Promotional Mix:Advertising

DEFINITION:

 Any paid form of non-personal communication of ideas or products in the "prime media": i.e. television, newspapers, magazines, billboard posters, radio, cinema etc. Advertising is intended to persuade and to inform. The two basic aspects of advertising are the message (what you want your communication to say) and the medium (how you get your message across).

OBJECTIVES:

•   To promote
•   To remind
•   To support
•   To compete
•   To persuade

CHANNELS:

1.   Outdoor
2.   Business directories
3.   Magazines / newspapers
4.   TV / cinema
5.   Radio
6.   Newsagent windows

CATEGORIES:

1.  Above the line advertising is advertising placed in TV, radio, newspaper and cinema.
2.   Below the line advertising is based around advertising via direct mail, sponsorship and sales promotion.

WORKING:

Advertising is an element of promotion that affects other marketing variables.

It is designed to give the customer a view of the product that the marketing department has set out. It also creates an image through the advertising of the price. For example, a high price gives the impression of a quality product, and a low price the opposite. People associate a lot of their opinions on a product by way of the price.

Goods available in certain shops result in a certain impression. This is all part of developing the brand image and creating customer loyalty.

Packaging is central to the advertising strategy, as people's impression of a product can be solely based on packaging. As such, it is a central part of the marketing mix. This conveys a lot of the image of a brand that a company wants to project.

Changes in the pace that a product is marketed are also part of how advertising affects marketing. New products, updated versions of a product and a variation will all have an effect on the way a customer perceives a product. If a new product is introduced then immediately it can be interpreted in a certain way; if a product remains unchanged for years it can also have a certain influence on how a product is viewed. Either stagnancy can prove that a product has been consistent in its quality or that the brand can not come up with an innovative new solution.

Advertising is used as part of a marketing strategy in order to raise awareness and create interest in the brand or product you are trying to sell. While advertising is a single part of the Marketing mix it can be an important one and using the right techniques, not only in the production of the actual advert but also the placement of it is crucial.

Sometimes word of mouth may be even more important and this is a strategy that has been used for a while to create a buzz around products. This can be created by the product’s uniqueness itself or the advertising message can be quirky enough to get people talking even if the product isn't so exciting. Association with other brands such as a TV show or sports event can also bring in a new audience but this advertising needs to fit in with the marketing strategy.

There have been many techniques and trends within advertising and different agencies will have their own new ideas to add to the mix. Fundamentally though, advertising will only be one part of a marketing strategy, which will also have to take in research, public relations exercises, distribution and supply chain as well as pricing and sales strategies to deal with retailers.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES:

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Advertising	·         Good for building awareness ·         Effective at reaching a wide audience ·         Repetition of main brand and product positioning helps build customer trust	·         Impersonal - cannot answer all a customer's questions ·         Not good at getting customers to make a final purchasing decision