Advertising – An announcement online or in a newspaper, on television, or on a poster about something such as product, event or job is called advertisement.
Advertising is an integral part of marketing.
We see a number of advertisements on TV, newspapers, as billboards on streets etc.
Even buses, taxis and rickshaws carry advertisements on them.
The internet which is an inseparable part of our lives today also has many advertisements popping up on different websites.
Features of advertisements:
They help in drawing our attention to the product advertised.
They describe the positive aspects of the product so that people become keen to buy them.
Role of advertising:
Simply branding a product i.e. giving it a name is not enough.
It in itself does not convince people to buy the product.
It, at the outset, differentiates the product from the unbranded products.
It helps in differentiating the product from that of the competitors.
Convincing people to buy the concerned product.
Brand – The special identification (created by advertising) or name that is associated with a product is called brand.
Building Brands:
The term branding in layman terms refers to stamping a product with a particular name or sign.
Advertising mainly involves building brands.
The main purpose of branding is to differentiate it from other products in the market.
Brand values – The special values for their brand so that their brand is given preference over others. These values are called brand values.
Building brand values:
Advertisers project the special values for their brand so that their brand is given preference over others.
For example one brand of daal can be highlighted as ‘being healthy for our kids’; and the other brand can be highlighted as ‘serving guests well’.
These brand values are conveyed by way of visuals and words.
Use of good visuals and words create a positive image of the product in the minds of the people and make the product appealing.
Social advertisements – The advertisements made by the State or private agencies are called social advertisements.
They have a larger message for the society.
Brand values and social values:
Advertisements have a significant place in our social and cultural life.
We discuss the advertisements we watch/hear or read and also tend to judge people based on the brand products they use.
Influence of advertisements:
Branded products cost much more than the products that are sold loose/ non-branded ones.
This is because of the cost incurred in packaging and advertising.
Because of higher costs, many people cannot afford branded products.
Advertisements have a miraculous role in changing the thinking and preferences of the people.
Advertisements often target our personal emotions.
They link our emotions to the products and tend to influence the ways in which we value ourselves as persons.
Often we see many Celebrities (cricketers, film stars, models, etc.) selling products through advertisements.
How is an advertisement made?
Given the extent of influence advertisement has on our lives it is obvious that making an advertisement is not an easy job.
The main objective of an advertisement is to entice people to buy a particular brand.
This requires a lot of time, effort and money on the part of the advertiser.
Briefly, creating an advertisement involves the following steps:
Determining the consumer profile – This is done by conducting market surveys.
Visualizing a campaign -The campaign intended must appeal to the target audience.
Devising a new strategy – This involves:
Emphasising on an aspect that is different from that of the competitor
Giving a brand name: This step also involves naming the brand.
Making a presentation to the client and getting their feedback
Finalising and releasing the advertisement campaign.
Note:
In many ways, advertising does not conform to the basic tenets of democracy.
Advertising is often seen to promote affluent lifestyle and tends to ignore the harsh realities of life.
Advertising creates a big divide between big business houses and small business entities.
Advertising and Democracy:
Democracy has equality as its integral part.
There are many ways in which advertising links to the issues of equality.
Cost:
Advertising involves enormous costs.
Advertising a brand usually involves crores of rupees.
The money that is spent on advertising is for –
Producing and showing advertisements
Repeating the advertisements many times so that it registers in the minds of the people.
The high costs involved mean that only large companies can advertise.
Loss of livelihood of small businessmen:
Advertisements create a wrong notion in the people’s minds regarding product quality.
They make us believe that packaged and branded products are far superior in quality than the non-branded ones.
This tendency of the people of shifting to branded products and ignoring the non-branded ones results in the loss of livelihood of many small businessmen.
Tall claims by advertisers:
Many advertisements by protein drink brands are good examples certain tall claims made by these brands.
For example; one of the brands claims that a child can become taller and sharper by using that drink. Another brand claims that it will promote better growth of brain and child can become as intelligent as Einstein.
The truth is far from what the brands claim. Nobody can become taller and sharper by using a protein drink. A person becomes tall because tallness is in his/her gene.
