Related articles
Edit |
Discuss Article
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, personal selling, and sales promotion.

History of Advertising
In ancient times the most common form of advertising was by word of mouth. However, commercial messages were found in the ruins of Pompeii. As printing developed in the 15th and 16th century, the first steps towards modern advertising were taken. In the 17th century advertisements started to appear in weekly newspapers in England, and a century later advertising had become a popular thing.
As the economy was expanding during the 19th century, the need for advertising grew at the same pace. In 1843 the first advertising agency was established by Volney Palmer in Philadelphia. At first the agencies were just brokers for ad space in newspapers, but in the 20th century, advertising agencies started to take over responsibility for the content as well.
Advertising media
Some commercial advertising media include: billboardss, printed flyers, radio, cinema and television ads, web banners, skywriting, bus stop benches, magazines, newspapers, town criers, sides of buses, taxicab doors and roof mounts, elastic bands on disposable diapers, stickers on apples in supermarkets, the opening section of streaming audio and video, and the backs of event tickets. Any place an "identified" sponsor pays to deliver their message through a medium is advertising.
Covert advertising embedded in other entertainment media is known as product placement.
The TV commercial is generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format and this is reflected by the high prices TV networks charge for commercial airtime during popular TV events. The annual US Super Bowl football game is known as much for its commercial advertisements as for the game itself, and the average cost of a single thirty-second TV spot during this game has reached $2.3 million (as of 2004).
Advertising on the World Wide Web is a recent phenomenon. Prices of Web-based advertising space are dependent on the "relevance" of the surrounding Web content.
E-mail advertising is another recent phenomenon. Unsolicited E-mail advertising is known as "spam".
Some companies have proposed to place messages or corporate logos on the side of booster rockets and the International Space Station. Controversy exists on the effectiveness of subliminal advertising (see mind control), and the pervasiveness of mass messages (see propaganda).
Unpaid advertising (also called word of mouth advertising), can provide good exposure at minimal cost. Personal recommendations ("bring a friend", "sell it by zealot"), the unleashing of memes into the wild, or achieving the feat of equating a brand with a common noun ("Hoover" = "vacuum cleaner") -- these must provide the stuff of fantasy to the holder of an advertising budget.
Advertising objectives
The purpose 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. Kleenex, for example, can distinguish itself as a type of tissue. But, because it has successfully attained a brand franchise among consumers, 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 (the more accurate term would be 'cola').
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".
Other objectives include short or long term increases in sales, market share, awareness, product information, and image improvement.
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 things, in order to make it seem equally desirable. The use of attractive modelss, picturesque landscapes, and other similar imagery is common. "Buzzwords" with desired associations are also used.
- Advertising slogans
A popular belief among many segments of society is that subliminal messages are commonly used in advertising, though this is seen by experts as little more than an urban legend.
See also
Bait and switch, Beauty advertising, Sex in advertising, Brand, Clio Awards, Nudity, Subvertising, Propaganda model, marketing, neon signage, promotion, trailer
External links
Source | Copyright
|
 |
 |
 |
Webmasters: Add your website here:
Agencyfinder.com: Ad & PR Agency Search Service
Agencyfinder.com is an ad industry consulting service for client and agency matchmaking. Register for your free search to find pre-qualified marketing firms for hire or join over 4,000 Certified agencies, representing more than 95% of the top-ranked agencies in North America - both industry leaders ...
|
Readers: Edit |
Discuss Listings
Ad Resource Internet advertising and web site promotion resources. http://adres.internet.com/
AMPS Inc. Providing an extensive directory of advertising agencies, advertising brokers, and advertising firms. http://www.amps-inc.com/professionals.html
SIC NAICS Codes Provides complete databases of SIC and NAICS codes to assist in target marketing. http://www.sic-naics-codes.com
WARC.com Searchable database of over 25,000 articles, case studies and summaries from 30 global content sources. Includes daily industry news service, advertising data & statistics and best practice papers. http://www.warc.com
TopIdeas.com Catalog, search engine, promotion and rating system for new ideas, products, inventions, advice and shared knowledge. http://www.topideas.com/
Agency ComPile Comprehensive up-to-date directory of marketing communications agencies, offers a searchable database of the advertising, public relations, direct marketing, sales promotion and media buying agencies. http://www.agencycompile.com/
Paintedcows.com Advertising and marketing resource. http://paintedcows.com/
AdForum A comprehensive portal to the advertising, marketing and communications industry, with direct links to 17,116 agencies in 137 countries. Includes current industry news and a searchable database to creative portfolios, campaigns, consultants and trade organizations. http://ww0.adforum.com
AdFree A business marketing directory offering links for advertising and education. http://www.adfree.com/
Ad Agency Directory Online resource for finding advertising representation, categorized by various marketing disciplines. http://www.advertising-agency-directory.com
Advertising Online An industry resource for agencies, market research, public relations and employment information. http://www.advertising-online.org
Advertising Database A searchable database American brands and their media planning agencies. Contains names, direct dials and current data within the year. http://www.advertisingdatabase.com
Advertising Exposure Search engine and directory of high quality internet advertising resources that are free or low in cost. http://www.advertising-exposure.com
AdPeople Providing those interested in advertising, its science and everyday issues. Also find media people, creatives, marketers, directors and owners of ad agencies. http://www.adpeople.net/
MarketingHub Searchable database of marketing experts, organized by topics and categories of expertise. http://www.marketinghub.com
MarcommWise Vendor Directory Categorized directory of companies selling marketing communications products and services. http://www.marcommwise.com/vindex.html
411web Advertising 411 Web matches consumers searching for relevant information with businesses seeking targeted traffic. http://advertising.411web.com/
American Agencies In America Directory of advertising agencies in the United States and Canada, sorted by major cities. Site includes profiles, direct links to ad agencies and listings of industry job opportunities. http://www.americanadagencies.com
Directory of Advertisers and Marketers An interactive showcase of advertising and marketing companies sorted by region and types of services offered. Links to registered companies are provided. http://www.advertisersandmarketers.com/
Internet Advertising Guide. Providing information and resources for Internet advertising and web traffic. http://www.coolmediaplacement.com
Greenbook Worldwide directory of marketing research and focus group companies and services. Detailed company information. http://www.greenbook.org
Agencyfinder.com Site provides a service for client and advertising agency matchmaking. Advertisers can search a directory of 4,000 Certified advertising and public relations agencies, at no cost, to find firms for hire. Database includes backgrounds, capabilities and other agency criteria. Agencies may also apply for certification. http://www.agencyfinder.com
Media Directory Provides advertising media information on newspapers, magazines, television, cable, radio, online and out-of-home properties in the United States. http://www.mediadir.com
Advertiser and Agency Red Books Online Information for thorough research on advertising agencies and advertisers worldwide. This resource has a 100 years of history within the industry. http://www.redbooks.com
Ad Interchange -- Advertising Marketplace An online marketplace for worldwide advertising and media markets. Provides links for advertisers and ad agencies with firms owning advertising space, to conduct transactions in an automated fashion. http://www.adinterchange.com
The Marketer's Portal A directory of over 5,500 hand picked links to sites of use and interest to marketing and media professionals. It includes a communications timeline and 20 news feeds. http://www.marketersportal.com/
American Directory of Creative Services Provides a comprehensive list of US advertising and creative professionals and resources categorized by city and state. Includes links to media resources and organizations. http://www.creative-info.us
Internet Marketing Resources Directory A human-edited directory of Internet advertising resources, products, services and practices. http://www.a4networks.com/jade/jade.php
|