The research contained in this book contributes to the theoretical and practical knowledge of message strategies and the executional devices used in U.S. television advertising. Using rigorous content analysis, the authors investigated characteristics of commercials from among EFFIE Award winners of 1999 through 2004-advertising originating from "effective" campaigns. This work contributes to advertising research by examining the predictive congruency of the FCB advertising planning grid (see below) with message strategies found in EFFIE commercials, overall EFFIE commercial message strategy and tactic relationships, and content analysis methodology relative to improving objectivity and assessing reliability. This study focuses on producing a benchmark for comparison studies examining differences in message strategies across cultures. The research herein provides a methodological framework for producing comparative studies examining television commercials and other video content (i.e., delivered over the Internet) across cultures.