Posts tagged Advertising
Advertising
Jan 4th
Advertising promotes a product, service or event to its target audience. A target audience is the portion of the general public that products, services or events were created for to fill a desire or need in the marketplace. Advertising is written by advertising copywriters and finished with artwork by graphic designers. The channels advertising is run through to reach its target audience includes Internet, print, broadcast, outdoor and point of purchase (POP).
Point of purchase advertising materials are located in stores and often consist of large cardboard displays located in the aisle in which the product is stocked. This type of advertising is designed to grab the attention of the shopper and direct him or her to the promoted product. There may be a coupon to further encourage a purchase. Outdoor ads are those on buses and bus shelters, benches, billboards and other outdoor locations. They have to compete with their surroundings to get the attention of passers-by and must be simple, eye-catching and straight to the point.
Broadcast ads are television and radio commercials. While television commercials draw attention to the promotion of products and services by the use of pictures and sound, radio ads must reach the target audience solely through the power of sound. Direct response television commercials don’t just promote a brand for consumers to look for next time they go shopping, but rather have a direct call to action message such as “Call 555-4321 NOW to receive your gift-boxed deluxe set of Mr. Sharpe Custom Edge Chef’s Knives for the amazing price of only $19.99! The first 200 callers will also get the Professional Quality Chef’s Knife Sharpener absolutely free, but you must call right NOW at 555-4321 to qualify for this amazing, time limited bargain offer!”
Print advertising refers to ads in printed form such as those in magazines, newspapers and fliers. The copy and artwork must work together to hold the reader’s interest. Advertisers advertise their products or services in publications that are read by their target audience — that is, the people most likely to want, need and buy their particular product or service. Print advertising can also include community directories such as those published by a city’s chamber of commerce, posters designed to advertise and promote an upcoming event and direct mail promotions mailed to consumers’ homes.
Internet advertising includes ads on websites, whether these are the small click-on types or the colorful banner advertisements at the top of a website. Internet marketing is the use of websites to market products or services to consumers or other businesses. Email marketing reaches potential customers through emails containing product information and special offers.
Best Colors for Advertising
Jan 4th
The best colors for advertising are those that make people comfortable or stimulate their senses. A color scheme that incorporates warm colors encourages people to linger, leading restaurants to choose deep burgundy, burnt orange, and similar colors. They stimulate warmth and comfort, and when people relax over dinner, they are more likely to enjoy a leisurely dessert or a nice cup of coffee, thus spending more money.
Hot colors are some of the best colors for advertising when it comes to products like fast food. Bright red and yellow are hot colors, indicative of fire, and they stimulate excitement. Warm and hot colors will encourage people to eat more, which translates to revenue. Virtually all logos, advertisements and menus of fast food chains feature these colors, which is no accident. Companies rely on the extensive research that has been done in this field, to get the most for their advertising dollars.
Cool colors have their own niche. Colors like green and blue are some of the best colors for advertising when it comes to over the counter medicines and other health products. Blue is associated with tranquility, and also represents water, a life force. The color blue can actually slow a person’s heart rate, and it reduces appetite, (which is why is not chosen for restaurants). Certain shades of blue indicate dependability, making it a good color for business ads. Blue is also a popular color for uniforms, worn by mail carriers, security guards and other officials. Darker blue uniforms are usually worn by more authoritative figures, such as police officers.
It has been debated whether or not blue is one of the best colors for advertising online. Many websites use at least some blue in their color schemes. Whether or not it is one of the best colors for advertising, it is a popular choice for online ads. Colors like sky blue and certain shades of green can also be effective since they evoke the feeling of being outdoors.
According to research, black and white can be two of the best colors for advertising. They are used to signify power and create a sense that the company is highly professional. Often a splash of color, such as red, is included to accent the starkness, but the main colors are black and white.
You may wish to hire someone to choose the best colors for advertising your business or product, and develop a color scheme for you. Or, conduct an experiment: look over several websites and see which ones you are most comfortable viewing. Which ones influence you to linger? Content is of course important, but don’t underestimate the influence of color.
Broadcast Advertising
Jan 4th
Broadcast advertising is radio and television commercials. Broadcast media reaches a broad audience. Radio and television broadcast advertising is known as mass marketing since national or even worldwide audiences can be reached. Advertising is one of the components of marketing. Marketing promotes services, products and ideas through specific channels.
Broadcast advertising persuades consumers of the benefits of advertisers’ brands. Organizations such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) monitor television and radio commercials to make sure advertisers and broadcasters aren’t making false claims that may mislead consumers into buying their products. Radio and television stations must ensure commercials meet FTC standards before broadcasting them.
Advertisers pay broadcasters for a spot. An advertising spot is typically 30 seconds on both radio and television, although occasionally it may run up to 60 seconds. Although most broadcast advertising is paid, free public service announcements are typical broadcasting fare on television and radio. Broadcasters allow nonprofit groups and the government a limited number of free spots to promote messages and information for the general safety of the public. Public service announcements may include anti-drug messages or information about what to do in an influenza outbreak.
The widespread use of broadcast advertising dates back to the 1920s. Radio shows and then television programs began to be popular. Companies that sold products began to sponsor the programs by paying broadcasters to spread their promotional messages to consumers. Early on, the advertiser’s name was often used with the show’s title to signify the broadcast time they had purchased for their promotion such as the 1920s and 1930s radio show, “The Champion Spark Plug Hour.”
Today, broadcast advertising agencies create and produce radio and/or television ads for broadcast. Their clients are companies with products or services to promote. In general, larger rather than small businesses tend to advertise on television or radio. This changes for local channels however. Broadcast advertising agencies consult with clients to advise them if local or national broadcasting would be the best marketing strategy for the client’s product and budget.
Budget is a main concern in broadcasting commercials. Businesses often hire marketing consultants to determine the return on investment (ROI) possibilities of spending on television or radio advertising spots. Advertising market researchers may run sample commercials for test audiences to determine their response to ads before the client chooses to broadcast them.