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Within the video I will have different shots of items such as projectors, cameras and other items used for filming. I will also use images of movies that will appear at the festival.

Text will overlap the images saying explaining the purpose of the event and inspire the target audience.

The music will be upbeat and inspiring to match the tone and theme of the video.

I may use photos of young directors that may be presenting their films at the festival.

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I aim to use a more cinematic and stylistic approach to convey my message.

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My initial thoughts going into digital media was worry as I have never done any previous media studies. However, after looking at the assignments I believe that I will be capable of completing them. I have however brainstormed and researched for a project which will be utilized within the course and my knowledge of these things will aid me in this course.

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My promotional idea is a short film festival aimed at young filmmakers. I wish to promote the importance of film as well as the importance of new young voices in film.

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The target audience of my advertisement is young aspiring filmmakers. The age range of my advertisement is 15 - 22 year old's. This is because the aim of the advertisement is to encourage young filmmakers to apply for the film festival.

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Before seeing my video it is assumed that the target audience is already passionate about film and the filmmaking process. After seeing the video the target audience should feel motivated to get their work out into the world as filmmakers. Also, I hope to inspire others who may be less interested in film to see and appreciate film. The overall tone of the video will be passionate, bold and creative. This is to reflect the feelings of the target audience. The emotion of the video will be excitement  to show that they should be excited about creating film.

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Hearst Bay Area 2022, Film Festival Marketing: 10 Ideas to Advertise Your Festival, San Francisco, Viewed 23 March 2023, <https://marketing.sfgate.com/blog/film-festival-marketing-ideas-to-advertise-your-film-festival>

This website article goes through 10 tips and tricks to help advertise a film festival. This will aid me detrimentally in understanding how to advertise my idea.

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The outbreak of Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the film industry . With many film festivals being postponed or canceled altogether, many filmmakers and film fans wonder what the future of festivals will look like.

Of course, there are some film festival names that everyone recognizes, such as Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, and SXSW. And these are likely to survive no matter what comes their way. But if you're running a smaller film festival (or in charge of the marketing for one), how can you get the festival's name out there? Keep reading to find out.

10 Ideas to Advertise Your Film Festival

It's essential to take a multi-faceted approach to advertising your film festival. Several methods we've listed below will ensure that you reach the broadest possible audience.

1. Social Media

Social media is the starting point for most online marketing. Create a social media profile for your festival on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and then implement hashtags to reach a wider audience. Hashtags related to film festivals include #filmfestival, #festivals, and #movies.

If your film festival has special events, you can advertise them through social media posts and advertising. Tagging guests and celebrities attending your event can help broaden your reach, as their followers will see these notifications and are more likely than the average person to be interested.

Source: Home Front Film Festival

2. Email Marketing

Email is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways of reaching your audience. Through any (reputable) means possible, you should collect email addresses from potential attendees and add them to your festival's mailing list.

When sending emails, use catchy subject lines and creative content that makes people look forward to opening them. You can also consider holding raffles and offering prizes in your emails to increase the chances of opening them.

One way to leverage email effectively is to create a newsletter that comes out at a regular cadence (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually). Newsletters allow you to provide long-form content that will engage readers even six or nine months out from your festival.

3. Niche outreach

Start by Identifying the niche markets that would be interested in your festival. Once you've done that, you can create targeted marketing materials for these groups. The niche can include certain celebrity fan bases or groups related to the films you've been showing.

You can also find organizations, businesses, and individuals that share your target audience and partner with these organizations to promote your festival. Consider creating joint marketing campaigns to save money by sharing the advertising expenses. You may also consider offering discounts or other incentives to attendees who purchase tickets through your partners.

4. Print advertising

Though a lot of advertising has moved online, print advertising continues to be an effective marketing method. You can place ads in local and national publications that reach your target audience. The advertisements should promote special events, films, and guests at your festival. Print advertising can include:

Postcards

Postcards can be a cost-effective marketing method, allowing you to reach many people with reasonable outlays. Use a vendor to segment and mass mail people who fit your target demographic and ensure that your creative matches your overall event branding.

Source: 99 Designs - Yhoko Design

Mini posters

On a hyper-local level, you can distribute flyers promoting your film festival. Start by designing attractive flyers promoting your festival and include key information like dates, locations, and ticket prices. The flyers should be distributed in high-traffic areas like coffee shops, university campuses, bookstores, and community centers or posted in public places like community bulletin boards and local businesses.

