Marketing: How to work magic on a legal pad
– By John Foust
Raleigh, NC
In the 2008 book “The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures,” Dan Roam writes of the power of visual communication. He uses the example of a common paper napkin to emphasize the value of simple sketches.
People in the advertising profession have been doing this for years. When it comes to selling and developing ad concepts, a paper napkin (or a legal pad) can be your best friend. It doesn’t matter if you’re not an accomplished artist. The objective is to clarify your ideas – for yourself and for your clients.
There are two areas in which sketching can be particularly helpful:
1. Ad design. In the world of advertising, rough drawings on a small scale are known as thumbnail sketches. Just as a carpenter develops ideas on scratch paper before building a piece of furniture, you can use thumbnail sketches to develop layout ideas.
Thumbnails are doodles with direction. Most people draw thumbnails about the size of a business card. Working small makes the design process less intimidating and helps ideas flow freely. This is a good chance to experiment. See what will happen with oversize art that runs into the border – or a small illustration in a sea of white space.
Don’t worry about accuracy; stick figures will work fine. Don’t try to print neatly; just scribble words as fast as you can or write the word “headline” in position. A few horizontal lines will serve to indicate body copy.
It is important to work quickly, and not let time become a hindrance. If you spend more than 30 seconds on each rough sketch, you’re drawing too much detail. Because the process is evolutionary by nature, you’ll find that a few doodles can quickly lead you to a workable idea. In two minutes, you should be able to draw five or six thumbnails on one sheet of your legal pad.
2. Ad sales. Sketches on a legal pad can work wonders in a sales presentation. When you pick up your pen and draw something in front of a client – even if it’s just a simple circle – you’ll create some degree of visual suspense. He or she can’t help but wonder, “What’s next?”
For example, you can draw a circle on the left side of the page and say, “This is your business.” Draw a circle on the right side and say, “Here is your target audience.” Then extend an arrow from the first circle to a point outside the second circle and say, “The wrong advertising choice will miss your target completely.” Next, draw an arrow that hits the audience circle and say, “The right choice will hit the bulls’ eye.”
To add substance to the sketch, say something like, “We offer three services that can help you reach that audience with the right message. Write a big “3” over the arrow, and – presto! – you have a compelling lead-in to some key sales points.
All it takes is a legal pad. And a little imagination.
(c) Copyright 2008 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: jfoust@mindspring.com