Why Character-driven Ads Outperform Logic-driven Ads

Ryan Chute

August 12, 2022

Why Character-driven Ads Outperform Logic-driven Ads

Businesses generally use two main types of models in their advertising: logic-driven ads and character-driven ads. Whichever style you choose to pursue will determine your end result. Do buyers want an infographic that breaks down and explains why they should buy your products or services? Or are you trying to inspire your target audience so that they identify with your advertisements and become invested in them? The type of ads you choose is anchored to your goals. However, what business owners don't realize is that not all ads are created equal. More often than not, character-driven ads outperform logic-driven ads by multiples. Here’s why: Characters we read in books or see in movies are magical. Despite being fictional, they make audiences feel a whole range of emotions and take them to a vividly fascinating world. We view fictional characters that are theatrical, conflicted, and exaggerated as living in a realm we like to be in. Audiences naturally seek the same experience in advertising, even if it’s only 60 seconds at a time. In this article, we'll dig deeper into both types of ads and why companies choose logic-driven ads over the other. Plus, we'll touch on examples of both advertising models in the residential home service industry.

What Do You Mean by Character-driven?

When we say character-driven or character-driven stories, we often refer to narratives that focus on character development. This is an important element in literary fiction. While the plot sets the mood, it is the fleshed-out characters that bear the weight of the story. Character-driven stories are heavy on emotions and insights that help audiences identify with the character. In advertising, ad campaigns go either character-driven or logic-driven. In a nutshell, ads that invest in characters appeal to customers' emotions while logic-based ads implore the intellect. Below we explain the difference between character and logic-driven ad campaigns.

Character-driven Ad Campaigns

A character-driven ad is one in which the focus is on the characters and their story. The brand or product being advertised takes a backseat to the narrative. In fact, you may not even see the product until the end of the ad. With a character-driven ad, you want viewers to empathize with the character. You want them to feel what the character is feeling. You want the story to be relatable so that viewers can see themselves in the character's shoes. For example, imagine a commercial for a roofing contractor. In a character-driven ad, the focus may be framed from the angle of the homeowner and their story. We would see and feel how the character struggles with an aging roof. Audiences would experience the protagonist's anxiety as they watch the rain pour, knowing their roof could give at any moment. Then, we would see the character's transformation when the roofing contractor or "wise old man" comes to help them overcome their foe.

Logic-driven Ad Campaigns

Logic-driven ad campaigns, on the other hand, are more geared toward appealing to a customer's intellect (left brain). Most of the time, the focus is heavily on the features and benefits of the product or service. Facts and figures are front-and-center, while stories and emotions that appeal to the underlying felt needs are left out. Going back to the roofing contractor example. A logic-driven ad might display all the different types of roofs that the company offers. They'd double down on the benefits of each one, such as cost-efficiency or durability against extreme weather conditions. In some cases, they might even show before-and-after photos of houses that they've worked on. It’s no secret that character-focused ads are more emotionally moving and persuasive. However, character-driven and logic-driven ads both have their strengths that work best on specific types of audiences with distinct temperaments. It's important that businesses learn how to use both to their advantage. Looking for an advertising expert to craft your character-driven ads? Ryan Chute from Wizard of Ads® is the Master Strategist you need. Book a call.

Why Do Character-driven Ad Campaigns Outperform Logic-driven Ones?

Let's get one thing clear: Logic-driven ads are not ineffective, in any sense. There are advantages to using these types of advertisements, for example, when you’re dealing with Transactional Shoppers. Transactional shoppers will try to rationalize every buying decision they make, especially with residential home service businesses. Why? Because most of what the home services industry sells are externally motivated grudge purchases. In other words, people don't want to buy your products and services but they have to. With that in mind, the goal of your advertisements to externally triggered grudge purchases is feel right. Most of the time these are their underlying felt needs toward money, energy, and time. This means that once your manage to soothe their pain points and caress their pleasure points, you book the appointment. There's just one thing we’re overlooking, however. People make all decisions, including buying decisions, from the part of the brain with no faculty for words or logic. Underneath the guise of a logical and transactional customer is a truly, perpetually emotional buyer. Therefore, a business only needs to pull the right emotional strings to complete the sale. This is where character-driven ads shine through. In a world where people are constantly bombarded with marketing messages, character-driven ads are a fresh angle. They stand out because they elicit emotions and, more importantly, bond with your audience. Character-driven ads build relationships not only between the company and the audience but also between the audience and the characters. Now then, think of it this way. When the customer bonds, laughs, smiles, and cries with your advertising, they now seemingly have a friend in your industry. Why would they call anyone else? In other words, you now become the frontrunner in your prospect’s mind.

