Inclusivity Essentials_ Creating Accessible Websites for Nonprofits .pdf
Advertising
1. ADVERTISING
INTRODUCTION:
We see ads on door hangers, in the mail, behind the batter at a cricket or baseball game, on basketball
backboards in city parks, on billboards, on television. We hear ads on radio and even when we’re on hold on
the telephone. It wasn’t always like this, but advertising itself has been with us for a long time.
Advertising is paid, non-personal communication that is designed to communicate in a creative
manner, through the use of mass or information-directed media, the nature of products, services, and ideas. It
is a form of persuasive communication that offers information about products, ideas, and services that serves
the objectives determined by the advertiser.
The word “advertise” originates from the Latin word advertere, which means to turn toward or to take
note of. Certainly, the visual and verbal commercial messages that are a part of advertising are intended to
attract attention and produce some response by the viewer. Advertising is pervasive and virtually impossible
to escape. Newspapers and magazines often have more advertisements than copy; radio and television
provide entertainment but are also laden with advertisements; advertisements pop up on Internet sites; and
the mail brings a variety of advertisements. Advertising also exists on billboards along the freeway, in subway
and train stations, on benches at bus stops, and on the frames around car license plates. In shopping malls,
there are prominent logos on designer clothes, moviegoers regularly view advertisements for local
restaurants, hair salons, and so on, and live sporting and cultural events often include signage, logos, products,
and related information about the event sponsors. The pervasiveness of advertising and its creative elements
are designed to cause viewers to take note.
HISTORY:
Advertising has a very long history. It existed in ancient times in the form of signs that advertised wares
in markets. In Europe and colonial America, criers were often employed by shopkeepers to shout a message
throughout a town. Advertising became especially important in the second half of the nineteenth century as
retailers began to advertise products and prices that would bring customers to their stores.
Advertising has been practiced for thousands of years and came to the colonies via England.
Advertising, however, was a small business before the Civil War. The local newspaper was the major
advertising medium. The Industrial Revolution and the Civil War altered the social and cultural landscape and
brought about expansion of advertising, led to more leisure, more discretionary income, and greater
urbanization and industrialization, all of which fueled the growth of advertising. What advertisers now needed
was a medium in which to tell people about the different brands. Magazines provided a national medium for
ads, and advertising agencies quickly developed to meet the needs of the industry’s growing scale. As the
industry matured during this time, it began to professionalize itself.
Radio moved advertising closer to show business and also allowed the industry to survive the
Depression, a period in which advertising came under additional scrutiny from dollar-conscious consumers.
The wealth that the advertising industry accrued from radio permitted it to survive during the Depression.
2. World War II reduced the number of consumer products that could be advertised, but advertising
continued in the form of image advertising, another boon to the ad agency business. Then came television,
which changed the nature of advertising content just as the commercials themselves changed the nature of
the medium. Television commercials were different from the advertising of all other media. The ability to
demonstrate the product led to unique selling proposition (USP) –highlighting the aspect of a product that
sets it apart from other brands in the same product category.
Some good current example of product with a clear USP is:
Head & Shoulders: "You get rid of dandruff"
Some unique propositions that were pioneers when they were introduced:
Domino's Pizza: "You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less -- or it's free."
FedEx: "When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight"
M&M's: "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand"
Metropolitan Life: "Get Met, It Pays"
In the 1960s, campaigns featuring heavy spending in different mass media channels became more
prominent. The late 1980's and early 1990's saw the introduction of cable television. As cable and satellite
television became increasingly prevalent, specialty channels emerged, including channels entirely devoted to
advertising, such as QVC, Home Shopping Network, and ShopTV Canada. With the advent of the marketing
through the Internet opened new frontiers for advertisers.
