How is advertising used

Advertising can generate drama and human interest by featuring people and situations that are exciting or engaging. It can introduce emotions, images, and symbols that stimulate desire, and it can show how a product or brand compares favorably to competitors. Finally, advertising is an excellent vehicle for brand building, as it can create rational and emotional connections with a company or offering that translate into goodwill.

As advertising becomes more sophisticated with digital media, it is a powerful tool for tracking consumer behaviors, interests, and preferences, allowing advertisers to better tailor content and offers to individual consumers. Through the power of digital media, memorable or entertaining advertising can be shared between friends and go viral—and viewer impressions skyrocket.

The primary disadvantage of advertising is cost. Marketers question whether this communication method is really cost-effective at reaching large groups. Of course, costs vary depending on the medium, with television ads being very expensive to produce and place. In contrast, print and digital ads tend to be much less expensive. Along with cost is the question of how many people an advertisement actually reaches. Even ads that initially grab attention can grow stale over time.

While digital ads are clickable and interactive, traditional advertising media are not. In the bricks-and-mortar world, it is difficult for marketers to measure the success of advertising and link it directly to changes in consumer perceptions or behavior.

Because advertising is a one-way medium, there is usually little direct opportunity for consumer feedback and interaction, particularly from consumers who often feel overwhelmed by competing market messages. Effective advertising starts with the same foundational components as any other IMC campaign: identifying the target audience and the objectives for the campaign.

When advertising is part of a broader IMC effort, it is important to consider the strategic role advertising will play relative to other marketing communication tools. With clarity around the target audience, campaign strategy, and budget, the next step is to develop the creative strategy for developing compelling advertising.

The creative strategy has two primary components: the message and the appeal. The message comes from the messaging framework discussed earlier in this module: what message elements should the advertising convey to consumers? What should the key message be? What is the call to action? How should the brand promise be manifested in the ad?

How will it position and differentiate the offering? Marketers also need to consider existing public perceptions and other advertising and messages the company has placed in the market. Has the prior marketing activity resonated well with target audiences? Should the next round of advertising reinforce what went before, or is it time for a fresh new message, look, or tone?

Advertising appeals can take many forms, but they tend to fall into one of two categories: informational appeal and emotional appeal. The informational appeal offers facts and information to help the target audience make a purchasing decision. It tries to generate attention using rational arguments and evidence to convince consumers to select a product, service, or brand. For example:. It plays on conscious or subconscious desires, beliefs, fears, and insecurities to persuade consumers and influence their behavior.

The emotional appeal is linked to the features and benefits provided by the product, but it creates a connection with consumers at an emotional level rather than a rational level. Most marketers agree that emotional appeals are more powerful and differentiating than informational appeals.

However, they must be executed well to seem authentic and credible to the the target audience. A poorly executed emotional appeal can come across as trite or manipulative. Examples of emotional appeals include:. The following Heinz Ketchup commercial offers a humorous example of an ad based entirely on an emotional appeal:. The media plan is a document that outlines the strategy and approach for an advertising campaign, or for the advertising component in an IMC campaign.

The media plan is developed simultaneously with the creative strategy. A standard media plan consists of four stages: a stating media objectives; b evaluating media; c selecting and implementing media choices; and d determining the media budget. The process of evaluating media involves considering each type of advertising available to a marketer, and the inherent strengths and weaknesses associated with each medium.

The table below outlines key strengths and weaknesses of major types of advertising media. You can choose your age bracket, interests, locations, and so much more with only a few clicks.

Search engines have capitalized on effective advertising also with the use of search and display ads that are tailored to keyword searches. This form of promotional advertisement is great for retargeting and remarketing to people who have already been on your website. Mobile use has grown tenfold in such a short period of time that it is no surprise that advertising has been introduced as part of it. Mobile-first advertising could include SMS ads, app ads, and website advertisements aimed at mobile users.

The options are endless when you are marketing to an audience who are always on their device. Websites are always trying to get more conversions and sales in the pipeline. Effective ads are the way to achieve this.

Using popups that include calls to action are a great idea. Entice someone back to a page when they are about to leave through an exit popup. Popups that provide discount codes or a link to the exact product you are searching for can make all the difference to a potential customer. For ecommerce stores to appeal to as many people as possible you need to identify a solution to an everyday problem.

Using effective ads, the solution should be easy to see. Depending on the platform you are advertising on, people might only have a few seconds to decode your message. The above image of an IKEA advertisement is a great example of an easy to see solution to the issue of space and clutter. It is location specific and acts as a two subject advertisement as IKEA is also launching a new store in Sheffield.

Both messages are clear and do not overlap. Lego uses minimalist advertising to unleashed creativity. By giving users access to interactive gameplay, playable ads let you try before you buy.

This gives users a limited look at an app, offering highlights that should push users to install. Because users can gauge their interest before purchasing the app, playable ads can be used to reduce app uninstall rates. To learn more about the pros and cons for each format, take a look at this blog post. After that, our dashboard will show you precisely how well your advertisements are performing. We can also put you in sync with any of our hundreds of partners so you can advertise to the right sources at a budget which is right for you.

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