Building Bridge to Millenials

The best part about character-driven ad campaigns is that they’re not necessarily targeted at a specific demographic. Their sense of appeal traverses across generations.

“So if you need to build a bridge to Millennials, put your hammer in the hand of a colorful, memorable, entertaining character.” — Roy H. Williams

Allow me to illustrate. Do you know Bond? James Bond? The classy, suave, invincible, always has a witty retort, and of course, cool under pressure, British character. Take that character, sand off the British, and you’re left with Dos Equis’ The Most Interesting Man in the World. The 9-year reign of this fictional character is the reason why Dos Equis drove sales up 34.8%. After 9 years, the Most Interesting Man in the World has finally ascended into the pantheon of advertising icons. Although retired from Dos Equis, Jonathan Goldsmith retained the acclaimed title that all beer drinkers came to know and love. Want another example? Well, who could ever miss out on Mr. Jenkins and Bobby? If you don’t know them, here’s a brief background. Mr. Jenkins is like a wise and caring Andy Griffith, while Bobby reminds us of the adorable idiot-savant, Forrest Gump. The iconic duo was the face of Morris-Jenkins for 5 years. Through the years people have grown to love and appreciate their banters and helpful home service advice during their advertisements. It was heartbreaking when Bobby announced his departure during their final commercial together, but nobody expected social media to explode. The characters they’ve built for years not only established their business’s reputation but also developed a relationship with their audiences. That’s the wonder of character-driven advertising. You create personas that people can relate to, virtual friends that keep your business in your prospect’s minds, 24/7. With the right characters, you can build bridges and emotionally connect with Millennials and any other generations. This is where logic-driven ads fall short.

16,600 Google Reviews and 4.9-Star Average

Morris-Jenkins is only a local service company from Charlotte, North Carolina. Yet, no one thought they’d boom into one of the most popular and highly-rated service companies in the U. S. Way back in 2017, they only had 1,000 Google Reviews with a 4.7-star average. Now, they’re enjoying a colossal 16,600 Google Reviews and 4.9-Star Average in 2022. Of course, it goes without saying that good marketing and local SEO played a part in their success. However, it’s the fictional characters Mr. Jenkins and Bobby that etched their service brand in history books. Character-driven ads can be the clincher that keeps your business from being the best it could be. Although here’s an interesting thought, if character-driven ads are so good, then:

Why Don't Companies Create Colorful and Engaging Characters to Capture Audience’s Attention and Win Their Affection?

That’s just the thing, isn’t it? Businesses have always been trying to come up with new ways to capture people's attention. It’s also true that some companies have found great success in using logic-driven advertising, like that Flex Tape commercial. However, if you’re selling externally triggered, grudge purchases, characters can add an element of fun and excitement to an otherwise boring message. Now then, why aren’t companies creating engaging characters to win their audiences? Here are 3 reasons:

1. Most advertisers are short-sighted

This advertising myopia keeps businesses unwilling to spend precious air time on developing relationships with customers. When advertisers want money, they want it quickly. They basically cut all relational sense in ads and then focus on transacting.

Putting out character-driven ads means you’re in it for the long haul, character build-up are setups for tomorrow’s sales.

2. Lack of technical expertise

If you think about it, character-driven ads are a form of fiction. However, not a single college or university in the U. S. requires Advertising and Marketing majors to study fiction writing. A good background in fiction writing and comedy would be a powerful weapon for advertising.

3. Most “professional” advertisers are inexperienced

The standard of how good an advertiser is should be the depth of their skills and expertise. A track record is one thing, but a record of mediocre results is nothing to be proud of. Only a few advertising professionals are truly adept in writing banter and repartee. This is one reason why there are few character-driven ads out there.

