Understanding Advertising - Strategies and Persuasive Language

Advertising Strategies and Persuasive Language
Campaigns

Companies often employ a range of advertising forms to sell their products. A series of adverts focusing on the same product or range of products, often including different forms of ad are known as 'campaigns'. Companies and advertisers will use combinations of leaflets, insert, display ads, radio and tv ads, billboards, endorsements and internet strategies to increase the exposure of their product, service or idea.

Equally, narrative becomes a key part of advertising for larger companies. You may have noticed that the ads for alcohol, Stella Artois for instance, change regularly and you often find yourself wanting to know what happen next to the characters /animals in the ads. Mini cliffhangers are integrated to keep your attention. Sometimes, you will see the first part of a tv ad at the beginning of a commercial break and the second or final part just before the programme resumes. This is a technique often used with tv and satellite films.
Product Endorsement

An 'endorsement' is where a company pays a celebrity to associate themselves with a product in the media. They may be paid to wear an item of clothing or accessory, visit a particular club or use a particular service. They may be photographed with the product to add value to it.

The idea is that the audience identifies with the celebrity at some level, as an aspirational figure - cool, attractive, etc. and part of that persona is made up of clothing, costume, lifestyle choices, accessories. If the celebrity is wearing a Diesel t-shirt and they look good, the audience will be more inclined to want one for themselves.

This, in the eyes of the company desiring to sell the Diesel t-shirt, may increase the product's exposure to the target audience and increase sales. In short, companies use advertising to get a message across - usually with the objective of making a sale and increasing their market position and profit figures.

 

Product Placement in Films / TV

This is where producers of films and tv programmes incorporate branded products into their narrative and mise-en-scene.


In effect, the products the company wants advertising are 'placed' in the film or programme so they are visible to the viewer or audience.

Repetition and Frequency

This is a fairly basic idea. People remember things more easily when they encounter them more often. Advertisers know this so they repeat key words, brand names and persuasive adjectives to embed a product, service or idea in the mind of the audience which is advantageous to them making a sale.

Frequency refers to repetition too but also brings in the idea that something can be repeated across a range of adverts and media forms. Advertisers don't just have to repeat the same word in a single advert any more.

Persuasive Language & Catchy Music / Sounds

When you were learning how to write to argue, persuasive and advise and to detect these skills in the writing of other authors - you were getting a great introduction to Media Studies.

Adverts use the same techniques to grab and hold our attention. These include: positive and negative adjectives to make a product seem more attractive and a competitor's product less desirable. This is often done through comparing and contrasting. Political parties use this technique all the time.

Rule of 3... How often have you heard the virtues of something repeated with slightly different words three times? This is because we remember it better (due to repetition and frequency).

In tv and radio advertising, but mostly in radio, you will hear a catchy tune perhaps even accompanied by a slogan when a product or service is being advertised. This is called a 'jingle'.

Understanding Advertising - Complaints, ethics and regulation

Complaints about advertising...

The Advertising Standards Authority regulates the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in the UK. The ASA make sure standards are kept high by applying the advertising standards codes. www.asa.org.uk

They can stop misleading, harmful or offensive advertising. They can help reduce unwanted commercial mail - either sent through the post, by e-mail or by text message - and can resolve problems with mail order purchases.
The ASA investigates complaints made about ads, sales promotions or direct marketing.  Anyone can complain to the ASA.  Most complaints are made through the complaints form on their website. They publish adjudications on complaints on the above website every Wednesday.  They also monitor ads to spot problems.
Censorship & regulation [Institutions]

In radio ads, advertisers are not allowed to include car noises such as horns and engine noises as they may distract drivers.

In television advertisements, adverts have to conform to decency standards which include a watershed at 9pm which ensures that younger viewers are not exposed to disturbing programmes or advertising content.

In alcohol ads, the actors and actresses have to look as though they are over the age of 21. There have been lots of arguments about whether alcohol and tobacco / smoking should be banned, especially where products appear to target children such as alcopops.

In fact, the government have banned smoking ads everywhere. This caused much controversy in motor racing because the racing teams used to get the majority of their funding from tobacco manufacturers.

Some advertising campaigns have been banned due to their offensive nature. This was the case with some Benetton adverts. Depending on the type of ad, there are various organisations which regulate advertising such as Ofcom and the ASA or Advertising Standards Authority.

An organisation called TMAP or the Teenage Magazine Arbitration Panel, is a self-regulating body in the magazine industry which raises issues about objectivity.

However, a banned ad can sometimes be an efficient way to create mass interest in a product. If an advert is banned it immediately draws attention to it and will often by found on things like Youtube in a viral form (viral advertising or viral marketing).

There was a very famous case of an advertising technique being used to create hunger and thirst in the audience without them realising why. It was called subliminal advertising. This was used in moving image narratives - films, etc. In between the main narrative image frames were small pictures of burgers or similar products.

When the film sequence was shown, due to the speed that the film passed the lens, it became impossible to see the burger and yet still watch the film. However, the audience would begin to feel hungry and perhaps be inclined to chose the burger rather than something else during the interval.

This advertising strategy was banned due to its covert nature and effectiveness.

