Advertising
Advertising
• Minute-for-minute the most expensive/
intensely produced televisual content
• A great deal of expertise goes into each step
of production
– An area where a number of telecommunicationsrelated opportunities lie
Features of advertising
• The goal is not to amuse but to sell
– Some promotional effect must occur or the
advertising has failed
• Time is short
– The message must be delivered within 30 (or
fewer) seconds
• No time for subtlety
• The individual commercial is rarely expected
to have a great deal of effect
– Repetition
– Part of a campaign
• Cross-media/platform integration is required
– Integrated Strategic Communication
• The creative idea is expected to guide a
number of executions
– Thematic and aesthetic continuity
Context
• Clutter
– Simply gaining attention from the target market is a
significant challenge
• Counter-advertising
– Competitors are concurrently arguing that their
product, service, etc. is a better buy
• Skepticism
– “Suspension of disbelief” is not operative
– Experience with your brand, other products, etc.
makes consumers wary
Appeals
• A number of appeals can be drawn upon to
gain viewer attention and generate a ‘brand
image’
• Purely informational advertising, preferred by
economists, does not appear to work all that
well
– Emotionally charged advertising scores best
• Jib Fowles produced a list of 15 advertising
appeals
• Need for sex- surprisingly, Fowles found that only
2 percent of the television ads, he surveyed used
this appeal. It may be too blatant, he concluded,
and often detracts from the product.
• Need for affiliation- the largest number of ads use
this approach: you are looking for friendship?
Advertisers can also use this negatively, to make
you worry that you'll lose friends if you don't use
a certain product.
• Need to nurture- every time you see a puppy
or a kitten or a child, the appeal is to your
paternal or maternal instincts.
• Need for guidance- a father or mother figure
can appeal to your desire for someone to care
for you, s you won't have to worry. Betty
Crocker is a good example.
• Need to aggress- we all have had a desire to
get even, and some ads give you this
satisfaction.
• Need to achieve- the ability to accomplish
something difficult and succeed identifies the
product with winning. Sports figures as
spokespersons project this image.
• Need to dominate- the power we lack is what
we can look for in a commercial "master the
possibilities."
• Need for prominence- we want to be admired
and respected; to have high social status.
Tasteful china and classic diamonds offer this
potential.
• Need for attention- we want people to notice
us; we want to be looked at. Cosmetics are a
natural for this approach.
• Need for autonomy- within a crowded
environment, we want to be singled out, to be
a "breed apart." This can also be used
negatively: you may be left out if you don't
use a particular product
• Need to escape- flight is very appealing; you
can imagine adventures you cannot have; the
idea of escape is pleasurable
• Need to feel safe- to be free from threats, to
be secure is the appeal of many insurance and
bank ads
• Need for aesthetic sensations-beauty attracts us, and
classic art or dance makes us feel creative, enhanced
• Need to satisfy curiosity-facts support our belief that
information is quantifiable and numbers and diagrams
make our choices seem scientific
• Physiological needs- Fowles defines sex (item no.1) as
a biological need, and so he classifies our need to
sleep, eat, and drink in this category. Advertisers for
juicy pizza are especially appealing late at night.
Source: Media Impact Introduction to Mass Media (4th
Ed) Author: Shirley Biagi, Wadsworth
Commercial development and
production
• Although most advertising reflects an ongoing
relationship between an advertiser and an
advertising agency, there are times when an
advertiser will call for proposals from agencies
with regard to their creative strategy for a
given ‘account’
• Agency shootout
Creative development in an ongoing
account
• The creative strategy and the media strategy
for a brand interact
– The types of media chosen may reflect the
strategy
– The creative strategy may be limited by the media
choices already made
• Online v. broadcast v. cable
• Print v. electronic
Brainstorming
• Creative people in the ad agency freely
develop a wide range of ideas around the
basic features of the brand that will be
promoted
– Often features are chosen based on consumer
research
Winnowing
• Several approaches are chosen by a supervisor
for further development
– Storyboarding
– Animatronics
Further winnowing
• Remaining ideas based on storyboards are
presented to an agency principal
– Or a departmental head
– May be tested for consumer response
• Those that are considered strongest are
presented to a representative of the client
– Further winnowing, presentation, etc. until the
client is satisfied that the storyboard(s) are ready
for production
• Must also agree on media and on production budget
Production
• Agency hires independent production
company, director, etc.
– Often assembles crew for ‘shoot’
• Extremely expensive for high-quality (Broadcast quality)
commercials, etc.
• Some specialist agencies, such as those
focusing on online marketing, may have
production expertise
Production
• Creative team meets with director, etc. to
prepare for shoot
– Make sure that the actual film produced, etc.
reflects the ideas of the creatives/clients
– Iron out any difficulties of producing video
requested
• Sound recorded separately
– Voice-over
– Music
Post-production
• Digital effects added
• Sound and visuals combined
Post production
• Copies distributed to appropriate media
• Depending upon the expense and length of
campaign, may research consumer response
in actual markets
– Feedback to production of next round of
commercials/advertisements