Newspaper ads

Newspaper ads can reach local and national audiences. You should consider the publication's audience and tailor your message to the audience. Note that many newspapers now appear online, so that advertising may be in the form of digital ads.

Contact Hearst Bay Area if you are interested in placing an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle or SFGATE.

Magazine ads

Magazines, by their very nature, have targeted audiences. Whether it's US Weekly, Popular Mechanics, Time, or an independent film magazine, each appeals to a specific and devoted demographic. You can use this to your advantage by figuring out your target audience and which films they are interested in, then using targeted messaging to reach them. Magazine ads are pricier than other forms of advertising, but the targeted marketing aspect may make the return on your investment worth it.

Source: Dribbble - Rudi Petry

5. Promote Social Causes

You can use your festival to raise awareness about important social causes for you and your audience. This can work especially well if your film festival has a theme or includes films highlighting societal issues. In doing so, you will not only be an essential voice for an important cause, but you will also attract more interest from passionate consumers.

If you choose to promote a social cause, include films focusing on social issues in your festival lineup. And consider inviting speakers to discuss the social issue and look for ways to raise money for a related charity, either through donating a portion of ticket sales or holding a fundraiser.

Remember-people are savvy and can see right through "greenwashing" (when you use a social cause for marketing but don't do anything to help solve the issue). So make sure that your festival makes an impact!

Source: Maryna Kulichenko Design

6. Create Partnerships and Sponsorships

Local businesses offer a valuable opportunity to market your film festival to local audiences. One way to drum up interest is to offer discounts or other incentives to people who visit the business and mention your festival. For example, you might partner with local restaurants that create a "festival special happy hour" or other incentives.

Another way to get local businesses involved is to ask them to donate items for your festival swag bag. And, of course, you can always create sponsorship opportunities that give companies advertising and branding moments. Most film festivals create an advertising package for businesses with different sponsorship levels to simplify discussions with potential sponsors.

Contact us if you are interested in sponsoring a festival with the San Francisco Chronicle.

Source: Drake's Brewing Company

7. Display Advertising/Digital Advertising

You can advertise your film festival online by buying advertising on Google Ads, Facebook, or other digital advertising. Each of these advertising platforms allows you to target your customer base and perform advertising A/B tests to compare the outcome of different ads.

These ads can be very effective but can become expensive if you don't carefully monitor your budget. To make sure you get the most bang for your buck, hire a reputable agency such as 46Mile, and be clear about your goals, including your target audience, so they can help you reach the right people.

Source: Reel Recovery Film Festival

8. Native advertising

Unlike traditional advertising, which can often be intrusive and interruptive, native advertising blends seamlessly with its surroundings. For example, instead of paying for a flashy ad that appears in an article online or YouTube video, a native ad would be the article or video itself. To create effective native ads, you need to strategize interesting and informative content.

For example, you might make an article or video listing the top 10 overlooked movies from the past year, and then at the end, mention that all ten will be streaming at your festival. This type of content is engaging and memorable-much more so than a simple ad-but it takes a lot of thought and planning to execute well.

9. Content marketing

Content and blogs are a great way to get the word out about your film festival. You can use WordPress and Medium to write articles about your festival and include links to your festival website. You can also reach out to film bloggers and ask them to write about your festival. Ensure to provide them with all the information they need, such as dates, ticket prices, and a list of films that will be shown.

If you have a social media presence, promote your festival using hashtags, post updates, and run ads. The more people you can reach, the better your chance of making your festival a success.

YouTube is also a great option. You can create a channel for your festival and upload trailers, clips, and interviews with filmmakers. You can also use YouTube to promote ticket sales and encourage people to submit their films.

What's the difference between content marketing and native advertising? Native advertising is typically more focused on the short term, and you may be paying to place the content on other people's sites. At the same time, content marketing is more focused on long-term SEO and evergreen content, plus its hosted on owned sites and platforms.

Source: Traverse City Film Festival Blog

10. Website

When marketing a film festival, ensure that your website is readable and current with the latest news about your event. The website should include information about your festival, such as the date, venue, lineup, and ticket prices. Having links to social media sites will make sharing information about your festival easy for your website visitors.