Advertisements shouldn’t be chockablock full of Ad speak or industry-specific jargon that numbs your prospects into a coma. Ads should be about building a long-term relationship with customers **because it’s easier to sell to people who trust you.**Character-driven ads do just that and more. If you're looking for a way to make your ads more memorable, engaging, and successful, consider using characters! Ryan Chute from Wizard of Ads® is the Master Strategist you need to craft ads that blows your audience away. Book a call.

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Ryan Chute

Helping small businesses become BIG brands with a holistic marketing strategy that speaks the same language across all sales and marketing channels.

Questions? We’ve got answers.

Who does the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors work with?

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors work with healthy and growing Residential Home Service Contractors hungry to grow by multiples, like you.

You are ready, willing, and able to grow your business. You are open to change and are seeking a distinctive angle of approach to gain the time and attention of a too-busy public.

You know that lasting relationships take time, patience, and good energy to nurture and cultivate. We carefully enter into every arrangement with the intention of working with you for as long as you own your business. You prefer lasting partnerships.

You are already a solid operator. You have successfully grown your business and appreciate the impact the right brand story will have to get to the next level in your operation. You know a strong relational message takes time to gain momentum, but it’s worth the one-time short-term discomfort for the long-term gains.

Marketing cannot fix a failing business.

We accelerate what’s already happening in a business. If your business is on the rocks, marketing will only speed up the inevitable.

You’re focused on lasting change that leads to exponential, profitable growth, not just sales at any cost. Intuitively, you know that communication that enhances every element of your customer's experience and your employee's culture is the key to your success.

How does the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors charge?

Traditional marketing agencies are designed to capture the greatest amount of revenue from a client, regardless of results. Every last item is billed and expensed to the client. Typical agency fees can represent a whopping 55% of the entire advertising budget. That means a $5 million dollar advertising budget, you would spend $2.75 million on agency fees.

Think of Wizard of Ads® for Contractors as the Anti-Agency.

Our income is not tied to your advertising budget. Our income is exclusively tied to your growth. Our goal is to maximize your advertising impact with the lowest reasonable spend. This allows you to spend only what is necessary or to put extra horsepower into aggressively growing in your market.

The genius of this model is that it perfectly aligns our motivations as true partners for exponential profitable growth without the pain of being unaffordable. Ultimately, we are confident in taking the risk of being underpaid in the first few years because we know the results always speak for themselves.

Next, we do not accept commissions, referral fees, kickbacks, or other compensation from any service providers we recommend or engage for production work. Most agencies do. This includes the 15% agency commission for media buying. This approach is considerably different from the compensation plan employed by most advertising agencies, as it eliminates any potential conflicts of interest and allows us to focus our entire attention on helping you grow your business profitably as a true partner. For example, a $500,000 annual media buy would involve a $75,000 commission that we would have removed directly from your media providers' invoices.

This is the perfect pricing model for Residential Home Services.

By tying ourselves to gross revenue, we only have one motivation. Your motivation. We have no motivation to convince you to spend more money on marketing than what is necessary, and since we are a variable expense to sales, we NEVER become too expensive to have us on your team.

In almost every case, we end up lowering the amount of money you spend. We will stay within your planned marketing budget, including your media spend, production, and our Annual Fee. Add on the fact that you get any and all commissions back for media buys and various services provided by outside providers, and you will actually save money having us on your team.

Don’t forget, we have the largest buying power in North America for media buying, meaning for every dollar you spend buying media, we only spend 27 cents on average. This stretches your reach, impact, and frequency in a way no other agency (or yourself) can achieve on your own, saving you hundreds of thousands of dollars, eventually millions, every single year.

Clients who heed our advice and embrace our Marketing Strategy quickly add $1 million in incremental revenue to their business, making your investment a smart bet and a bit of a no-brainer.

There is no longer any guesswork, hope, or fear that our marketing strategies are going to work. If our client’s are able to abandon any limiting beliefs about marketing, deliver operational excellence, and play the long game, our marketing strategy will accelerate their profitable growth.

