Unit 5 Inside advertising
Teaching Resources
Section 2: Background information for Unit 5 Inside advertisement
1. Techniques of advertising
Advertisers use several recognizable techniques in order to better convince the public
to buy a product and shape the public's attitude towards their product. These may
include:
● Repetition: Some advertisers concentrate on making sure their product is widely
recognized. To that end, they simply attempt to make the name remembered through
repetition.
● Bandwagon: By implying that the product is widely used, advertisers hope to
convince potential buyers to "get on the bandwagon."
● Testimonials: Advertisers often attempt to promote the superior quality of their
product through the testimony of ordinary users, experts, or both. "Three out of
four dentists recommend..." This approach often involves an appeal to authority.
● Pressure: By attempting to make people choose quickly and without long
consideration, some advertisers hope to make rapid sales: "Buy now, before they're
all gone!"
● Appeal to emotion: Various techniques relating to manipulating emotion are used
to get people to buy a product. Apart from artistic expression intended to provoke
an emotional reaction (which are usually for associative purposes, or to relax
or excite the viewer), three common argumentative appeals to emotion in product
advertising are wishful thinking, appeal to flattery, and appeal to ridicule.
Appeals to pity are often used by charitable organizations and appeals to fear
are often used in public service messages and products, such as alarm systems or
anti-bacterial spray, which claim protection from an outside source. Emotional
appeals are becoming increasingly popular in the health industry, with large
companies like 24 Hour Fitness becoming increasingly adept at utilizing a potential
customers fear to sell memberships; selling not necessarily the actual gym, but
the dream of a new body. Finally, appeals to spite are often used in advertising
aimed at younger demographics.
● Association: Advertisers often attempt to associate their product with desirable
imagery to make it seem equally desirable. The use of attractive models, a practice
known as sex in advertising, picturesque landscapes and other alluring images is
common. Also used are "buzzwords" with desired associations. On a large scale,
this is called branding.
● Advertising slogans: These can employ a variety of techniques; even a short phrase
can have extremely heavy-handed technique.
● Controversy, as in the Benetton publicity campaign.
● Guerilla advertising: Advertising by association. Done in such a way so the target
audience does not know that they have been advertised to, but their impression
of the product is increased (or decreased) if that is the intent of the advertiser.
● Subliminal messages: It was feared that some advertisements would present hidden
messages, for example through brief flashed messages or the soundtrack, that would
have a hypnotic effect on viewers ('Must buy car. Must buy car.') The notion that
techniques of hypnosis are used by advertisers is now generally discredited, though
subliminal sexual messages are extremely common, ranging from car models with SX
prefixes to suggestive positioning of objects in magazine ads and billboards.
2．Advertising Research Tips
●Perceptual Mapping -- Deciding What Image to Project
Before you embark on an image advertising campaign, you need to know the type of image
you wish to convey.
●Quick & Dirty Research Techniques - Part 1
Measuring the cost effectiveness of advertising promotions.
●Quick & Dirty Research Techniques - Part 2
Price-point testing.
●Danger -- Comparative Advertising
Including Your Competitors' Names in Your Advertising Can Be Counterproductive.
●The Role of Focus Groups in Advertising
Focus groups are a great tool for advertising research, but they should not be used
to the exclusion of quantitative research.
●How Research Can Drive the Advertising Mediums You Use
To choose the right advertising medium, you need to know who your customers and target
customers are.
●Allocating Advertising Dollars for Advertising Research
How much should you allocate to measure the communications effectiveness of your ads?
●Is Your Advertising Working as Hard as it Could?
Increase sales and speed up the "advertisement perfection" process through
advertising testing.
3．Advertising tips
Below are some tips to consider when you would like to use advertisements:
●Think outside the square - there are a variety of ways to get the attention of your
audience by standard (eg press ad) and creative (eg spruiking in Rundle Mall) means.
●When considering your advertising options put yourself in the shoes of your audience.
For example if you want to reach the attention of males 18 plus during June you could
look at running ads on 5AA during the KG & Cornes segment and further support this
by placing ads in the Sports section of Saturday's Advertiser.
●Forward planning is critical. To secure the best available spots on radio or in
press, booking ahead is essential.
●Consider your return on investment - to effectively get your advertising message
to your audience you may need to place a series of ads across a variety of media.
Placing a solitary ad in the newspaper may not elicit a strong response.
●Keep your message simple and ensure your call to action is clear. What is the most
important part you'd like your audience to read or hear and how would you like them
to respond? This should form the basis of your ad/s in terms of content, look and
feel.
●When you are about to embark on an advertising campaign, take note of ads that appeal
to you or encourage people who are representative of your audience to provide you
with feedback about the type of advertising they would find most effective ... the
look and feel of an ad can be just as important as the message itself.
4. Marketing strategies
Strategy serves as the foundation of a marketing plan. A marketing plan contains a
list of specific actions required to successfully implement a specific marketing
strategy. An example of marketing strategy is as follows: "Use a low cost product
to attract consumers. Once our organization, via our low cost product, has established
a relationship with consumers, our organization will sell additional, higher-margin
products and services that enhance the consumer's interaction with the low-cost
product or service."
A strategy is different than a tactic. While it is possible to write a tactical
marketing plan without a sound, well-considered strategy, it is not recommended.
Without a sound marketing strategy, a marketing plan has no foundation. Marketing
strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to reach
marketing objectives. It is important that these objectives have measurable results.
A good marketing strategy should integrate an organization’s marketing goals,
policies, and action sequences (tactics) into a cohesive whole. The objective of a
marketing strategy is to provide a foundation from which a tactical plan is developed.
This allows the organization to carry out its mission effectively and efficiently.
Marketing strategies are partially derived from broader corporate strategies,
corporate missions, and corporate goals. They should flow from the firm's mission
statement. They are also influenced by a range of microenvironmental factors.
Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive. They are partially planned and
partially unplanned.