The website should also be a funnel for your newsletter, mailing list, and social media. With most web traffic coming from mobile devices, you need to ensure your website is mobile-friendly so people can view it on their smartphones and tablets. Google Analytics can give you data on how your website performs and how your visitors are using your site.

Source: Sundance Institute

Other Marketing Tips

Overall, do your best to give your audience a compelling reason to interact with your brand throughout the year. Don't just post in the weeks or months leading up to your event. You should have a regular cadence for content, including industry news, actor/director interviews, and highlights from previous festivals.

You can supplement original content with other (awesome) content from around the web to keep your audience interested. It's helpful to keep a list of content and media sources you find as you browse the Internet so that when you need something to post, you don't have to search for it.

And perhaps most importantly, make sure you know as much about your audience as possible so put it to good use. These attributes include age, location, language, and income level. When you have this info at your fingertips, you'll be able to create a more personalized experience for them, both at the event and throughout the year.

Film Festival Marketing: Key Takeaways

When marketing your film festival, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

Use native advertising and content marketing to spread the word about your festival.

Create a website or blog for your festival and make it mobile-friendly.

Use social media buttons on your website to encourage people to share your content.

Give your audience a compelling reason to interact with your brand through interactive media and incentives.

Supplement original content with other (awesome) content from around the web to keep your audience interested.

Make sure you know your audience!

How Hearst Bay Area Can Help

If you're looking for help with your film festival marketing, look no further than Hearst Bay Area. Our team of experts can assist you with everything from print and digital ads to planning and executing a social media campaign.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you market your film festival.

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Film Festival Marketing: 10 Ideas to Advertise Your Festival

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The outbreak of Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the film industry . With many film festivals being postponed or canceled altogether, many filmmakers and film fans wonder what the future of festivals will look like. Of course, there are some film festival names that everyone recognizes, such as Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, and SXSW.

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Velarde, O 2019, '20+ Commonly Used Advertising Techniques in Visual Marketing', Visme, blog posting, 30 August, viewed 23 March 2023, <https://visme.co/blog/visual-advertising-techniques/>

This blog post details techniques that are useful when advertising.

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Creative advertisement graphics, billboards, commercials and social media ads are all around us. They compete with each other for our attention using techniques proven to inspire an emotional reaction. Help your brand rise above average with creative advertising ideas and the right tools to achieve your goals.

Some of the most common advertising techniques include emotional appeal, bandwagon pressuring (AKA bandwagon advertising), endorsements and social proof as well as weasel words.

In this guide, we share 23 of the most common techniques and visual advertisement examples to help you brainstorm your own campaigns.

Discover the advertising technique used in each example and take notes.

20+ Commonly Used Advertising Techniques
Technique #1: Color Psychology Technique #2: Composition Technique #3: Rule of Thirds and The Golden Mean Technique #4: Focal Point Technique #5: Visual Path Technique #6: Typographic Composition Technique #7: Repetition Technique #8: Body Language Technique #9: Direct Gaze Technique #10: Three-Quarter Gaze Technique #11: Point of View Technique #12: Behind-the-Scenes Technique #13: Association Technique #14: Symbolism Technique #15: Anthropomorphism Technique #16: Emotional Appeal Technique #17: Bandwagon Pressuring/FOMO Technique #18: Storytelling Technique #19: Social Proof Technique #20: Fantasy Technique #21: Animation and Motion Graphics Technique #22: Artificial Reality Technique #23: Social Media Influencers Technique #24: Unfinished Ads Technique #25: Bribe and Incentives
1 Color Psychology

The conscious use of color is the first example. This technique is used every single time, in every kind of visual marketing.

The color psychology advertising technique is easy to misunderstand or get wrong. A slightly different tonality of any color could end up portraying the wrong emotion, not the one the design was aiming for.

Color is present in the background, photography, fonts, visual accents and branding elements. That's why it's important to think about the color palette every single time.

Sometimes one color in a brand is so important that it becomes its own entity, like Coca-Cola Red or Tiffany Blue.

2 Composition

A composition can have many different purposes, from pulling the viewer's eye to one specific point or creating a visual flow from top to bottom.