Guerrilla advertising is becoming increasingly more popular with a lot of companies.Guerrilla
marketing is an advertising strategy, in which low-cost unconventional means are utilized, often in a localized
fashion or large network of individual cells, to convey or promote a product or an idea. This type of advertising
is unpredictable and innovative, which causes consumers to buy the product or idea. This reflects an
increasing trend of interactive and "embedded" ads, such as via product placement, having consumers vote
through text messages, and various innovations utilizing social network services such as Facebook or
Twitter.Internationally, the largest ("big four") advertising conglomerates are Interpublic, Omnicom, Publicis,
and WPP.
DEFENSES OF ADVERTISING:
We confront so many ads every day that we overlook them, and they become invisible. As a result,
many people become aware of advertising only when it somehow offends them. Advertising does sometimes
offend, and it is often the focus of criticism. But industry defenders argue that:
o Advertising supports our economic system; without it new product could not be introduced and
development in others could not be announced. Competitive advertising of new products and
businesses powers the engine of our economy, fostering economic growth and creating jobs in many
industries.
o People use advertising to gather information before making buying-decisions.
3. o Ad revenues make possible the free mass media we use not only for entertainment but for
maintenance of our democracy.
o By showing us the bounty of our capitalistic, free enterprise society, advertising increases national
productivity and improves the standard of living.
CRITICISM OF ADVERTISING:
Criticism about advertising is that it is often intrusive, deceptive, exploits children and demeans or
corrupts culture.
o Advertising is Intrusive. Many critics fault advertising for its intrusiveness. Advertising is everywhere,
and it interferes with and alters our experience. Many internet users complain about the
commercialization of the new medium and fear advertising will alter its free, open, and freewheeling
nature.
o Advertising is Deceptive. Many critics say that much advertising is inherently deceptive in that it
implicitly and sometimes explicitly promises to improve people’s lives through the consumption or
purchase of sponsor’s product. Advertising promises health, long life, sexual success, financial success,
companionship, popularity, and acceptance. Industry defenders argue that people understand and
accept these as allowable exaggerations, not as deception.
o Advertising Exploits Children. Critics contend that children are simply not intellectually capable of
interpreting the intent of these ads, nor are they able to rationally judge the worth of the advertising
claims. This makes children’s advertising inherently unethical. As such, advertising campaigns aimed
directly at children amount to a pervasion of innocence. Thanks to advertising, children have become
convinced that they are inferior if they don't have an endless array of new products.
o Advertising Demeans and Corrupts Culture. In our culture we value beauty, kindness, prestige, family,
love, and success. As human beings we need food, shelter, and the maintenance of the species.
Advertising succeeds by appealing to these values and needs. Critics argue that advertising can also
have a huge influence on society. It tells the consumers that only purchasing products makes you
happy and therefore people compare each other on their belongings. Critics argue that our culture has
become a consumer culture – a culture in which personal worth and identity reside not in us but in the
products with which we surround ourselves. A common advertising strategyAIDAapproach (to
persuade consumersadvertising must attract attention, create interest, stimulate desire, and promote
action) imply that we are inadequate and should not be satisfied with ourselves as we are. Women also
compare themselves with the beautiful and very skinny models they see on commercials and ads. We
are too fat or too thin, our hair is in needof improvement and our clothes are all wrong. Personal
improvement is only a purchase away. This sometimes results in eating disorders and a low self-esteem
of women who don’t look like these models. The globalized economy uses the same commercials in a
lot of different countries, which leads to a break down in the differences of these societies.
o Too much. Many complain that there is too much advertising, but the defense says we will just have to
put up with it, because the dominant economic system demands a high level of mass distribution of
products. Advertising volume will stay high because mass distribution supports our free enterprise
system. It is the price we have to pay for free television, freedom of the press and our high standard of
living.
4. o Materialism. In response to the charge that advertising makes people too materialistic, advertising
affects our value system by suggesting that the means to a happier life lie in the acquisition of goods,
more materials things. But different consumers have different needs and desires. Advertising presents
the possibilities; it is up to the consumers to determine which are among their more urgent needs.
Some enjoy a simple lifestyle: others want to indulge in the material pleasures of a modern
technological society.
o Stereotypes. It must be admitted that advertising does perpetuate stereotypes, as many critics claim.
