Chuck Porter

By Joanie Kindblade

Successful advertising campaigns draw on a number of elements, such as telling stories that reward viewers for paying attention and using traditional media in nontraditional ways, said Chuck Porter, chairman of Crispin Porter + Bogusky advertising agency.

Porter offered this advice and other advertising tips to a standing-room-only crowd during the John E. Holden Journalism lecture in October.

Armed with a multimedia presentation that highlighted commercial clips for clients including Volkswagen, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Burger King and Mini Cooper, Porter offered advertising secrets he has acquired during his decades-long advertising career.

"You'll see that we practice off-beat, nontraditional advertising," Porter said. "We recognize that pop culture is currency. The work is getting your brand into the currency, in movies, music and fashion."

He used the example of a recent Jetta commercial to illustrate that point.

In the commercial, the Jetta crashes into a truck that is backing out of a driveway.

"This is an example of a polarizing commercial," Porter said. "You either love it or hate it."

The agency found a way to turn the broadcast ad into an interactive experience by offering a way for people to crash the Jetta into various objects online, such as a rhino or a tree.

Market research shows that recalling the featured brand in an ad is difficult for most viewers, with a large percentage selecting the marketing leader, even if it's not their advertisement, he said.

"People will recall Nike after watching any athletic shoe commercial," Porter said. "So don't feed the gorilla. Make your advertisements unique."

Porter showed a Burger King commercial to drive home that point. The commercial features men singing the praises of the Texas Double Whopper, as if they are in a musical.

"When we came up with this ad, I asked myself, 'Would McDonald's run this?' Probably not."

The ad budget doesn't have to dictate the message of the commercial, either. Imagination is essential, especially when your budget is limited, Porter said. "Never use money as an excuse for not being innovative," he said. "Come up with cool ideas and run with it."