There are many ways to set up a balanced composition. The basic rules for a great composition are called Gestalt principles. These include visual rules like simplicity, synchrony and association.

Customize your composition and design with your own AI generated images. Prompt the Visme AI generator to create what you need and watch it do magic as you edit the prompt to perfection.

In the advertisement below, the composition places the mother on the left side while the sun shines on her from the right. The text is set beneath to give it a sense of importance.

This advertisement uses composition techniques like the rule of thirds, focal point and visual path to send their message.

The ready-made templates in the Visme library all come with perfectly balanced composition. All you need to do is input your content.

3 Rule of Thirds and The Golden Mean

The rule of thirds and the golden mean are visual tools that help the designers place elements on a space in a way that is visually appealing.

The rule of thirds separates the canvas into six equal rectangles - two rows and three columns. By placing important elements at the crosspoints of the rectangles, they're given visual importance while maintaining a visual balance.

The golden mean is a visual tool which follows the ratio of the Fibonacci sequence.

Similar to the rule of thirds, the golden mean tool is used to direct the placement of the elements in a harmonious way.

Which tool is chosen depends on the photographer, videographer or designer.

4 Focal Point

Pinpointing a focal point is just as important as the choice of colors and typography. The viewer needs to have a clear place to look at as they absorb the advertisement's message.

Achieving a focal point can be done in a number of different ways. The rule of thirds and golden mean are actually two useful tools to help create a successful focal point.

Other techniques to settle on a focal point are:

Selective Focus: Keep the focal point focused and background blurry or vice versa.

Exposure: Manipulate dark and light areas in an image to make the focal point pop.

Light Source: Illuminate the focal point exclusively.

When there are two focal points, you can apply Gestalt principles to achieve a good balance. The simple ads below have strong focal points where the letters are rubbed out.

5 Visual Path

Like the focal point, a visual path is a technique that takes the viewer's gaze to a specific element. In this case, it takes the viewer on a journey through the content.

When someone looks at any kind of visual graphic, be it an ad, a page in a magazine, a website or a landing page, they will follow a visual path.

When we talk about visual paths, there are two notable shapes. The first is a Z shape, in which the gaze starts at the top left, moves towards the right, then returns left and down diagonally before moving across to the right again.

The second visual shape is an F. The F is similar to the Z, but instead of returning to the left on a diagonal down, it follows a line resembling how you would read a block of text.

The landing page below shows how the Z visual path works. Our eyes move from the heading to the face of the man (take note of the body language here), back to the button and then onto the mobile phone mockup.

6 Typographic Composition

Another important visual technique is the use of typography. Almost every visual advertisement will have some typographic element to it.

The combination of the fonts used is called font pairing and it can make or break a design. The color of the words and letters need to be in balance with the background so that everything complements each other.

Some typographic techniques include manipulating the letters to resemble shapes or placing a texture inside the letters.

Use the Brand Wizard to help you start on a template with the correct fonts and typography styles that match your brand's guidelines. Then get creative with the text, and create interesting typography compositions.

Creators need to be mindful of how much text they include, making sure their visual sends the message without containing too much text for Facebook to run.

Sometimes though, typography can be used as the main element. Take this Cadbury ad for example. The product they're selling is tiny in comparison.

Check out this video below from our Make Information Beautiful Series on finding the right font pairing for any type of graphic.

7 Repetition

The technique of repetition is an advertising technique that has to do with marketing strategy. Repetition applies to a few different aspects of visual advertising.

Here are the ways in which you can use it:

Air a TV commercial many times a day on a variety of channels.

Send the same ad to be printed on a number of magazines in your niche.

Put the same ad on various billboards around the city, country or internationally.

Create digital ads and submit them to Google ads or media outlets like Mediavine.

Create and distribute a large quantity of merchandising with your brand assets printed.

Make different versions of the same ad with different characters, body positions, etc.

Increase the number of times you allow the same Facebook ad to appear.

The repetition technique works best for new products or new campaigns to raise brand awareness. It's good to use repetition to get the word out at first, then it can be diminished to avoid boring your customer. Too much repetition can have a negative effect.

The ad for Renault below shows four graphics repeating the same concept but with a different shape to take advantage of this advertising technique.

8 Body Language

A large quantity of visual advertising assets include people in them. In both video and static graphics, the body language of the person - or people - is very important.

