Ad Secrets Revealed: Ship Skis

Emotional Appeal, Creative Targeting, Objection Handling

Author

Sean Bacastow
February 14, 2024

Welcome to another installment of Your Brain on Ads! We dissect winning ads to help you become a smarter social advertiser.

This week, we’re focusing on an ad from Ship Skis.

What Is Ship Skis?

Ship Skis will ship your snow gear so you don’t have to fly with it. I recently used the service and was impressed, so I decided to take a look at their ads (because that’s what ad nerds do). And I found this gem!

Here’s what I noticed when giving it a closer look.

What Makes This Ad Effective?

  • Emotional Appeal 😀

    • People see the words “baggage claim” and shudder at the thought. Memories of lost bags, screaming children, and rude airport workers come rushing to mind. But that’s juxtaposed with the image of people enjoying a ski day. Ahhhhhh mental relief! Ship Skis paints a picture of how using their service can help you skip baggage claim drama and head straight to the slopes.

  • Clear Value 🔎

    • The ad answers 4 key questions:

      • What is it?

        • Get your snow gear delivered

      • Who’s it for?

        • Skiers and Snowboarders (I wish they included a picture of a snowboarder)

      • Why should someone care?

        • Because they can avoid baggage claim PTSD

      • How can they take action?

        • Click the “learn more” button and get 20% off your shipment

  • Creative Targeting 🎯

    • The photo of the skiers on the lift will catch the attention of anyone who skis or snowboards.

  • Objection Handling 🔑

    • They list key features as a way to handle objections and remove fear potential customers might have about shipping their skis rather than flying with them.

  • Offers An Incentive 🥕

    • The 20% off offer accomplishes two things. It gives someone an extra nudge to try the service and also subtly provides some urgency. People might think the offer won’t last.

How The Ad Could Be Improved

  • The features could be clarified

    • What does free coverage mean? I assume they mean insurance. More specificity would be nice. “Free insurance coverage up to $2000.” I’d also list “on-time guarantee” first. As a skier, that would be my biggest concern.

  • Rework the first line of the primary text

    • “The best way” feels vague and not specific to pain points. I’d go with something like “Ship skis is the hassle-free way to ship your snow gear ahead and hit the slopes quicker.”

  • Testing different CTAs

    • I’d prefer a more action-oriented CTA like “Book Now,” “Get Offer” or “Get Quote”

Applying These Learnings To Your Ads 💰

1. Make sure you’re grabbing the attention of your target customers. Use imagery and headlines to pick the right people out of the crowd.

2. Once you have their attention, appeal to their emotions. Make them visualize and feel how much better their life will be once they have your product or service.

3. Offer an urgent incentive to get people to take action. Things like a limited time offer, limited quantity, etc.

4. Handle objections in your copy. Think of reasons people might not try your product and address them head-on in your ad. Reduce their fear.

5. Be very clear about what your product is, who it’s for, and what value it offers those people.

That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading!

Sean

If you’d like help with your advertising, email me at [email protected] or message me on LinkedIn. I run a marketing agency called PureFunnel that helps tech companies grow with Facebook, Instagram, and Google ads.