Advertising

Objectives of advertising

The primary objective of advertising is to promote the sale of commodities or services. To achieve this goal,
advertising and promotion aim to:

 Establish or maintain brand name recognition

 Establish familiarity with a brand and keep buyers loyal to it
 Create a positive image of a company and associate its logo with reliability and value
 Inform prospective buyers about product availability
 Praise a product
 Induce people to purchase the advertised item

In general advertising makes use of two closely connected human feelings: desires and fears

Advertisers try to convince people that particular products can enhance their lifestyles: they will enjoy more
comfort, improved appearance, better health, more fulfilling jobs and higher social status

Advertisers also send the message that purchasing products are solutions to one’s worries: people can ease poverty,
fight sickness or avoid possible disasters if they buy commodities and services promoted in the media

Advertising is carried on in a great variety of ways through the media, in the streets and in the shops themselves.
Flyers, shop magazines, delivery trucks, billboards, window displays, shopping bags, adverts in newspapers and
magazines, the Internet

Is advertising an efficient way of convincing people to buy certain products?

I think it is because a lot of people believe what they hear, see or read about a product or service is true. Efficient
advertisements manage to make people switch to a new brand or try a new service, especially if the product or
service is advertised by a famous person whose opinion they consider important and trust. In order to reach the
target audience the advertisers should find the most suitable advertising channels. For example, it is a good idea to
advertise fancy nail polish designed for teenagers in a teen magazine or on websites they frequently visit on the net.

Can customer habits be influenced by advertisements?

Some shoppers are much more easily influenced by ads than others. They are always ready to try new brands and
products, and easily shift from one to another if the brand is heavily advertised. Since mainly young people are
reached through several advertising channels they are the ones who are open to trying anything new.(also because
teenagers are inexperienced) There are others who are often called hardcore loyals because they do not really care
about new releases but stick to the brands they have been using for a long time. Most elderly people belong to this
group of consumers since they have an aversion to anything new.

What makes a good advertisement?

A good advertisement should be catchy, surprising and relevant and it should include a slogan or short phrase to
attract consumers’ attention. Effective slogans are usually short, easy to remember and easy to repeat. A lot of
people think that a commercial is good and most effective if it employs music and features children or animals and
maybe scenes from parties/holidays. There are many different sorts of good adverts that stick in the mind and make
you sing the jingle or repeat the slogan all day long. It is really important to design such a commercial that conveys
the message the producer or sellers want to deliver to the buyers.
What are the possible dangers of advertisements?
Some advertisements conceal or give untrue information about the product or service. They may exaggerate the
benefits a product offers while they hide some of its harmful characteristics. Some service providers behave
incorrectly when they claim that their service is free but do not emphasize the fact that their special offer is valid
only under certain conditions. And a lot of companies are fined for misleading or offensive advertising.

Techniques used in advertising:

- get a well-known person to recommend the product

- using humour: make the customer laugh
- compare the product with a direct rival
- appeal to basic instincts lie physical attraction or family love
- suggest the product will make you feel better, live longer, etc.
- make the ad bizarre and/or hard to understand
- offer the customer free gifts or discounts
- mention test results, advanced technology, etc.
- prestige and status: associate the product with a particular way of living
- "eye catcher": use of colours, catchy words, rhymes, slogans, unusual spelling, typography, picture
composition

Money spent on advertising should be spent on better aims

For

 Advertising is pointless. People buy the necessary products anyway

 We’d better send aids to Third world countries where famines rule
 There are disturbing factors in them
 Political ads are from the money of taxpayers, this money should be spent on better aims (for example
education)
 Individuals cannot compete with huge multis (they cannot afford commercials)
 The subjects of advertisements are often wrong role models
 They influence the ways of our lives and our thinking
 They betray people; they often don’t contain the gist
 Cartoon channels advertise way too much – expenses for families
 They encourage spending – consumer society
 Goods are more expensive because of costly advertising budgets, for which the customer is made to pay.
 Multinational companies destroy smaller firms, causing considerable job losses.
 Ads create unreal needs. They brainwash us and force us to buy unnecessary things so as to “keep up with
the Joneses” Ads depict a sham world. They make us associate products with the images of success,
happiness, popularity and a posh lifestyle. Encouraging us to live beyond our means, advertisements can
easily lead to dissatisfaction with our own living standards.
 Ads cheat the customer. They can be misleading. Nearly all of them bend the truth and misrepresent the
truth.
 Market research and audience research organisations spy on people. They get information about customers’
income, education, age and about their recreational, viewing and surfing habits, which is a violation of their
privacy.
 Advertising is a “royal pain in the neck”. Commercials are too long and boring. Long commercial breaks:
interrupting TV programmes are extremely irritating. Leaflets and junk paper → killing trees. Rainforests are
 cut down in order to make paper for leaflets. Animated banners and pop-ups→ make surfing annoying.
Spam messages→ computer viruses

Against

 We can get information about new products

 Adverts create consumer awareness. Ads especially on the Internet give customers the most up-to-date
product information. That way they help consumers satisfy their needs.
 Classified ads provide useful service for the public: they help people find a job, a partner and buy or sell
property
 Adverts help finance the media. Commercial TV and radio industries depend on it.
 Gives loads of job opportunities to people
 People can prove their creativity
 There are many ads for good causes- charity, fight against illnesses (donating)
 It is the fastest way of delivering information for the masses
 Advertising keeps prices down, because it creates a mass market and stimulates competition between
companies.
 Commercials provide entertainment. They show celebrities, have nice music; unusual sound effects and
attractive artwork. Others are humorous and are able to bring laughter into people’s lives.

1. What is the most shocking advertisement you have seen?

2. What is the funniest advertisement you have seen? Describe it.
3. What makes an ad memorable?
4. What are the different types of advertising? (Eg. TV)
5. Do you buy products because of advertising?
6. Why do you buy one product over another?
7. Should advertisers be allowed to advertise to children?
8. Should alcohol or tobacco companies be allowed to advertise? Why or why not?
9. What do you think of celebrity endorsements?
10. Which celebrities advertise which products?
11. Do favorite or annoying celebrities make you want or not want to buy a product?
12. What kind of advertisements attract your attention?
13. Why is it necessary to advertise?
14. Do you think advertising should be allowed to interrupt TV or radio programs?
15. What are some effective adverts you have seen lately (on TV, newspaper, etc.)?
16. What are the different methods of advertising?
17. Do you think the government has the right to ban advertising for junk food and soda during children's TV
programs. What do you think about this?
18. What is the best form of advertising?