTAs are much more effective (21% more) than green CTAs—using the exact same text! Fast food brands also use color psychology to their advantage. Red and yellow are popular colors for fast food chains because red is known to encourage appetite and yellow is a “happy” color. Combined, they make people think of quick service, essential for any fast-food brand. We’re all being influenced, even if we don’t know it! Recommended: The Do’s and Don’ts of Data Visualization on the Web

Composition

Simply slapping different elements into an advertisement isn’t going to produce good results. The composition needs to be balanced and aesthetically pleasing. An ad should be composed to draw the eye to certain components and subtly take the viewer through all the important elements. Ad composition can be tricky to get right, but it’s essential for creating a cohesive and effective advertisement.

Focal Point

Composition is important for the overall aesthetics and feel of an advertisement, but not all components are equally important. It’s the advertiser’s job to make the most important elements stand out. Your key message or image should be the focal point of the advertisement. All the other elements will support the focal point, but shouldn’t distract from it. A designer needs to be able to draw the eye and the attention to the most important message.

Visual Path

It might seem like we take in an advertisement as a whole, but that’s not the way our eyes and brain process information. We take a “visual path” when looking at an image, and the path we take is influenced by the layout and composition of the ad. There are two main visual paths: the “z-shaped” path and the “f-shaped” path. The z-shaped path means our eyes move across the content in a zigzag, going back and forth on the diagonal. The f-shaped path is similar to how we would read a block of text, back and forth in straight lines. Be intentional in the visual path you want to use. By choosing the “shape” of your advertisement, people will scan it and get the most important messaging with less effort. Recommended: 5 Trends and Rules of Visual Storytelling that Designers Must Follow

Typographic Composition

Most people have surprisingly strong feelings about fonts and text color. The shape, font, size, and color of the text in your advertisements can be extremely powerful in drawing people in. However, it can also easily push people away! In addition to great copywriting, you also have to pay close attention to the visual impact of your text. Think about your brand voice and values in selecting colors and fonts. Make sure the text is integrated into the overall composition of your ad. Recommended: Understanding the Psychology of Typography While Designing

The Ad as a Whole