My wife is a former professional dancer and a huge fan of So You Think You Can Dance. In other words, she’s the perfect prospect for a new TV Show centered around professional dancing. that’s been created by the producers of So You Think You Can Dance, and an obvious target of this ad which showed up on her Facebook page:
Unfortunately, this Facebook ad fails to tap into the chief or primary appeal that I’ve just mentioned: “A new TV show from the Producers of So You Think You Can Dance.”
If you look at the copy, there’s not even a suggestion or mention of the fact that the ad is promoting a new TV show. And does someone who loves So You Think You Can Dance want to see dancers’ “nerves” or their performance? Finally, I think the image lacks visual punch and emotional story appeal.
But before I construct an alternative, new & improved version of the ad, let’s take a look at the TV Series description, provided at the show’s website:
A CHANCE TO DANCE follows Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt, two of the UK’s most prominent contemporary dancers and choreographers, in their quest to create a new dance company for Nigel Lythgoe in just 28 days. Traveling across the country, they audition dancers from dance schools in Washington, DC; Salt Lake City, UT; and Austin, TX. The competition and the pressure intensify as the final group heads to the dance mecca of Jacob’s Pillow, MA, where they must eliminate half the dancers and form a company for the grand finale: an original performance in New York.
In creating new copy for this ad, I was able to pluck some valuable factoids out of this description, which emphasizes the need to grab low-hanging fruit from your own backyard when creating Facebook ads. So with that said, here’s how I might have changed the ad:
And here’s what to note about the changed ad:
Image — Don’t underestimate the visual impact of color in your image. Especially when placed against a black background, a pop of color ensures that your image will grab Facebookers’ eyeballs. Also, note that there’s a bit more emotion from this image.
Headline – I’m directly calling out to fans of So You Think You Can Dance because they are the ones the advertising is most likely targeted to, and also the ones most likely to take a chance on watching the new show made by the same producers.
Body Copy – I tie the new show into So You Think You Can Dance by referencing Nigel, then create drama with the 28-day fact that I pulled from the show’s description, and end with two calls to action: see the auditions and watch A Chance to Dance. The last CTA also names the new show.
This is just another case where the ad creative has to be as tightly targeted as the advertising to get maximum effect.
How tightly targeted is your Facebook creative?