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors pricing model is based solely on the topline revenue of your company. It consists of an Upfront Fee and an Annual Fee. These fees are inclusive of scheduled travel, services, and all other expenditures as outlined in the Consulting Agreement.

The Upfront Fee covers the intensive Uncovery Process, the first year’s Media Buy, the Creative Process, and the Market Research while the Annual Fee goes toward implementation, ongoing creative and consulting, and next year's media buy. You get a team of 3.5 people, with direct access to a top tier Creative Lead and Media Buyer, and on-demand access to me as your Master Strategist. You will also have a full-time Account Manager keeping everything on track.

While the upfront does have an initial pinch, it is easy to amortize the investment over the many years we will be working together to grow your business. Wizard of Ads® retain clients for 10 years, on average. The sale of the business is the number one reason for termination. We actively terminate the bottom 1% of clients who are unwilling or unable to follow our strategies.

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors believes that all rewards should be directly correlated to the success of our clients. This means that the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors only receives a raise when the company achieves growth. For example, if your gross sales for the year have increased by 25%, the Annual Fee you pay us in the following year will also be increased by 25%. Likewise, if your gross sales decrease, our Annual Fee will decrease by the same percentage during the following year.

This is an exceptionally easy and fair way to track and reward success. This model was developed by Wizard of Ads® over 35 years ago and has served us well because it serves our clients well.

As a rule of thumb, we take the risk of working for considerably less than our actual value in the first few years as we help accelerate growth. This means you need to be willing to pay us exceptionally well when you start doing even better.

When should I engage The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors?

There are four key revenue stages for engagement with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors.

Under $3.6 million in revenue
Between $3.6 and $10 million in revenue
Between $10 and $20 million in revenue
Over $20 million in revenue

Under $3.6 million in revenue is an investment in your brand. This will serve you well in establishing your brand story early on and help you with your name, logo, and truck wrap design. It's easier to create pictures from a story than it is to make a story based on pre-drawn pictures. You'll be glad you did. Everyone on a fast path to growth is.

Most clients start with Wizard of Ads® for Contractors between $3.6 and $10 million in revenue. They have often seen a natural ceiling with their leads for demand service and are looking for ways to push past the ceiling. This can only be done with a properly executed brand strategy, specifically in mass media with a sticky story.

Between $10 and $20 million in revenue, Wizard of Ads® for Contractors has some natural economies of scale. This is a sweet spot where Wizard of Ads® for Contractors can offer some added value in getting the ball rolling.

Over $20 million in revenue is actually the lowest cost point of entry as a percentage of revenue, but not the cheapest time to start with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors. Leveraging all economies of scale aside, we have been left out of the upside along the way, so engaging when over $20 million in revenue means we have to mend a lot of fences damaged along the way. This is also where clients see significant savings in their media buys and production costs.

There are also three market sizes to consider.

Primary Markets are the top 50 cities in America.
Secondary Markets are the smaller cities in America.
Tertiary Markets are the more rural trade areas in America.

When considering an engagement with The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors, consider what size market you are in. For example, a $3.6 million company in a Primary Market will struggle to get the necessary reach needed to make a splash. You either have to be more patient than a larger company or spend more money to accelerate your reach.

Alternatively, a $5 million company in a Secondary Market will look like a pretty darn big fish in a medium-sized pond.

A $20 Million company in a Primary Market will feel like a $50 million company using our strategies to potential customers.

The key to remember is that the earlier you start with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors, the lower the investment to get started. As they say, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

Are production costs included in your fees?

The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors Creative Lead will create the ad copy, cast the voice actors, source the production house, direct the performance, pick the music bed, manage all the edits, and provide you with the completed ad for final approval before sending to air on your behalf. This is included in our fees.

You pay for the production house, actors, royalty-free music, and jingles directly to avoid any potential for markups, commissions, or management fees.

We have many friends in the industry that give our clients good deals due to the large volume of work we provide them. We will introduce you to them.

How long before a brand-forward strategy starts working?

In approximately three months of activation, we’ll just be getting live on air. In six months (3 months on air), you’ll be getting anecdotal feedback from people that you are being heard, but there will be no direct line to revenue.

