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3 Advertising objectives

One of the purposes of advertising is to stimulate demand for a product, service, or idea. Other factors influencing demand are price and substitutability. A major way advertising may stimulate demand is to create a brand franchise for a product. When enough brand equity is created that the brand has the ability to draw buyers (even without further advertising), it is said to have brand franchise. The ultimate brand franchise is when the brand is so prevalent in people's mind (called mind share), that it is used to describe the whole category of products. Kleenex, for example, can distinguish itself as a type of tissue or a label for a category of products. That is, it is frequently used as a generic term. One of the most successful firms to have achieved a brand franchise is Hoover, whose name was for a very long time synonymous with vacuum cleaner (and Dyson has subsequently managed to achieve similar status, having moved into the Hoover market with a more sophisticated model of vacuum cleaner).

A brand franchise can be established to a greater or lesser degree depending on product and market. In Texas, for example, it is common to hear people refer to any soft drink as a Coke, regardless of whether it is actually produced by Coca-Cola or not (more accurate terms would be 'cola' or 'soda').

A legal risk of the brand franchise is that the name can become so widely accepted that it becomes a generic term, and loses trademark protection. Examples include " escalator", " aspirin" and " mimeograph". (See genericized trademark.)

Other objectives include short or long term increases in sales, market share, awareness, product information, and image improvement.

4 Advertising techniques

Advertisers use several recognizable techniques in order to better convince the public to buy a 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!"

• Association: Advertisers often attempt to associate their product with desirable imagery to make it seem equally desirable. The use of attractive models, picturesque landscapes and other alluring images is common. Also used are "buzzwords" with desired associations.

• Advertising slogans

• Controversy, as in the Benetton publicity campaign.

• 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.') This is now generally discredited.

It is important to note: During the past decade, advertising has increasingly employed the device of irony. Aware that today's media-savvy viewers are familiar with -- and thus cynical about -- the traditional methods listed above, advertisers have turned to poking fun at those very methods. This "wink-wink" approach is intended to tell viewers, "We know that YOU know we're trying to sell you something, so bear with us and let's have fun." The ultimate goal of such advertising is to convey a sense of trust and confidence with viewers, by essentially saying, "We respect your intelligence, and you should respect us because we're not trying to fool you." Common television examples include most beer advertising and the commercials of the Geico insurance company.

5 Public service advertising

The same advertising techniques used to promote commercial goods and services can be used to inform, educate and motivate the public about serious non-commercial issues, such as AIDS, energy conservation, and deforestation.

Advertising, in its non-commercial guise, is a powerful educational tool capable of reaching and motivating large audiences. "Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest - it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes." - Attributed to Howard Gossage by David Ogilvy

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Topics: Advertising Brand Product Commercial Public Advertisers...

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AdvertisingAdvertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy. Other components of the promotional mix include publicity, public relations, persona Advertising Standards AuthorityThe Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is a British regulatory body which monitors advertising, ensuring each advert does not breach the Advertising Code, which requires accuracy and decency in advertising. It is a voluntary group with no statutory aut Advertising sloganAdvertising slogans are claimed to be, and often prove to be, the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of a product. Typically they make claims about being the best quality, providing an important benefit or solution, or being Advertising agencyAn advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for their clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides a outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's pro