TYPES AND FORMS OF ADVERTISING

Advertising is often thought of as the paid, non-personal promotion of an idea, product or service by an identified sponsor attempting to inform or persuade a particular target audience in the public arena. The various delivery mechanisms for advertising in modern society include banners at sporting events, billboards, Internet Web sites, logos on clothing, magazines, newspapers, radio spots, and TV commercials. Advertising is so deep in our life that it provides individuals with 1,500 to 3,000 daily different messages.

Advertising can be divided into two broad categories – consumer advertising and trade advertising. Consumer advertising is directed at the public. Trade advertisingis directed at wholesalers or distributors who resell to the public. We’ll focus on consumer advertising, the form of advertising that is familiar to most people.

Consumer advertising can be further divided into national advertising and local advertising. National advertising is aimed at consumers throughout the entire country and usually attempts to create awareness of a product or service among the public. Local advertising is aimed at informing people in a particular area where they can purchase a product or service.

Advertising can take a number of forms, including advocacy,comparative, cooperative, direct mail, informational,institutional, outdoor, persuasive, product, reminder,point-of-purchase and specialty advertising.

Advocacy advertisingis normally thought of as any advertisement, message or public communication regarding economic, political and social issues. Its ultimate goal usually relates to the state or federal legislation to influence the public’s attitude toward a particular issue. Major nonprofit advocacy groups include the environmental organization Greenpeace, Mothers against Drunk Driving, the National Rifle Association, etc.

Comparative advertisingcompares one brand directly or indirectly with one or more competing brands. This advertising technique is very common and is used by nearly every major industry, including airlines and automobile manufacturers. One of its drawbacks is that customers have become more skeptical about claims made by a company about its competitors. It makes the effectiveness of comparative advertising questionable and misinforming the public due to not always accurate information.

Cooperative advertisingis a system that allows two parties to share advertising costs. Manufacturers and distributors, because of their shared interest in selling the product, usually use this technique. An example might be when a soft drink manufacturer and a local grocery store split the cost of advertising the manufacturer’s soft drinks. Both the manufacturer and the store benefit from increased store traffic and its associated sales. This kind of advertising especially appeals to small-store owners who, on their own, can’t afford to advertise the product adequately.

Direct mail. Brochures, catalogs, flyers, letters, and postcards are just a few of the direct-mail advertising options. Direct-mail advertising has several advantages, including detail of information, personalization, selectivity and speed but it carries an expensive price and is resented by some customers, who consider it junk mail.

Informational advertising is used when a new product is first being introduced. Its emphasis is on promoting the product name, benefits and possible uses. Thus, informational advertising is used early in the product life cycle. Car manufacturers used this strategy when sport-utility vehicles were first introduced. Informational advertising seeks to promote an idea or influence behavior. Sometimes known as public service advertising, it may try to discourage young people from using illicit drugs or tobacco, or it may encourage people to adopt safer, healthier lifestyles.

Institutional advertisingtakes a broad approach, concentrating on the benefits, concept of a particular industry. Companies often use it to promote image-building activities, such an environmentally friendly business practices or new community-based programs. It is closely related to public relations, building prestige and people’s respect without selling a specific product. For non-profit institutions such advertising helps to support the institution’s activities – e.g., by encouraging blood donations or cash contributions for the work of an organization like the Red Cross. If consumers have a high regard for the company’s brand image in a for-profit business, they are more likely to have a favorable opinion of all company’s diverse products. The brand image created partly by the product's design and packaging often leads consumers to select one brand over another. Brand image is especially important for commodities such as detergents, jeans, hamburgers, and soft drinks.

Outdoor advertising.Billboards and messages painted on the sides of buildings are common forms of outdoor advertising, which is often used when quick, simple ideas are being promoted. Since repetition is the key to successful promotion, outdoor advertising is the most effective when located along heavily traveled city streets and when the product being promoted can be purchased locally. Only about 1% of advertising is conducted in this manner.

Persuasive advertisingis used after a product has been introduced to customers. The primary goal of a company is to build selective demand for its product. For example, automobile manufacturers produce special advertisements promoting the safety features of their vehicles. This type of advertisement could allow automobile manufacturers to charge more for their products because of the perceived higher quality.

Reminder advertisingis used for products that have entered the mature stage of its life cycle. It is designed to remind customers about the product and to maintain awareness. For example, detergent producers spend a considerable amount of money each year reminding customers that their products are still available for sale.

Point-of-purchase advertising uses displays other promotional items near the product that is being sold. Its primary motivation is to attract customers to the display so that they will purchase the product in retail stores.

Specialty advertisingis a form of sales promotion designed to increase public recognition of a company’s name by putting it on a variety of items, such as caps, glassware, gym bags, jackets, key chains and pens. The value of specialty advertising varies depending on how long the items used in the effort last. Most companies are successful in achieving their goals for increasing public recognition and sales through these efforts.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1545