One way to get better information from advertisers

John Foust

Dec 1, 2025

What you learn in researching information for an ad campaign will influence the quality of the advertising you produce. That’s why I’ve found it helpful to use the “Five Ws” plus H (how).
Foust

You might have heard the old computer saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” It means that the quality of input that goes into a system will determine the quality of the output. Good input equals good output, and bad input equals bad output.

This is certainly true in the advertising business. What you learn in researching information for an ad campaign will influence the quality of the advertising you produce. That’s why I’ve found it helpful to use the “Five Ws,” a technique commonly used in journalism — Who, What, When, Where and Why. For our purposes, we’ll add an “H” for How.

Not all of this information should appear in a campaign. This approach is simply intended to dig a foundation for the end result of the advertising itself. Of course, the questions can be customized as needed.

LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

  1. A logical WHO question is, “Who is your target audience?” Don’t accept “everyone” for an answer. Ads that try to appeal to everyone actually appeal to no one. Narrow it to a specific and relevant group of people — business owners, first-time homebuyers, weekend gardeners, etc.
  2. A couple of WHAT questions come to mind. First, “What are the features and benefits of the product or service your client is advertising?” Draw a vertical line down the center of a page in your notepad and label the left side “Features” and the right side “Benefits.” Make sure the benefits are relevant to the target audience. Reduce the list later to the most meaningful points.
    Another question is, “What special offer can be made?” A buy-one-get-one sale? A discount coupon? A free sample? Maybe even a free consultation?
  3. WHEN is a question to sharpen the focus. For example, “When will the special offer be available?” An offer should create urgency with a reasonable start and end date.
    “When can the target audience use the product or service?” If it’s seasonal, advertising at certain times of the year is obviously better than in the off season.
  4. “WHERE is the competition coming from?” Local merchants, big box stores, online sellers? The answer doesn’t mean those places should be mentioned by name in the ads. It’s simply another piece of information that can help you understand your advertiser’s marketing objectives. A natural follow-up question is “Where is the competition advertising?”
  5. “WHY should the target audience buy from your client instead of the competition?” This should open a conversation about ways to differentiate your client from competitors. In order to be effective, they have to stand out. It could be special pricing, business philosophy, selection, track record of success or something else.
  6. If price is a factor to the target audience — and it usually is — an important HOW question is, “How much does the product or service cost?” If it’s not appropriate to quote specific prices, consider quoting ranges or “starting from” prices.

It’s all about research. The right questions control the information coming in so you can control the advertising product on the page. © Copyright 2025 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

 

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. Email for information: john@johnfoust.com