Seth Stevenson at Slate gives us the 12 television advertising types as created by Donald Gunn in 1978 for Leo Burnett. It’s a very interesting list. If you want to know more, watch the video.

  1. The demo
  2. The problem
  3. Symbolize the problem
  4. Symbolize the benefit
  5. Comparison
  6. Exemplary story
  7. Benefit causes story
  8. Testimonial
  9. Ongoing character or celebrity
  10. Associated user imagery
  11. Unique personality property
  12. Parody or borrowed format

What’s cool about the list is that not only was it created nearly 30 years ago, but it also still holds true today. The aforementioned video proves that with some really fun examples. If you want to just watch the ads without the commentary, check out the slideshow.

Leave a Comment