The first step to making great ads is to know something about this animal inside us. As a species, we still sport the same DNA we had a million years ago and that was a long time before we invented the printed word. On the evolutionary scale, the whole business of communicating by words is new. We were born to learn by watching. It’s in our nature.

Our eyes are the big, wide doors to our brains. That’s why advertising that employs eye-opening visuals is so much more exciting and effective than advertising that doesn’t.

Yeeee-ha!

I saw a BMW ad recently. It was just a close-up picture of the gear shift knob. But instead of the usual diagram with 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, it had a big "Yeeee-ha!" Right there on the knob. Right in the photo. In one glance, that picture said volumes about the excitement of driving a BMW.

And speaking of cars, here’s a pointer for the folks at James Motors for when they take over Jaguar sales in Lexington. Just look at that shot of the traditional Jag hood ornament. The heavy chain around the neck tells us more about this car, its heritage and its qualities than any thousand words I know. And the added benefit is that this photo permits us the joy of discovery. When we take the few seconds to figure it out, we get a slight rush of realization that makes the message even more memorable.

Get out your crayons

The name of this game and the quickest way to make advertising that is loved, remembered and followed is to forget your urge to make declarations and get out your crayons.

Eighty percent of what we learn comes through our eyes. When you take the trouble to understand how images instruct, you can begin making more effective advertising. The key is not merely to show the item you’re advertising, but to show an IDEA!

If you advertise, you need an agency

The skills necessary to create graphic messages are not in everyone. That’s why there are advertising agencies. And that’s why advertising agencies are different from accounting firms, bakeries and retail stores. They’re special environments that are geared to support the kinds of minds that think in visual terms. The sooner a business learns how to take advantage of this unique resource, the sooner its advertising program can become more effective and efficient.

And speaking of effectiveness, don’t you love the wonderful drawing of Bluto sitting on what’s left of Popeye? This time, the spinach didn’t work. But the V-8 did. No adjectives, no sales talk, no Michael Jordan, no vitamin charts, no beautiful models necessary. This is visual thinking in action.

One last illustration. Have you got a cold, Bunkie? Do you yearn for a warm glow of relief to spread over your chest and clear through your nose? Well then, just look at that lucky son-of-a-marshmallow in the Vicks picture.