Many in today's business world feel that they shouldn't waste too much money or any money at all, for that matter, on advertisement. And the reason is many fail to understand that advertisement is not just a mere commercial interruption of a thrilling serial on TV, but it is an investment for the company that is placing the ad. Let me ask you one simple question? Do you know what is Coca Cola or how it tastes? You might wonder why I am asking you this foolish question. The reason is: then why does Coca Cola still spend millions of dollars on its ad even after so many years? Simply it is an investment for them. Every time Coca Cola gives its ad, it tries to make you go thirsty or whenever you see your favorite celebrity (endorsing Coca Cola) drinking Coke, you start associating yourself with the brand. By doing this, has Coke been able to get a bottle in your grip? I guess "yes".
Some companies do not choose their media properly; others may overuse and some even don't spare any media; they are everywhere! Like even when you are reading the headlines of news, you will see logos of some companies continuously blinking, giving you a passive message to your unconscious mind.
Most of the time, companies make mistakes in adopting the right technique. Like you cannot advertise a mobile phone or a car over the radio, because you cannot visualize it, but like mobile phone operators, they can do it very well using the jingle followed by their recent phone plans. Grameen Phone has segmented the market very well; they have focused their "djuice" connection advertisement on the young and trendy generation. And their message to djuice customers is also very simple, that it offers cheap rates and other entertaining functions. So, if you want to make your advertisement successful, there are few things you should remember; like, your advertising must provide a consumer benefit or solve a problem. And also make sure that benefit is what a consumer is looking for. Therefore your product should cater directly to that benefit. Lastly and most importantly, don't let the entire real message be lost by all the fancy design. The message needs to be communicated clearly. Like, "No leading brand can clear dandruff like Selsun Blue" was the message from that particular shampoo company.
Very often companies fail to identify the correct media, and even if they do choose the correct one, there are few things that sometimes they might miss out and thus all efforts in advertisement become fruitless. Newspaper circulation increases during weekends, so if you really want people to see your ad, putting it on weekdays won't be a good idea.
But if you are looking into putting the advertisement in a magazine, then there isn't much difference. One of the main features of advertisements in a magazine is that the messages are more image-oriented and less price-oriented. Also a lot of color is involved in their ads.
These ads in magazines need a lot of planning before they actually come out for print. Firstly because the ad can run 3 to 5 times within a campaign period before the appeal dies off. So if a worthwhile ad can be created to repeat it successfully, throwing some extra money into it shouldn't be an issue. And next, the ad has to be really interesting or useful so that it doesn't tire off the audience pretty soon. So next time if you want to advertise on a print media, here are some tips to give you a better edge.
• Remember to have a definite plan of what it is that you want to sell.
• KISS- Keep It Short & Simple: put an image if necessary as that would speak a thousand words.
• Check again if you have forgotten to put your company name and logo, address and telephone number in the ad.
• If you want to encourage readership then avoid clutter and keep your ad neat.
• It is very important for you to be satisfied with what your advertising says and how it looks before it goes to print.
In recent years radio advertisement has become very popular, especially with the emergence of radio stations like Radio Today and Radio Foorti. Radio ads are also becoming very creative, forcing your attention to it. But while choosing this as a media, you should be aware of the fact that it is such a media that once it plays, it's gone, and you cannot return to it unless the ad is repeated. It is also very important to know at which station your customers will be since you will need to buy the time. And if you have to identify the specific time when you will have more audience listening to your ad, high chances are it will be early morning when people are going to work or school. And also when they are returning from work and school, because they listen mostly when they are on the road. Radio is a great medium to convey ideas to the masses, but not an effective one to provide price and telephone numbers.
The beverage named Mojo gained a huge popularity even in rural areas just because of one thing: the "magic box". It is its television advertisements that have hyped up their sales. But just putting an ad on television is not everything. If your ad goes after a late night drama, which few people watch, or just runs a couple of times then surely dissatisfaction is guaranteed. To gain satisfactory results, you must have a good budget for TV advertising. You must pay for two things to have a positive outcome: Pay for the production of a good TV commercial and pay for an effective commercial time that will reach your viewer at least 5-7 times.
In some parts of our city, cable operators use their broadcast for advertisements. Like may be the operators are showing a movie and at the interval they will advertise say a new restaurant that has just opened in your neighborhood; they are pretty much focused, and the ad is cheap and sometimes effective. A unique style of advertising is the technique of "Giveaways"-the pencils, pens, buttons, calendars and refrigerator magnets you see everyday are called "specialty advertising" in the trade. So the next time your potential client uses a pencil with your company's logo on it and if you are a mobile phone company, it will create a top-of-the-mind awareness for him. And if at some stage he is thinking of buying a phone, chances are it will give a click to recall your brand's name.
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