- You're advertising running shoes. Now, the fact is that there are thousands and thousands of running shoes on the market. The slant, then, of your running shoes advertisement would be: how and why is my running shoe better than the other running shoes out there? When it comes to slant, you've got to get to the point immediately. You can't waste time on non-essentials. When it comes to advertising, you're only going to hold the viewer's attention for a few seconds. You want to make those seconds count. Perhaps your brand of running shoes has been designed to reduce the likelihood of a runner getting shin splints. The slant of your advertisement, then, would be - "these running shoes are great for avoiding shin splints." Simple enough. But you want to come up with a creative way of getting that slant across as quickly, effectively, and excitingly as you can. Perhaps a computer graphic of what exactly happens when shin splints occur would be appropriate. Shin splints are a matter of muscle actually separating from bone. This image would generate a universal "ouch," and would also generate an immediate feeling of sympathy in the minds of runners the world over.

- You're running a local political campaign in an area that's been overrun by sewer rats. The slant here should be obvious (this has actually happened recently, in Florida and other places). No one likes a rat; rats generate phobias in people almost across the board. The slant of your campaign, therefore, would be - "my candidate will get rid of the rats." You could do a lot of creative things with this slant, including some humorous jabs at your opponent, who may, after all, be represented as being a little ratty himself. Environmental cleanup, neighborhood cleanup, physical and mental health - all of these things would come into play here. The rat story would be gripping; people would respond instantly to it. Usually a slant works better the more sensational it is. It's got to be something that everybody can relate to, that everybody's disgusted or pleased by. When it comes to campaigning, if you can find a good slant and hit it hard and hit it often, you'll raise your chances of success marvelously.

- You're starting a literature and art magazine in a university town. Here's a tricky one. What would your slant be here? Literature and art, after all, seem to be sophisticated subjects that speak for themselves. Many people are intimidated by the idea of literature and art. But in this case you've got two things working for you: (1) You're in a university town, where interest in literature and art is usually higher than in other areas, and (2) you're appealing to a something that most people have quite a bit of, that is, vanity. The slant of your magazine might be - "if you're cultured, if you want culture, come to us." You might even make the complexity of your magazine your slant, as buying your magazine then would make people feel complex, intelligent, and interesting.

For more information on slant, check out these great websites:
http://101publicrelations.com/businesspromotion.html
http://101publicrelations.com/soloentrepenuer.html