Tutorial 4- Creative Features of Advertising

Tutorial 1

What is Advertising

 Advertising: 

The communication with the users of a product or service is Advertising. In today's world, Advertising is done by every possible media to get it's message through. Advertising by television, print (newspaper, magazine, journal etc), radio, press, internet, direct selling, hoardings, mailers, contests, sponsorships, posters, clothes, events, colours, sounds, visuals and even people.

Advertisers and Media

An Advertising media is means or vehicle, which is used to carry out advertising messages fro the sender to the intended receiver. It is a means through which an advertising message or information is passed on to the perspective of customers, readers, viewers, listeners or passers-by.

To reach the people who are potential buyers of the product media provides the opportunities. The basic purpose of Advertising is not merely informing people about the product or service but to persuade them to buy the product.

Types of Advertising Media

1. Print Media 
2. Electronic Media
3. Outdoor Media
4. Direct Mall Advertising
5. Promotional Media
6. Other Media

A. Print Media

Print Media

Advertising in newspaper, magazines, catalogues, journals etc can be called print media. The growth of literacy has paved the way for this media. Today it is the most popular and widely used medium for advertising. Advertising through print media is an important source of finance for the print and the press media. The print media can further be classified as newspaper and magazines.

B. Audio Visual and Electronic Media

Electronic Media

The electronic media primarily consists of radio, television, cinema, cable, internet, cassettes and CD's which have wide coverage and influence more as compared to print media. Radio and television are the various categories of electronic media.

C. Outdoor-Media

Outdoor-Media

Outdoor media pass on the message to those people who are moving out. Generally, people move out for some purpose-office, sightseen, walk, journey etc. It also helps in specific advertising. Outdoor media can be of following types-

• Posters
• Advertising Boards
• Vehicular Advertising
• Electrical Displays
• Bill Board Displays
• Sky Advertising
• Handbills
• Stickers

D. Direct Mail Advertising 

Direct Mail Advertising

Direct mail is another favorite medium of advertisers. In direct mail, printed messages are directly mailed to the customers. Through this method, the Advertisers establishes a direct contact with the customers. Direct mail can be sent in the form of sales letters, circular letters, catalogs, price lists, leaflets, folders etc.they are sent to the prospective customer to inform them about the merits of the products and creates their interest in the product. 

E. Promotional Media

Promotional Media

Promotional Advertising is consist of those that appear or near where the product is purchased. The objective is to increase the sale and awareness. the various types of promotional Advertising are as follows:

• Window Displays
• Counter Displays

F. Other Media

Other media involves three types of advertising such as,

• Speciality Advertising
• Directories 
• Loudspeakers

Advertising Agencies

Advertising Agencies

It is difficult for the companies to do advertising since it has become highly specialized activity these days. An advertising agency may provide professional expertise and can do the job on behalf of the adviser.

Advertising is an independent organization that provides one or more specialized advertising and promotion related services to assist companies in developing, preparing and executing their advertising and other promotional programs.

What functions does AD agency perform?

1. Ad development and creative function
2. Media Selection
3. Research and Development
4. Relationship Function
5. Recording and Database Maintaining
6. Accounts Service
7. Account Planning 
8. Media Planner
9. Marketing Function
10. Co-ordination
11. Internal control

Methods to compensate the agencies

Compensation is a remuneration paid to an agency for an extension for its services by clients. The various methods used to compensate the agencies for their aired services are as follows-

1. Commission
2. Negotiated Fees
3. Percentage Charges

Client-Agency Relationship

The quality of the relationship between the client and the agency is important and requires that both parties should work hard to develop the right kind of relationship. Good clients develop a sense of partnership with the agency. They trust and respect the agency's expertise and ask for his best thinking and not to settle for safety and mediocrity in creating ads. They ask the agencies to encourage their personnel to visit the client's business premises and interact freely with the client's personnel in the concerned departments.

 Stages in the Client-Agency relationship

As the people and the product have a life cycle in the advertising business the agency-client relationship also has various stages. The four distinct stages of a client-agency relationship are as follows:

1. The Pre-relationship stage,
2. The development stage,
3. The maintenance stage and,
4. The termination stage.

Aspects of Advertising

Advertising is a very powerful and highly visible business activity. Advertising is criticized for its impact on economic, social and ethical aspects. The criticism is related to the specific approaches used in advertising and their impact on society's value, tastes, lifestyle and behaviour critics. It is the belief of many people that advertising should only be informative and not use subjective claims.

➤ Economic Issues 

The various economic issues of advertising are:

1. Effect on the value of the product or service
2. Effect on price
3. Effect on consumer demand and choice
4. Effect on competition

➤ Social Issues

Advertising can be used in any form by the advertiser. For accomplishing the sales or communication objectives of marketers, advertising influences social objective marketer, social values, lifestyles and society's tastes and are thus criticized for being untruthful or deceptive. The various social issues related to advertising are:

1. Social and cultural issues
2. Materialism
3. Stereotyping in advertising

➤ Ethical Issues

One of the most common reasons for criticism of advertising is that it does not promote the society's well being. Ethics are moral principles and values that govern the action and decisions of an individual or group.

There are restrictions to the fact what is permissible in advertising. For eg., school advertising is considered unethical since it is injurious to health.

Related Tutorials of Advertising:

1. Tutorial 2-Roles of Advertising
2. Tutorial 3-Models of Advertising
3. Tutorial 4-Features of Advertising