Message Execution

Once a company has decided on a marketing strategy, they must turn their idea into a compelling advertisement that will break through the advertising clutter and grab the attention of their target customers (Kotler 363-366). This can be accomplished through a variety of common execution styles including: “slice of life,” “lifestyle,” “fantasy,” “mood or image,” “musical,” “personality symbol,” “technical expertise,” “scientific evidence,” and “testimonial evidence.” The company must also decide on the type of tone to use, and what words will communicate their creative concept in an effective way.

Take this recent Nike commercial as an example:



The tone of the ad is very upbeat. It dares people to push themselves. “Just do it”. To get across their message, they use a catchy song that communicates these values:
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. It’s not where you’re from, it’s where you’re at. Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up?”

Nike combines the “life style,” “mood,” and “slice of life” execution styles to create a truly memorable advertisement. It represents the “lifestyle” approach because it shows multiple Nike products and how they fit in with various sport lifestyles, whether it is martial arts, cycling, or basketball. It is also representative of the “mood” style because it attempts to invoke a variety of emotions like beauty, tragedy, and then ultimately triumph through perseverance. Finally, Nike also uses the “slice of life” approach where they show regular people using their products. These examples of “typical” people can be seen in the young martial artists, the gymnast, or the bull rider. Nike intersperses them with famous athletes to show that we are all part of the same movement.

Jesse Rosen, Section E