Confidence, knowledgeability, success and various other sentiments can be visualized through a person's body language.

Body language is a nonverbal language that a person transmits by how they stand, sit, smile and move. Whether the person in the graphic is a model, an actor, a famous professional, a regular person or even an animated character - the way they move or stand is important.

The steps to reach correct body language in an advertisement starts before it's even designed. Creative directors work with the client to determine the correct messaging.

The next step is to put out a casting call to find the person who best transmits the body language they're looking for. During the shoot, the actor or model is given directions until the desired effect is reached.

The McDonald's ad below uses only body language to get the message across about their 24-hour service, creating a compelling ad that will definitely make you yawn.

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9 Direct Gaze

Continuing from body language, another advertising technique we see a lot has to do with the eyes. Direct gaze is when someone looks you straight in the eye without looking away.

This technique is borrowed from hypnosis practices. Its official name is "gaze induction technique," and it's meant to make people feel things just by being looked at intensely. It's a highly effective advertising technique!

It's common to see the direct gaze technique used in magazine ads for wristwatches and perfumes. The characters in these are usually celebrities, particularly ones that consumers consider very handsome, beautiful or worth swooning over.

For example, take a look at this billboard ad for a hair curling product. This ad uses direct gaze straight at the viewer next to another version of the same woman in a different attitude with her eyes closed. The double side face in contrasting moods supports the power of the direct gaze on the side with the open eye.

10 Three-Quarter Gaze

Another character related technique is the three-quarter gaze. The gaze can be used in any direction, inwards or outwards. The direction depends on what the message needs to be.

The first example can give a sense of "looking into" a situation the viewer isn't really a part of. This technique is very common in video. The forward facing three-quarter gaze is better suited for a static image that wants to transmit a sense of wonder.

The Dolce and Gabbana ad below uses a mirror to achieve the three quarter gaze.

The Toy Story 3 billboard of Buzz Lightyear is another example.

11 Point of View

This type of advertising technique is a way of showing the action as if the viewer were doing or experiencing it. This is a technique mostly used in video advertising.

There are different levels to the point of view technique. A camera can be harnessed to a SteadyCam apparatus at eye level - or very close to it - which makes the recorded video feel natural and like the viewer is in the scene.

GoPro cameras attached to helmets in adventure sports are another common way of using this technique. The footage is then used for social media advertising or longer inspirational videos. RedBull and GoPro are experts at this technique.

Even though their videos might not look exactly like an advertisement for either RedBull or GoPro, they sell the lifestyle.

12 Behind-the-Scenes

A good way to reach customers is to show them how the inside of a company works. Through social media, a brand can show their users and followers creative behind-the-scenes images and videos.

These can be photos of team members working in the office or a video tour where everyone is creating the products that customers love. Behind-the-scenes as a visual advertising technique can be very helpful to make users feel connected to the brand.

The employee taking over can post photos, videos or graphics created with the company's Visme team account and brand kit. Advertising agencies sometimes offer this service and train a few employees on how to do it properly.

Consumers appreciate the honesty of a behind-the-scenes campaign. That's because they can relate to what the team does every day just like they do in their own jobs. Personalized marketing can go a long way, for both B2B and B2C markets.

In this TikTok video, content creator and video producer Dontae Catlett shows his followers the behind-the-scenes action while he creates a product video. As a professional videographer, this type of advertising content is well-received by his audience.

@dontaecatlett 🍰 META asked me to show YOU how to create better Reels! Full video on my YT 👀 #tips #bts #behindthescenes ♬ original sound - Dontae Catlett

13 Association

Some advertising techniques rely mostly on psychology. Such is the case with the association technique, also called "association marketing."

The premise is that the visuals in the graphic will create associations for the viewer. These associations can be feelings, ideas, places, or nostalgia.

For association marketing to be successful, a good bit of research must be done beforehand so that there is a deep knowledge of who the consumer is before deciding on what the association will be.

For example, antibacterial hand soap might use scenes of kids playing outside in the mud and getting dirty, but having tons of fun. This creates an association that it's okay for kids to get dirty - as long as they can wash their hands with soap afterward.