However, great changes have occurred in this regard in recent years. Advertisers have become
sensitive to stereotyping population groups, because these groups constitute business for them, just as
much as other groups. Minority advertising has become niche-making, instead of the use of
stereotypes. The image of women in ads also has changed significantly so that men and women are
portrayed equally. This is duenot to feminist pressures, according to the defense, but more to changes
in the marketplace which make the exploitative representation of women counterproductive.
ADVERTISING AGENCY:
An advertising agency or advert agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning, and
handling advertising (and sometimes other forms of promotion) for its clients. An ad agency is independent
from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services.
An agency can also handle overall marketing and branding strategies and sales promotions for its clients.
Typical ad agency clients include businesses and corporations, non-profit
organizations and government agencies. Agencies may be hired to produce television commercials and radio
commercials as part of an advertising campaign.
Advertising Agency Departments:
Ad agencies are usually divided into departments, the number determined by the size and services of
the operation:
o Administration is the agency’s management and accounting operations.
o Account managementis typically handled by an account executive who serves as liaison between
agency and client, keeping communication flowing between the two and heading the team of
specialists assigned by the agency to the client.
o The creative department is where the advertising is developed from idea to ad. It involves copywriting,
graphic design, and often the actual production of the piece, for example radio, television, and Web
spots.
o The media department makes the decisions about where and when to place ads and then buys the
appropriate time or space.
o Without the production department, the ads created by the copywriter and art director would be
nothing more than words and pictures on paper. The production department, in essence, ensures the
TV commercial or print ad, etc., gets produced.Producers are involved in every aspect of a project,
from the initial creative briefing through execution and delivery.
o Market research tests product viability in the market, the best venues for commercial messages, the
nature and characteristics of potential buyers, and sometimes the effectiveness of the ads.
5. o The traffic department regulates the flow of work in the agency. Traffic increases an agency's
efficiency and profitability through the reduction of false job starts, inappropriate job initiation,
incomplete information sharing, over- and under-cost estimation and the need for media extensions.
They are responsible for managing workflow, gathering cost estimates and answering the phone.
o Many larger agencies have public relations departments as well.
TYPES OF ADVERTISING:
The advertising produced and placed by ad agencies can be classified according to the purpose of the
advertising and the target market:
o Institutional or corporate advertising. Advertising whose purpose is to promote the image of a
corporation rather than the sale of a product or service. This advertising is also used to create public
awareness of a corporation or to improve its reputation in the marketplace.
o Trade or professional advertising. Consumer-product advertising intended not for the consumer but
for the various entities that influence consumer availability, such
as distributors, wholesalers, retailers, brokers. Also called business-to-business advertising. The
primary objective of trade advertising is to promote greater distribution of the advertised product. This
can be done by opening up new outlets for products or by increasing the volume among present
outlets.
o Retail advertising. Advertising that promotes local companies’ and merchandisers' goods and services.
This is also referred to as Local Advertising. Offers goods or services for sale direct at an address or
addresses within a radius of 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the town in which the main edition of the
publication is produced.
o Promotional retail advertising. Typically placed by retailers, promotional advertising does not focus on
a product but rather on a promotion, a special event held by a retailer.That is aimed at informing
the prospects about special discounts, sale, or schemes.
o Industrial advertising. A form of business-to-business advertising, this is advertising aimed at
manufacturers. The advertised products are raw materials, components, or equipment needed in the
production or distribution of other goods and services used in the manufacturing process.
o National consumer advertising. Product advertising commissioned by the manufacturer and aimed at
potential buyers.Most radio, television, newspaper, and magazine commercials and advertisements
are consumer advertising.
o Direct market advertising. A form of advertising in which physical marketing materials are provided to
consumers in order to communicate information about a product or service. Direct marketing does not
involve advertisements placed on television or over the radio. Types of direct marketing materials
include mailers and fliers,Cell Phone Text messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online
display ads, catalog distribution, promotional letters, and outdoor advertising.
o Public service advertising. Public-service advertising is generally sponsored by a nonprofit institution,
civic group, religious organization, trade association, or political group. Public Service Advertisements
(PSA) are primarily designed to inform and educate rather than sell a product or service. Typically, it is
directed at some humanitarian cause, philosophical ideal, political concept, or religious viewpoint.
