Imagine this. You’ve just installed a sick outdoor patio surrounding your pool. There’s a fireplace built right in. A cool fountain flowing into your pool. Everywhere you turn, your friends and family are enjoying it. Your son does a cannonball off the diving board. Your friends sip margaritas at the built-in bar as you flip burgers on your sweet stone grill.

Then, this scary-looking guy with a weird voice crashes your party, stands in the middle of it all, and starts telling people about his company. You ask him to leave, but he won’t. And a horrible ad jingle comes on. And an even worse logo rises up out of nowhere. You thought you were in luxury lifestyle heaven, but you’re really stuck in hell – a.k.a. an ad for Cambridge Pavingstones.

Even if you don’t have the budget to do a highly produced commercial, there are a few simple rules you can follow to create simple, appealing ads for luxury products, particularly for lifestyle brands.

1. Don’t be like real estate agents – stay out of your own ads.
2. Show the product in use if applicable. Wealthy consumers value authentic, enjoyable experiences over anything else.
3. Let the local scaffolding and tire companies be the ones with the jingles. Your brand/product is above that.
4. For the sake of all that is holy, take a fresh look at your logo.

BONUS: $10 to anyone who can tell me which scary actor he reminds me of. Can’t put my finger on it.