Another common use of the association technique is with luxury products. Consumers are led to believe that with the fancy wrist watch they see on attractive advertisements, their life will be glamorous and full of luxury, traveling on private jets and drinking champagne.

When done well, these associative advertisements are very successful.

This advertisement for La Lechera uses both association and storytelling to deliver an advertisement that makes people react. The video is all about a project in which AI generators were prompted to create a dessert with condensed milk for every decade in the last hundred years.

What's the association? In this example, the association is twofold. Completely different things (condensed milk, music and AI) are associated together to make a story that's unexpectedly relatable.

The viewer can associate with the feeling of growing up with La Lechera and connecting it to the music of their era. This celebration of 100 years of La Lechera is a great example of how an association can make the story in the advertising relatable for the audience.

14 Symbolism

A technique similar to association deals with symbolism. Visual marketing techniques that use symbolism in their message call on the use of metaphors and similes. These are literary tools used to make comparisons and allusions.

For example, a marketing strategy for a hand cream can use a visual metaphor to compare the scent of their cream to that of spring flowers.

The use of symbolism can be vague and subtle or overly far-fetched. The latter only works with brands that already have a large following of consumers with high brand loyalty. Nobody wants to cause confusion.

The use of icons, for example, is a subtle and simple use of symbolism. Icons represent objects and concepts without using a single work. Add some animation to the icons and make them unmissable for the audience.

This print advertisement uses a perfume bottle instead of a heart. Essentially the perfume bottle symbolizes the heart or something a person might love as a gift on Valentine's Day.

McDonald's using their french fries to advertise free WiFi is another great example of symbolism. Everyone knows what the WiFi symbol looks like, and this ad capitalizes on that.

15 Anthropomorphism

Talking M&M's and peanuts with walking sticks are a result of the anthropomorphism advertising technique. This tactic is all about turning an inanimate object into a creature that can move, talk, walk or even sing.

When an advertisement using this style is successful, brands will often make merchandising with the character to sell or give away. If the character is accepted by the consumer, it can ultimately become a household name.

The advertising industry has used anthropomorphism for a long time. Simple tactics like adding arms and legs to a peanut or standing a tiger on two legs are well-known.

This technique is not a dying art, and has actually seen new reincarnations in recent years. The Geico gecko is a prime example.

The Moscow Zoo has also had a little fun with anthropomorphism.

16 Emotional Appeal

Emotional appeal is one of the most effective marketing techniques. The target audience is pretty much anyone with feelings. Television advertisements use this tactic quite often.

The super emotional "Hallmark Commercial" is a perfect example. Successful campaigns that use emotional appeal also rely on symbolism, association and elaborate storytelling techniques to influence a deep emotion in the viewer.

For this advertising technique to work, the brand needs to really know their consumer. The marketing team needs to understand the hopes and dreams as well as the fears and needs of their target audience.

By using storytelling techniques, they can make any of their customers or potential customers feel like they can relate to the story.

In recent years, Thai TV commercials have also made a mark around the world for their emotional appeal. Some examples of these tell an emotional story, only showcasing the product at the very end.

Watch this video to learn more about the different types of advertising appeal and examples of top brands using them.

17 Bandwagon Pressuring/ FOMO

Another human-centered advertising technique is bandwagon pressuring. With persuasive writing and the right wording, a brand will try to convince the consumer that everyone already has the product and that they are missing out.

This technique relies heavily on the psychological tactic called FOMO, or fear of missing o ut. The art of persuasion is a common creative technique for bandwagon pressuring. Craftily carved slogans are very successful tactics for this technique.

MLM companies and pyramid schemes use this technique on a regular basis. Every associate will try and convince a new client that they are missing out on the product, that their life will be better, that their neighbor is already using it.

If overdone, bandwagon pressuring can also have a negative effect similar to repetition.

In this poster template for a Garage Sale, the text "Come early for the best stuff" is a one liner bandwagon pressuring technique.

18 Storytelling

As we have seen, there are lots of advertising methods used by brands to get their products in front of people. But of all techniques used in advertisement, storytelling is top of the list due to its effectiveness in advertising.

An ad campaign needs to evoke not only a feeling of need for the product, but also tell a story that consumers can relate to. In technical terms, storytelling relies on many of the other advertising techniques mentioned in this article.

Storytelling has been used in traditional media for generations and is one you've likely seen time and time again. It's a tried and tested technique.