After 6 months on the air, you’ll think you made the biggest mistake of your life signing up for this branding nonsense. After 9 months on the air (12 months in) you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel.

At 12 full months on the air, you’ll know why you did this branding thing. Two years from now, we'll be clinking champagne flutes as you wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.

How long before we’re live?

The general guideline is 70-120 days, depending on the level of production needed and if there is a name change to your business.

This includes an onsite visit, a deep dive into research, and getting things created, negotiated, approved, produced, and live on the air.

Uncovery - 15-30 days based on travel. 1-2 days onsite.
Research - 30-60 days based on the scope of work.
Creative and Media Buy Process - 45 to 60 days
Offline Production - 15 days for radio. 30 - 60 days for television.
Online Production (if switching) - 60 days

This means planning for roughly 90 to 120 days in the proper development and production of a completely unique Marketing Strategy before anything hits the airwaves.

Are you exclusive?

Creatively, yes. During the term of this Agreement, all Creative Partners assigned to your Account shall not engage, directly or indirectly, as an employee, officer, manager, partner, consultant, agent, owner, or in any other capacity, in any competition of the client, including any company engaged in marketing consulting.

For clarity, the Creative Partner is defined as the individual Wizard of Ads® Partners who is responsible for creating your creative strategy and ongoing creative copy. Competition is defined as companies that engage in the same industry and business units (e.g., HVAC, Plumbing, etc.) as you. The market area is defined as the area where the marketing message naturally reaches through DMA or 60 miles from the city center of the client's service area(s).

Naturally, we exclude any potential future competition in markets where you are not currently active at the date of signing.

We do not limit Media Buyers in any market. Media Buyers get better deals for larger volumes, making it beneficial for the client to have the Media Buyer available to do as many buys as possible to secure the best deals on the client’s behalf.

Do you do digital marketing?

In rare circumstances, Wizard of Ads® for Contractors will provide specific digital marketing solutions. Wizard of Ads® has very specific Partners that provide digital services that serve Residential Home Services effectively. Under no circumstances will digital marketing services be offered without Wizard of Ads® for Contractors' core solution.

It is most likely that Wizard of Ads® for Contractors will work with your existing digital partners and suppliers. If you do not have a reliable digital provider, we would be happy to introduce you to a number of great providers that play nice with Wizards.

Do you do jingles?

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors can assist you in getting a jingle for your business. Like any other tactical element of a marketing strategy, we do not produce a jingle for the sake of a jingle.

If you do not have a story or a strategic reason to have a jingle...or an ad campaign to tie it to, do not waste your hard-earned money on a jingle. You are wasting your time and money.

When you do build a single unified marketing strategy that incorporates a jingle for a specific (often scientific) reason, we have a Jingle Wizard who has studied the art and science of jingle design.

He will score you an original, royalty-free jingle, including professional singers, musicians, and producers. He will not knock off a generic jingle from a publicly available music bed that sounds like everyone else's jingle.

Your jingle will serve a very specific reason and produce a very specific result. Have you guessed how much we love jingles yet?

Who owns the copyrights?

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors owns your copyright for two very specific reasons. We also provide a fair use clause in all contracts to ensure you are in no way limited to the access of your creative works, whether you are working with us or not.

The first reason we own your copyright is to ensure that we do not have to go up against our own creative works in other markets we serve. This means you are not allowed to lend, give, borrow, tweak, rent, lease, or sell your creative works to any other company at any time.

The second reason we own your copyright is that we can establish a one-time value for your creative works in the event that someone steals the content. Upon selling you the copyrights, you can go after the perpetrator for theft and make a considerable bounty in a slam dunk case.

Here is how Wizard of Ads® word the fair use of your copyright for as long as your business is in operation:

All writing and/or marketing materials we create for you are not works-for-hire. Wizard of Ads® for Contractors hereby irrevocably grants you, and your successors in interest, the non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable, and worldwide right to use the Works in connection with the marketing of your business pursuant to the Marketing Strategy for so long as your business is operational.

How do I measure brand results?

There are a number of interesting ways to measure results. Some people like to get unique identifying telephone numbers, or create branded URLs that redirect to landing pages or the website. However, much of this is a waste of time and energy as it never tells the true story of the brand journey and how it affected the decision-making process.

