Here is how to design an ad campaign that speaks to a wide audience

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), unlike their larger counterparts, rarely have the resources for ad campaigns aimed at different sets of consumers. Few businesses make different TV commercials for urban markets and rural. For most SMEs, one campaign must fit all.

This is a tall order in a society where social, economic and regional diversity is highly pronounced. When this is the mix that you are targeting, your ads must speak the universal language. I believe in what Maurice Saatchi, the co-founder of ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, taught me during my interactions with him: SURTs (Simple, Universally Recognisable Truths).

Here are some themes that can help develop universally appealing ads: 

1 Convenience: Everyone appreciates the ease of purchase or use. Wherever possible, tout such advantages as location, hours, speed, design, and packaging. In this frustratingly complicated world, people relate to simplicity. Even the smallest of banks have ATMs today. When is the last time you visited the bank for your savings account? Why do you think home delivery and pay-on-delivery are so popular? The convenience of getting everything without leaving home is a major factor.

2 Respect: In personal or business relationships respect is paramount. People have become accustomed to it, others demand and still, others will reward your respect with loyalty. You cannot go wrong by conveying your sincere appreciation for all customers in every advertisement. It will be even more effective when everyone in the company practices it.

3 Solid value: The rich became rich through savvy financial management and then there are those who have been burnt at least once. Guarantee value and everyone will come running—the one reason why brands such as Maruti and One Plus have succeeded in this market.

4 Consistency: If you sell something frequently purchased, promise customers that it will always meet or exceed their expectations. It is amazing how important little things are to us. For example, restaurants can offer colour pencils and paper to kids while they wait for food and a confectionery shop could place a free sample on the countertop before filling the order. Such actions will establish an indelible bond with your customers.

5 Control: All customers like to call the shots—from requesting menu substitutions to specifying the delivery time. Adjust your products or services to meet their needs. Assure flexibility in your ads. There is a lot to learn from Amazon.

What about the lifestyle segment? You can again draw on common threads to capture the attention of a wider audience:

6 Family: For most people, family matters the most. While nuclear families are the trend, many people live alone and there are also multigenerational units. Advertisements depicting family tug at heartstrings.

7 Friends: After family, come friends. And for many, friends are family or even more. Another universal theme everyone can relate to. Advertisements weaved around friends can have a deep impact.

8 Home: Home can be a thatched one-room hut, a sprawling bungalow in an exclusive neighbourhood or a penthouse marking the city skyline. For most of us, home means our bed, our favourite chair, the TV and perhaps the home PC. When it comes to everyday comforts, we are all pretty fundamental. Tapping into these can quickly bridge niche gaps.

9 Security: Some fear losing their job or their inheritance. Others fear for their marriage, their health, or their safety. We all relate to any product or service that fends off monsters in our emotional closet.

10  Imagination: It is the most common source of adventure for every human. Used well, fantasy in advertising can capture the soul of even the most indifferent audience. As interactive media goes mainstream, creative talent must inspire consumer involvement.

11  Joy: Happiness should be aligned with consumer products and services far more than it is. We tend to cherish little things. A pre-school kid’s jam-smudged happy face, power dressing for a woman executive or a man happy with his new shaving cream… the list is long. Life is too short, especially for those missing out on your offerings—the message that should come across.