Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes

"Why do bad ads happen to good causes? The evidence that I've been able to gather suggests one answer: the ads' creators violated so many basic design principles that poor reader response was almost inevitable. How can you ensure this won't happen to you? Read on."

This publication reports the results of research conducted in a ten-year RoperASW study of public interest advertising. Concluding that most public interest print ads fail to hit the mark, Goodman summarises the research and offers resources and seven guiding principles helpful in revamping print ad campaigns. The publication was underwritten by grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation.

The publication includes sections on: the purpose, history, and methodology of the Starch Readership Study of Public Interest Print Advertising (1999 to 2000); specifications for the study; and challenges and conclusions associated with the study. In addition, the report includes an extensive section on print ad principles, including:

• Capture the reader's attention like a stop sign and direct it like a road map
• Make an emotional connection before attempting to convey information
• Write headlines that offer a reason to read more
• Use pictures to attract and convince
• If you want people to read your text, make it readable
• Test before, measure after
• When everyone zigs, it's time to zag.

The publication also includes a section entitled "Good Causes, Great Ads" and a bibliography.