Here's a creative technique that is used far too little. Especially in this information age when we're bombarded with so many messages.When used properly, it can have tremendous power.The technique is . . .Silence.There is power in the pause.Here's an example — a TV spot for a furniture sale might go something like this:
Quick cuts, pan the showroom, show lots of merchandise, flash supers, play music loud and tell 'em and sell 'em. "Annual furniture blow out. Everything on sale. Savings of 25 to 50 percent. Beds. Dressers. Couches. Everything. So hurry down. Savings like these won't last." Yadda, yadda. Click. Turn it off.
It starts in silence on a seamless background. A man in the background walks 20 steps to the camera. Still with no words, he looks into the camera as if he is peering into your living room. After 20 seconds of silence, he shouts, "You need new furniture!!! And only then do they super their name — IKEA Sale!
Publicis, a multi-national advertising conglomerate, predicts that in 2007, world advertising spending will grow by less than 5 percent, while Internet advertising will increase by 28 percent.