Other indicators of brand effectiveness include tracking new customers, reactivated customers, or running a brand equity survey to get a sense of your share of mind. Digitally you will see direct search increase, which cannot be affected by anything digital, as well as branded keyword inquiries increase. You’ll, of course, need to get your digital people to add these to your campaigns if you hope to see an increase in conversions.

Wizard of Ads® for Contractors tracks the simplest of indicators. Top line revenue. When your branding takes effect, and the company responds in kind from the phone call or form fill-on, top-line revenue will increase. Efficacy is plotted on a T12, and total lead volume from all sources is tracked.

12 things you should know before signing up.

Quality relationships take time. Branding is a long-term strategy. That’s why most contractors do it wrong, or not at all. There is always a lag between the start of the new campaign and the time it takes your customers to connect the dots. You MUST BE READY, WILLING, AND ABLE to endure this lag period. In our experience, the lag is typically 6 to 9 months, depending on how competitive the marketplace is, your company’s reputation, your budget in relation to reach, and the eight uncontrollable environmental factors. During this time, we will be helping you implement a transition plan to ease the pain. The good news is that this lag only happens once.
Decisions by Committee. We completely reject the notion of decisions by committee. We work with a single, courageous decision-maker. We welcome decision influencers, but we only look to the Owner for the final decision. All decision-makers and influencers must be involved in the Uncovery and Marketing Strategy Presentation if they want to offer input in the future. It is critical that we have a 100% fully approved plan that can be defended and championed by all leaders in the organization.
Proven Strategy. That means we are not the low-cost provider. With nearly 200 home service clients and a book of strategic devices, tools, and tactics, this isn’t a guessing game for us. We know what to do to make your externally triggered grudge purchase appealing to your potential buyers. If you can deliver the goods, we can continue building relationships. If you are uncomfortable with the idea that you are paying us less now so that you can pay us considerably more once revenues allow, please do not commit. We intend to be your true partners, in sickness and in health...so long as you own your business.
Automatic Payments. Everything is on automatic payments. If you struggle with managing cash flow, figure that out in your business first. We accept all major credit cards and ACH payments.
We Cause Problems. If you don’t have a capacity issue now, I promise you will in about 9 months. Let’s deal with recruitment out of the gate as part of your comprehensive marketing strategy.
We Own the Copyrights. All writing and/or marketing materials we create for you are not works-for-hire. We irrevocably grant you, and your successors in interest, the non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable, and worldwide right to use the Works in connection with the marketing of your business pursuant to the Marketing Strategy for so long as your business is operational.
Brand Building. We will be steering you to limit the use of discounts, rebates, coupons, and sales to attract clients. We know this feels counterintuitive to many, and we will clarify our reasoning. Rest assured, we have considerable experience in creating similar offers that are not damaging to your profitability, your brand’s integrity, and your preferable long-term client relations.
Creative Authority. We must have creative authority over the words. You can accept copy as written or reject it outright, but you cannot modify the words yourself. If you do not like something as written, we are happy to discuss it and make the necessary change to maintain the integrity and intention of the words chosen. Alternatively, we will scrap the concept and create new copy that you are happy to get behind 100%.
Proprietary Algorithm. The media buy must be structured in a very specific way, including running a full 52-week schedule. It is based on brain chemistry, not P&Ls. Once we have committed to the buy, it’s important to avoid adjustments unless they are calculated additions.
Knucklehead Factor. You should expect knuckleheads. For example, when you start running ads that are certain to get attention, you need the courage to continue running those ads, even when you receive complaints. We celebrate complaints. It means we’ve made people feel.
Digital Weasels. In about three months from the time your advertising campaign hits the airways, your digital marketers will show you a marked increase in direct and organic traffic. Some Digital Marketers will mistakenly claim this success as their own. Done properly, you can continue to spend less and less on digital lead generation by increasing your branded keyword online presence.
Annual Marketing Meetings. Travel permitting, we prefer to hold Annual Marketing Meetings (AMMs) outside your city. Years of experience have taught us that we get better results when decision-makers are outside their sphere of influence, away from the day-to-day distractions of the office.

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