INTRODUCTION TO ADVERTISING
Advertising is the backbone for any business. It is a form of mass communication, a powerful marketing tool.
When a market or a firm has developed a product to satisfy market demand after thoroughly analyzing the market, there is a need for establishing contact with the target market to eventually sell the product. Advertising helps in reaching to the target market.
Advertising can thus aptly be called as the MOTHER OF ALL COMMUNICATION. Advertising is all around us. We are bombarded with ads (commercials) over TV, radio &in the print. When we go to our colleges, offices we are expose to many bill boards, which tell us to drink more milk, donate are eyes, gives you more information, tells you to do family planning etc. On an average, an Indian citizen is exposed to more than 20 commercials per day.
In modern times, advertising prevails in all walks of life. It has acquired the distinction of being the most visible & glamorous method of marketing communication. It is the world’s fifth largest industry. Oil, Automobiles, Computers & Agriculture follow advertising in that order. Today it is a million dollar business.
“Advertising” = “means to inform” COMMUNICATION DEFINED
The steps between source and a resource that result in the transference and
understanding of meaning
– STEPHEN R. ROBINS
ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Advertising communication always involves a perception process and four of the elements shown in the model: the source, a message, a communication channel & a receiver. In addition, the receiver will sometimes become a source of information by talking to friends or associates. This type of communication is termed word-of mouth communication and it involves social interactions between two or more people & the important ideas of group influence & the diffusion of information.
The source of a message in the advertising communication system is the point of which the message originates. There are many types of “sources” in the context of advertising, such as the company offering the product, the particular brand or the spokesperson used.
MESSAGE:
The message refers to both the content and execution of the advertisement. It is the totality of what is perceived by the receiver of the message. The message can be executed in great variety of ways for e.g. the use of humor & fear
CHANNEL:
The message is transmitted through some channel from the source to the receiver. The channel in an advertising communication system consist of one or more kinds of media, such as radio, TV, newspaper, magazines, billboards, point-of-purchase display, &so on. The impact of the communication can be different for different media.
RECEIVER:
The receiver in an advertising communication system is also called the target audience. Thus, the receiver can be described in terms of audience segmentation variables, lifestyle, benefits sought, demographics, & so on. Of particular interest might be the receiver’s involvement in the product & the extent to which he/she is willing to search for and/or process information. It is the characteristics of the receiver-the demographics, psychological, & social characteristics-that provide the basis for understanding communication, persuasion & market processes.
DESTINATION:
The communication model in above diagram does not stop at the receiver but allows for the possibility that the initial receiver might engage in word-of mouth communication to the ultimate destination of the message. The receiver then becomes an interim source & the destination becomes another receiver. Word-of- mouth communication resulting from advertising can be a critical part of a campaign. The reality is that for some products the absence of word-of-mouth communication can be fatal. It is only the word-of-mouth communication that has credibility, comprehensiveness, & impact of affect the ultimate behavior of a portion of the audience. Advertising can actually stimulate word-of-mouth activity, even when it cannot stimulate it, knowledge of its appropriateness and power can be very helpful.
An advertising message can have a variety of effects upon the receiver. It can: Create awareness
Communicate information about attributes & benefits Develop or change an image or personality Associate a brand with feelings & emotions
Create group norms
Precipitate behavior
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