Types and functions of advertising

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I. Trade and advertisement

Types and functions of advertising

Advertising is nothing but a paid form of non-personal presentation or promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor with a view to disseminate information concerning an idea, product or service. The message which is presented or disseminated is called advertisement. In the present day marketing activities hardly is there any business in the modern world which does not advertise. However, the form of advertisement differs from business to business.

Advertisement has been defined differently by different persons. A few definitions are being reproduced below:

According to Wood, "Advertising is causing to know to remember, to do."

According to Wheeler, "Advertising is any form of paid non-personal presentation of ideas, goods or services for the purpose of inducting people to buy."

A successful advertising campaign will spread the word about your products and services, attract customers and generate sales. Whether you are trying to encourage new customers to buy an existing product or launching a new service, there are many options to choose from and many functions to use.

The most suitable advertising option for your business will depend on what products or services you are advertising, and your target audience. For example, if you know that your target market reads a particular magazine, you should advertise in that publication.

The following list is an introduction to advertising methods that you could use. Remember, you can always be creative in your advertising to get noticed (within advertising regulations).

Newspaper. Newspaper advertising can promote your business to a wide range of customers. Display advertisements are placed throughout the paper, while classified listings are under subject headings in a specific section. You may find that a combination of advertising in your state/metropolitan newspaper and your local paper gives you the best results.

Magazine. Advertising in a specialist magazine can reach your target market quickly and easily. Readers (your potential customers) tend to read magazines at their leisure and keep them for longer, giving your advertisement multiple chances to attract attention. If your products need to be displayed in colour then glossy advertisements in a magazine can be ideal - although they are generally expensive. Magazines do not usually serve a small area such as a specific town. If your target market is only a small percentage of the circulation, then advertising may not be cost-effective.

Radio Advertising on the radio is a great way to reach your target audience. If your target market listens to a particular station, then regular advertising can attract new customers.

However, sound has its limitations. Listeners can find it difficult to remember what they have heard and sometimes the impact of radio advertising is lost. The best way to overcome this is to repeat your message regularly - which increases your costs significantly. If you cannot afford to play your advertisement regularly, you may find that radio advertising does not generate strong results.

TelevisionTelevision has an extensive reach and advertising this way is ideal if you cater to a large market in a large area. Television advertisements have the advantage of sight, sound, movement and colour to persuade a customer to buy from you. They are particularly useful if you need to demonstrate how your product or service works. Producing a television advertisement and then buying an advertising slot is generally expensive. Advertising is sold in units (e.g. 20, 30, 60 seconds) and costs vary according to the time slot in which your advertisement appears.

DirectoriesDirectories list businesses by name or category (e.g. phone directories). Customers who refer to directories have often already made up their mind to buy - they just need to decide who to buy from.

The major advantage of online directories over print directories is that if you change your business name, address or telephone number, you can easily keep it up to date in the directory. You can also add new services or information about your business. If your target market uses print and online directories, it may be useful to advertise in both.

Billboards Billboards can be signs by the road, hoardings at sport stadiums or posters on buses, taxis and buses. Large billboards can get your message across with a big impact. If the same customers pass your billboard every day as they travel to work, you are likely to be the first business they think of when they want to buy a product. Even the largest of billboards usually contain a limited amount of information; otherwise, they can be difficult to read. Including your website address makes it easy for customers to follow up and find out more about your business.

Direct mail, catalogues and leaflets Direct mail means writing to customers directly. The more precise your mailing list or distribution area, the more of your target market you will reach. A direct mail approach is more personal, as you can select your audience and plan the timing to suit your business. Find out more about direct mail.Catalogues, brochures and leaflets can also be distributed to your target area. Including a brochure with your direct mail is a great way to give an interested customer more information about your products and services. Learn more about leaflet marketing using letterbox drops and handouts.

Online Advertising on the internet can be a cost-effective way to attract new customers. You can reach a global audience at a low cost. Many customers research businesses online before deciding whom to buy from.

Among the most important functions of advertisement we can name:

1. Influence on Trial of Advertised Innovations

One of the main things that advertising should accomplish is influencing consumers to consume. Advertising can create demand for not only your product, but other products in your product category. This isn’t a completely bad thing, but what you really should try and generate interest for if your product within that category. This is also known as secondary demand. Advertising that tries to influence demand for a specify product should present reasoned arguments and emotional appeals to generate more demand for the product over competing products. What makes your product better? Why should people buy it? When creating your marketing message think about how to incorporate answers to these type of questions.

2. Informs Consumers

Advertising informs consumers about new brands and innovations and educates them about various benefits and characteristics of the new brands. Once awareness has been established, advertising moves the innovation beyond mere recognition to top-of-mind awareness. Top-of-mind awareness is the level at which a consumer thinks of a specific in a certain product category before any other product within that category. Advertising is also responsible for part of the positive brand image creation process.

3. Advertising Reminds Consumers and Creates Salience

Advertising can serve as a reminder to consumers. When a consumer has a specific need or desire, advertising can help that consumer associate a specific product with that need/desire. For example, if a consumer recently saw an advertisement for a carpet cleaning product, and then a week later someone spilled something on the carpet which created a stain, the consumer is more likely to purchase the product in the advertisement when they go to purchase a cleaning product. Salience is a term used to describe what happens when a consumer ties a certain product with a certain use situation. For example, when people need to fix a squeaky door hinge, the product that is usually thought of first is WD40.

4. Adding Value by Altering Perceptions

Advertising adds value to an innovation by altering the perceptions of consumers. The way DeBeers marketed diamonds is a perfect example of this function. Before DeBeers, diamonds were nothing, after the company’s effective marketing campaign diamonds where equated with showing love. And now if a girl doesn’t get a diamond an engagement ring, the guy may as well look elsewhere.

5. Assisting Other Company Efforts

Marketing communications consists of multiple tools. Advertising is just one of these tools, but it helps make the other tools more effective. The main way that it does this is by enhancing the messages of the other tools. An example of this would be the marketing communications tool of product packaging. If a consumer saw a couple of advertisement on Dodge pickups before going to the to purchase a vehicle, then that consumer more readily recognize the brand’s value when he/she arrives at the car lot.