The Power of Simplicity.
Little did I know that all those years ago, sitting in my bedroom listening to rock n roll records, that I was learning one of the most important lessons in advertising: The power of simplicity!
Is there any greater embodiment of a powerful singular message delivered and received, than the album cover? Band name, album title, impactful image. So simple, yet so damn enthralling. Ask yourself how many objects could give a TEENAGER to hold their attention for a full half hour? If you answered iPad, please remember I am referencing 1984, you know big hair, bad skin, dinosaurs roamed the earth.
So what can we learn from the album cover?
Stripping back the fat to essence of the message.
“We learned more from a 3-minute record, baby. Than we ever learned in school”
– Bruce Springsteen // No Surrender
OK, pull out the last advert or flyer you ran for your business. Now, using a little post reductionism, what of the many messages that FEATURED on your material could you essentially live without, or alternatively, house and direct your customers to a simple URL?
– Is half of your vital real estate taken up with a lengthy diatribe?
– Could you be more seductive with your text?
– Remember, less is more. Invite your customer to your website with a promise to gain more insight.
Veteran copywriter Luke Sullivan wrote in his advertising how-to opus ‘Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This’ about the powerful singularity of stripping back:
“Every element you add to a layout reduces the importance of all the other elements.
And conversely, every item you subtract raises the visibility and importance of what’s left.”
To steal one more time from rock n roll, what not try some Spinal Tap on for size.
What do you hear when you turn everything up to 11?
Exactly.
Contact me at chris@ok29.com.au to talk how the power of simplicity can help your business, or if you want to just talk rock n roll.