They are usually carried free of charge by the medium that houses them. Groups such as the Red Cross,
6. United Way, and International Ladies Garment Workers Union have sponsored a great deal of public-
service advertising.
o Television advertising. It is a form of advertising via the medium of television.
o Radio advertising. It is a form of advertising via the medium of radio. Radio advertisements are
broadcast as radio waves to the air from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device.
Airtime is purchased from a station or network in exchange for airing the commercials.
o Online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web for the
expressed purpose of delivering marketing messages to attract customers. Online ads are delivered by
an ad server.
o Covert advertising, also known as guerrilla advertising, is when a product or brand is embedded in
entertainment and media.
o Press advertising describes advertising in a printed medium such as a newspaper, magazine, or trade
journal. This encompasses everything from media with a very broad readership base to more narrowly
targeted media on very specialized topics.
o Billboard advertising. Advertising through billboards that are large structures located in public places
which display advertisements to passing pedestrians and motorists.
o In-store advertising is any advertisement placed in a retail store. It includes placement of a product in
visible locations in a store, eye-catching displays promoting a specific product.
o Celebrity branding.This type of advertising focuses upon using celebrity power, fame, money,
popularity to gain recognition for their products and promote specific stores or products. Celebrities
are often involved in advertising campaigns such as television or print adverts to advertise specific or
general products.
REGULATION OF ADVERTISING:
There have been increasing efforts to protect the public interest by regulating the content and the
influence of advertising.Advertising regulation refers to the laws and rules defining the ways in which products
can be advertised in a particular region. In the United States, false advertising and health-related ads are
regulated the most. Sweden and Norway prohibit domestic advertising that targets children. Some European
countries don’t allow sponsorship of children’s programs, no advertisement can be aimed at children under
the age of twelve, and there can be no advertisements five minutes before or after a children’s program is
aired.Two of the most highly regulated forms of advertising are tobacco advertising and alcohol advertising.
Advertisers, advertising agencies and the media agree on a code of advertising standards that they
attempt to uphold. The general aim of such codes is to ensure that any advertising is 'legal, decent, honest and
truthful'.
Regulation of Advertising in PAKISTAN:
(1) Advertisements aired or distributed by a broadcast or cable TV station shall be designed in such a manner
that it conforms to the laws of the country and is not offensive to morality, decency and religious sects of the
people of Pakistan.
(2) No advertisement shall be permitted which-
(a) promotes or supports sedition, anarchy or violence in country;
7. (b) is against any provisions of the Constitution of Pakistan or any other law for the time being in force;
(c) tends to incite people to crime, cause disorder or violence or breach of law or glorifies violence or
obscenity in any way;
(d) glorifies adultery, lustful passions or alcoholic drinks or the non-Islamic values;
(e) distorts historical facts, traditions of Pakistan or the person or personality of a national leader or a state
dignitary;
(f) fans racial, sectarian, parochial, regional or class hatred;
(g) promotes social inequality, militates against concepts of human dignity and dignity of labor.
(h) is directed against sanctity or home, family and marriage;
(i) is wholly or mainly of a religious or political nature;
(j) contains references that are likely to lead the public to infer that the product advertised or any of its
ingredients has some special property or quality which is incapable of being established;
(k) contains indecent, vulgar, or offensive themes or treatment; or
(l) contains material which is repugnant to ideology of Pakistan or Islamic values.
(3) The goods or services advertised shall not suffer from any defects which are harmful to human health.
Misleading claims about the goods shall not be made.
(4) No advertisement which is likely to be seen by children in large numbers should urge children directly to
purchase goods of a particular brand or ask their parents to do so.
(5) All advertisements must be clearly distinguishable as such and be separate from the programs and should
not in any manner take the form of news or documentary.
MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERTISING:
The work is not complete if the effectiveness of advertise is not measured. This is the only way to know
how the advertisement is performing, is it reaching the targets and is the goal achieved.
It is not at all possible to measure advertisement effectiveness accurately as there are many factors
like making a brand image, increasing the sales, keeping people informed about the product, introducing new
product, etc, which affect the effectiveness of an advertisement.
We all know that there are some companies who advertise at very low level but still their products are a hit
and some companies indulge in very heavy advertisements but they don’t get desirable results. But then,
there are some traditional and modern tools to measure most of the effectiveness of an advertisement
through which the advertiser can or may get more and more information about how their ads and product are
performing in the market.
A number of techniques may be used before an ad or ad campaign is released:
8. Copy Testing – measuring the effectiveness of advertising messages by showing them to consumers.
Forced Exposure–used primarily for television advertising, requires advertisers to bring consumers to a
theater, where they see a television program, complete with the new commercials. People are asked their
brand preferences before the show, and then after. In this way, the effectiveness of the commercials can be
gauged.
Once the campaign or ad is before the public, a number of different tests can be employed to evaluate
the effectiveness of the ad:
Recognition Testing – in this test people who have seen a given publication are asked, in person or by phone,
whether they remember seeing specific ads.
Recall Testing – in this test consumers are asked, again in person or by phone, to identify which print or
broadcast ads they most easily remember. In recall testing, the advertisers assume that an easily recalled ad is
an effective advertisement.
Awareness Testing–measure the cumulative effect of a campaign in terms of consumer consciousness of a
product.
These are the traditional ways. Now days, internet is the modern tool for measuring the effectiveness
of an advertisement. There are some types such as:
Integrated direct marketing - This is an internet based tool where they have a response corner designed on
the websites. Whenever the customers visit the sites, they fill up their contact details and give feedbacks. Thus
the company supplies more information and sends newsletters and also gets the idea for further action. But
then it’s not that only online advertiser have this facility but then advertisers who don’t work online can use
coupons, discount vouchers, etc. to do this.
Analysis tool - there is an analysis tool available on internet by using which the advertiser will know how many
customers are visiting the site, who are shopping online, how many pages are viewed, etc. which in turn will
help advertiser to measure the effectiveness
Internet is the most easy, cheaper and cost effective way to measure the effectiveness because here
no money is wasted as the ad is only viewed when the customer want to view it where as in normal print
method or using TV, the ad sometimes goes unwatched or unattended and viewed for the sake of viewing.
What these research techniques lack is the ability to demonstrate the link that is of most interest to the client
– did the ad move the consumer tobuy the product?
CONCLUSION:
Advertising has changed people into consumers. Some ads are clearly an insult to people's intelligence.
Fear at these tendencies and indignation about then still run high, and are even growing in some circles.
The development of advertising is a "success" story whose end is not in sight. New media have been
invented which will create new possibilities for advertising. It is doubtful that the "information superhighway"
will be free of advertising for it is the perfect vehicle to reach millions of people. And good marketing sense
9. demands the use of culture and cultural values for efficiency in targeting audiences. The often-heard
complaint that the mirror of advertising is a distorted one remains serious, but a true reflection of reality
would not sell many products; so some distortion seems inevitable. Most criticism is directed against this
faulty mirror.
In the end, even if it is hard to admit, were it not for advertising we might not have the marvelous
opportunity to see the Olympics, or many other unforgettable moments in our lives and in our country.
SOURCES:
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising#Marketing_mix
o http://www.crvp.org/book/Series05/V-4/chapter_vi.htm
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDA_(marketing)
o http://voices.yahoo.com/history-advertising-its-affect-popular-culture-785627.html?cat=37
o http://www.allbusiness.com/glossaries/public-service-advertising/4963763-1.html#axzz2GzflA3ng
o http://advertising.about.com/od/advertisingglossary/g/Public-Service-Advertising-A-Complete-
Definition-Of-Public-Service-Advertising.htm
o http://www.thefreedictionary.com/direct+marketing