Draft your text, then go through it ruthlessly eliminating superfluous words. You are increasing clarity and cutting costs.

Don't make your details too complicated - if the time and price change every day you are only going to confuse people. Simplicity makes more of an impression.

Keep as near to one idea as you can get, decide on your marketing strategy and reinforce it - as often as possible.

It takes a long time to change people's minds. For practical purposes, you can only release desires already there. So don't advertise unless you are giving understandable information, rather than trying to convert people.

Contact: the first words must ring a bell - start your classical concert ad with 'Puccini...' and those who know he was a composer will read the rest. Nothing can be done for or with those who think he was Dillinger's side-kick or some form of Italian ice-cream.

Don't assume that anyone knows anything. You may work in the ICL or the DP, but the Philosophy student coming to your Marxist meeting there hasn't a clue where it is.

Size: be larger than your competitors, but if you cannot afford a large display, try to hive off a market with a special appeal e.g. "The Only Musical in Oxford This Term". Make sure it does have a special appeal though. "The Only Musical in Oxford with a 2nd Trombone" won't do (they won't recognise it as The Mikado).

You can sell on quality to a limited group. Providing someone wants what you've got, the price you ask doesn't matter very much. If they don't want it, however good it is and however low the price, it won't sell.

Repetition: the advertisement needs to appear three times at least. There is no doubt whatsoever that no matter what it is, it appears less important to everyone else than it does to you. Imagine trying to interest a deaf tortoise, and you've about grasped the measure of clarity and repetition required.

Be consistent - if your company has a logo, use it in your ad.

Advertising budget: minimum of 10% potential turnover. Most people spend too little. There is no point investing in period wigs, authentic props and rehearsal space if no-one knows about your show.

Contact details: the greatest response from individuals goes to e-mail addresses, then phone numbers, then postal addresses, then box numbers.

And finally... When you feel you've finished your advert, get a disinterested party to look at it. What do they think you've said?

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