A brand can tell a story in many different ways. It can use their own origin history or take inspiration from real customer interactions. A brand can also tell a story without any words, only with music and the right images.

This TV commercial for Burger King uses storytelling from a kid's perspective. The infinite "why?" question from kids, is the basis for a story of how kids see things differently. All that story for the Burger King vegan burger.

19 Social Proof

Using social proof as a technique is mostly for advertising online, although it can also be used on print to some degree.

Influencer marketing and endorsement is a perfect way to market with social proof. They pretty much do the marketing for the brand, and in their own words, while recommending the product to their own followers.

Another type of social proof is client case studies . These are articles published on the brand's blog where they showcase how a real-life person is using their product with success.

Social badges are also a great visual way to add social proof to a display ad, email newsletter, poster or flyer.

Customer testimonials are also considered social proof. These can be included in a website in the testimonials section or can be recreated into a full-scale videos like the ones below.

Similar to the association technique, the use of fantasy is a powerful psychological resource when creating visual advertising.

A favorite fantasy with many consumers around the world is that unicorns poop rainbows. Other examples are television advertising spots or print adverts inspired by films like The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.

Fantasy inspired advertising is directed at consumers who are into fantasy films and books. By choosing this technique, the brand leaves a lasting impression. This tactic works just as well for advertisements targeted at children or adults.

This advertisement by Squarespace with Adam Driver is the perfect example.

21 Animation and Motion Graphics

The use of animation and motion graphics is quickly taking over the advertising space, from digital advertising to outdoor advertising.

Animation pertains to visuals that are animated instead of filmed with human characters. It's the moving version of an illustration. A motion graphic is a bit different as it's not a storytelling technique, but more of an explanation or visual accent.

Both are used in short advertisements seen at the beginning of YouTube videos or inside apps with in-app purchases. This technique catches the attention of the viewer very fast and can be very successful.

This animated TV commercial for Oreo cookies is memorable, fun and quite successful.

Try creating animated presentations as digital advertising inside your blog posts or website. With Visme, you can create animated slideshows to showcase your brand story.

22 Artificial Reality

Interactive advertising is becoming quite popular with the rise of artificial reality (AR). Many television shows have developed AR apps to allow their viewers to get a first hand experience of the show's setting.

This type of advertising is also called "covert advertising" as it's not selling anything directly. Instead, it's selling the idea behind the brand and generating awareness.

One thing to remember with artificial reality advertising techniques is that they always needs an app to work.

Brands have been known to get quite creative with their AR marketing. Timberland, for example, installed life size screens as their window dressings. The AR app was meant to show people how they would look with the Timberland clothes on.

By taking a photo of the user at the window, the app then dressed them in different Timberland clothes. It was an AR changing room with minimal effort from the consumer.

Other AR tactics even include direct shopping from within the app or being able to visualize products inside a space before buying. For example, the IKEA app showcased in the advertisement below:

The next visual advertising technique in the list is the use of social media influencers where the influencers create the content to be shared.

In some instances, the brand can send the influencer some guidelines or visual style to follow while other brands let the influencers do as they wish. Influencer marketing is all about honesty and human touch.

Influencers can advertise a brand's product targeting people who are just like them. They can create video content comparing a product to a competitor, or do a sales promotion on their social media channels.

In return, a brand can give influencers an affiliate or pay per click account or work together on a price point for each sponsored post.

It's also not uncommon for a big brand to contact a real person with a small following to be their influencer. These are called micro-influencers and can sometimes receive even more engagement and success than accounts with millions of followers.

@simplydigital Did you know about this? #simplydigital #websites #graphicdesign #digitalmarketing @vismeapp ♬ original sound - Konstantinos⚡Digital Marketing

24 Unfinished Ads

Another great visual advertising technique is something called "unfinished ads." And while this isn't actually an ad that's unfinished, this means that an ad's claims might oftentimes seem unfinished.

This strategy is used most often in ads where a brand might say their product or service is more superior than the competitors, but they don't actually explain why or how in specifics.

For example, here's an ad by Casper, the mattress company, called "Unbox Better Sleep." The brand is saying their mattresses are better, although they're not necessarily saying which mattresses they're better than.

