Advertising Technique: Problem / Solution

About Problem / Solution

Problems. Everyone has them. And some products solve them.

A TV commercial opens with the kids screaming, "We're hungry, mom!"

A headline reads, "Do you have enough money for retirement?"

This is a technique to grab attention, to engage people who have the problem. Or people who want to avoid getting the problem. Or those who are concerned about the problem for other reasons, like the guy whose wife has headaches every night.

Later in your ad, commercial, or mailer you'll explain how your product solves the problem. But the focus of the ad, the concept, should be about the problem.

This technique works particularly well when your target audience has a big problem, a big concern. The bigger the problem, the better it works.

But it can also be used with charm or humor. "Problem # 3 with SPIKE cologne: Women touch you in elevators."

Or perhaps you want to alert consumers to a problem they may not even know they have. "Like Duh! Your Paying Too Much For You Cell Phone, Sister."

Below you see two print ads that address the deeper, underlying causes of two types of problems. One of the problems is psychological. The other is physical, a headache.

In the first ad you meet a woman who can't find a job, is running out of money, and becoming desperate. Solution? A better education.

The second ad below features some of the causes of headache, not the pain itself. This ad is part of the campaign, "Life Is A Contact Sport." So you better stock up on Tylenol.

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