1. Keep it simple! In the art of advertising, the simple way is the best way. The great artists of advertising have always made their creations as simple as possible. An advertisement, after all, is usually limited to a few seconds of air time on the radio or television or a little bit of space in a newspaper or magazine, a little bit of space (relatively speaking) on a billboard. You don't have much time and space to operate in; therefore, when it comes to advertising, keep it simple. A catchy slogan, a clever phrase, something that tells the viewer exactly what it is that you're advertising and exactly why they (the viewer) need it. Use words that everyone can understand - try to speak to the teenager as well as the adult.

2. Be direct. This means that in advertising you must stick to the point. What does your product do, precisely? How will it make life simpler, easier, more enjoyable? Why would the average person want this? If you're selling perfume, for example, it's obvious that the main reason for buying it would be to smell good. But it isn't enough to say "our product will make you smell really good." Even if you were to phrase it cleverly or amusingly, the approach wouldn't be direct enough. The real question here is - why do people want to smell good? Why pay money for a product that makes you smell good? Isn't a shower and a good scrubbing with soap enough? People ask these sorts of questions when looking at a product. Your advertisement, therefore, should advertise the benefits of smelling good. Smelling good, your advertisement should say, is a great way to attract the opposite sex. Now that's something that almost everyone agrees is a plus. Come up with a way to advertise your product that emphasizes the benefits of what the thing does, and not just what it does.

3. Be funny, if you can. Being genuinely funny is a very hard thing to do. But think of the average commercials you see on television - they're a bore, they're a drag, you want to switch to another channel to get away from them. Television advertising is, for the most part, an annoyance, and the same goes for advertising on the radio and in magazines and newspapers. Now think of the difference in your feelings when a genuinely funny advertisement comes on. Think of the advertisements that go on during the Super Bowl, for example. Lots of people watch the Super Bowl just for the advertising, in fact! Imagine that! Watching television for the commercials rather for the actual scheduled programs. When a funny commercial comes on, you feel pleasure and relief rather than boredom and irritation. Try to think of things that most people find funny. Slapstick, for example, is a style of humor that many people enjoy. Remember that the humor in your advertising doesn't necessarily have to do directly with the product. A man slipping on a banana peel and tumbling down a flight of stairs, only to get up again unharmed, is always funny. How could you use this to sell soap? How could you use this to sell a magazine? There are all sorts of ways to use classical comic devices in advertising if you think carefully enough.

4. Think visually (this doesn't apply to the radio of course, although you do want your language to be as excitingly descriptive as possible). People want to see color, movement, action, interesting shapes. Drab is boring, drab is dull; try to making your advertising lively and interesting to the eye.

For more tips on advertising, check out these great websites.

http://101publicrelations.com/businesspromotion.html
http://publicityhound.com/