25 Bribe and Incentives

While the bribe advertising technique might seem a little slimy, you likely see it in action more often than you think.

This strategy simply entices a viewer to buy their product by offering a little something extra to sweeten the deal, whether it's a "buy one get one" or "20% off all purchases over $100" or even "free shipping."

This video is an excellent example of providing incentives that nugdes customers to pull out their checks

Your Turn

Many people have asked this question: why is visual advertising effective? Well the way into a person's feelings is through the senses and visual advertising plays a huge part. Without visual advertising it's nearly impossible for people to see what your brand is about and what it stands for.

The world of visual advertising is growing exponentially with digital expansion. But advertising techniques like color psychology and direct gaze will always be important tactics to remember.

The visual advertising techniques you choose will depend greatly on the message you want to convey. When creating your own graphics, keep it simple and always think of your consumer.

If you are looking to create a bigger impact with television advertising or specially designed AR apps, contact a professional designer who will know about all these techniques.

If you're looking for a tool to create your advertising graphics, Visme can help you out. Y ou can create any type of visual graphic using our collection of templates, free fonts and other design assets. You can also access many admin features to manage, store, monitor, share and track project performance across workspaces and teams.

Sign up today for free and get started with creating visual graphics of your own and put your knowledge of advertising techniques to practice!

Did you find this article helpful? Which visual advertising technique is your favorite? Let us know your feedback, suggestions and questions in the comment section below.

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20+ Commonly Used Advertising Techniques That Work [2021]

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Some of the most common advertising techniques are emotional appeal, bandwagon pressuring, endorsements as well as weasel words. Find the rest here.

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RMIT University, 2021, '15 advertising techniques for thriving in the tech era', RMIT University, blog posting, 19 February, viewed 23 March 2023, <https://studyonline.rmit.edu.au/blog/15-advertising-techniques-for-tech-era>

This blog post goes through useful techniques for a more modern technology based media world.

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15 Advertising Techniques for Thriving in the Tech Era | RMIT Online

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For brands to thrive in the tech era, they must understand different advertising techniques and how to use them. Discover which techniques work best here.

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Sony 2020, Sony Film Festival* - 'The Dreamers', video, YouTube, 18 November, Viewed 28 March 2023.

This video depicts multiple people falling in love with making films from childhood to young adult. This video is useful to me as it has a similar premise and also has a clean direct visual style that is appealing.

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Sony | Sony Film Festival* - 'The Dreamers' - | Sony Cinema Line

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Odesa International Film Festival 2020, Odesa International Film Festival Promo Video 2020, video, YouTube, 10 August, Viewed 28 March 2023.

This video shows a man carrying around a film reel projector looking sad then is shown smiling and happy when he gets to use the projector to share movies with others. This video is useful to me because the message of the film relates to my idea. The color in this video is also intriguing to me.

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Odesa International Film Festival Promo Video 2020

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International Talent Support 2021, ITS 2021 - The Event Teaser Trailer, video, YouTube, 4 November, Viewed 28 March 2023.

This video is a montage of quick moving images of models as well as a variety of animated clips. The visual style of the video is aesthetic and pleasing to look at which can be incorporated into my own idea.

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This will be the color palette that will be used.
The color purple is being used as it gives a sense of luxury or class that I want assosiated with the film festival.
Orange is being used to represent the warmth and excitement to the viewers.
Blue is used to convey a trustworthy calm present.
The eggshell and sage colors are used to even out the others and give a more neutral not so overwhelming presence.

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1. A new movie

2. A new band

3. Pet taxi

4. Trees

5. USB filled with pirated movies

6. Record player that projects the music video

7. A new drink

8. A new car

9. A new pair of shoes

10. A new sports game

11. A new sports team

12. A new boardgame

13. A new video game

14. A new streaming service

15. A new TV show

16. A new book

17. A new play

18. Chair

19. A new phone

20. New website

21. New food

22. New restaurant

23. book

24. Anti Drug

25. Homelessness

26. Hot dog train restaurant

27. shoes

28. water filter

29. internet

30. gel shoes

31. Film festival

32. Music festival

33. Food festival

34. Festival

35. New computer

36. New camera

37. Pasta

38. Rice

39. Mac and cheese

40. Bread

41. printer without cartriges

42. printer inside laptop