How to critique ads

Branding gurus Killian & Company offers this advice for providing input to your graphic designer or copywriter:

Stick to your knitting. If you're not an art director, don't pick out typefaces. If you're a lawyer, stick to legal editing. Committee art is as feeble as committee copy.

If you suggest significant changes, explain them. Write a note so others understand your reasoning.

Look to subtract, not add. Look for ways to simplify, focus, and shorten. Almost everybody can think of "one more reason" to buy a product or service, but those additions usually weaken copy.

Don't study the ad. The typical reader won't give us more than a few seconds to prove interesting, memorable, and relevant. That's why your immediate, visceral reaction means so much.

Don't prescribe the cure. Don't even diagnose the disease. Name the symptoms. The difference, for example, between "this photo doesn't make me hungry" and "put some strawberries in the cereal" is the difference between creative direction and a creative straitjacket. Talk about what results you want, then leave the execution up to creative people you trust.