The future for advertising...

As with all forms of media digital technology is changing the way advertising is delivered. There is a growing trend for using computer technology to deliver media programming and information.

Digital Convergence allows one media outlet to take advantage of features and benefits offered through other media outlets. Soon all television programmes in the UK will be delivered digitally, via Freeview, cable, telephone or satellite.  The convergence of television and the internet opens many potential opportunities for advertisers to target customers in ways not available with traditional television advertising. Digital technology can target specific audiences.

Advertisements delivered to one household can be different to the advertisements delivered to a neighbour’s television even though both households are watching the same programme.

Convergence is not limited to just television.  Many media outlets are experiencing convergence as for example newspapers and other print publications now have a strong web presence with advertising targeted accordingly. The future holds even more convergence opportunities.  These include outdoor billboards that alter displays as cars containing geographic positioning systems (GPS) pass by, or direct mail postcards that carry a different message based on data that matches a household’s address with their television viewing habits.

As audiences become more sophisticated readers of the media, they are harder to attract by advertising and this leads to a constant drive to create novel approaches to marketing and advertising.

Skipping advertisements

The Personal Video Recorder – like SKY+, is changing how people view television programmes by allowing them to watch programmes at a time that is convenient for them, rather than convenient for the broadcaster.

The other main reason consumers are attracted to theses hard disc recorders is their ability to quickly skip over commercials. This presents major issues for advertisers who are paying for advertisements.

Advertisers worry that they might not be getting the best value for their advertising money. Advertisers who feel frustrated with television ad-skipping may decide to invest their promotional funds in other media outlets, such as the internet, where individual consumers are more likely to see an advertisement.

The way people use media for entertainment, news and information is changing.  The internet has created new media outlets, especially for the many, younger, affluent consumers.  Examples include:

• Podcasting Audio – Downloadable online audio that can be listened to on MP3 players, an iPod or a mobile phone. News websites, all sorts of information sites, blogs, offer free downloadable audio programming.

• Podcasting Video – Downloadable video onto handheld devices, mobile phones and laptops.  Television programmes will be available to download for a fee. The BBC has just launched its iPlayer where programmes can be watched for a limited time after broadcasting.

• RSS Feeds – News and other content delivered instantly to anyone who has signed up for them.  From an advertiser’s point of view those registering for RSS feeds represent a highly targeted market as they requested the content.

• Networked Gaming – Gaming systems attached to the Internet for group play is becoming more practical as more people move to broadband connections.  Advertisers can insert adverts, during game play.

Advertisers will have to adapt to the new technologies as they appear. It seems inconceivable that advertising will not continue to be an important part of the economy of the developed and developing world. After all they had advertisements in the Roman city of Pompeii over 2000 years ago.

Understanding Advertising - Analysing an advert

Analysing an advertisement...

Advertisers and marketing companies use a variety of persuasive techniques to promote and sell products, promote brand names, and company image and sell services.

A print advertisement for a product typically has a slogan or a striking image that catches the attention of the audience. The main part of the advertisement has factual information about the product, and there is a ‘pack shot’ of the product, and a logo reinforces the brand identity.

The combination of these elements, even though we may only look at them for the average time of 1.5 seconds, leaves us with an impression of the values that are attached to that brand. Also the target audience for the product should be clear in terms of age, gender and income.

When analysing an advertisement in print or as a commercial on TV work out:

WHO the advertisement is targeted at – age, race, gender, social status and income (demographics) and what are their likes and dislikes?

WHAT is being advertising?

WHAT is specifically highlighted as the benefit or appeal that is selling this product?

WHY would you want to buy this product?

WHERE does this advertisement appear (which publication or TV channel)and what does that tell you about the audience and the product?


In Media Studies and Psychology, there are various theories that help us to understand how this works.

Here are some of the ways advertisers appeal to an audience, according to Gillian Dyer (Advertising as Communication Routledge 1988). They use images of or references to these things to tap into our desires - and fears:

• Happy families - everyone wants to belong

• Rich, luxurious lifestyles - aspirational

• Dreams and fantasy

• Successful romance and love

• Elite people or experts

• Glamorous places

• Successful careers

• Art, culture & history

• Nature and the natural world

• Beautiful women - men and women like looking at beautiful women - men admire them, women admire what makes the men admire them.

• Self-importance and pride

• Comedy and humour

• Childhood - can appeal to either nostalgia or to nurturing instincts
These lines of appeal are effective because they deal with our social needs.

Understanding Advertising - Forms of advertising

Each form of media has different requirements...

Banner advertisements on websites work best if the message is simple and can be boiled down to three or four words.

Billboard messages usually work best as a memorable picture with very few words.

The image of the company, its products and its advertisements must suit the media in which it advertises. It is better to advertise a washing powder on television and not on radio – you need to be able to see that Persil washes whiter.

Adverts come in different shapes, sizes and forms...

Billboards

Billboards are large print adverts often seen by the side of the road near traffic lights or where cars are forced to slow down. They can be huge, covering the side of a building. They often advertise high value products like cars, iPods, etc. The government also use this form of advertising to deliver public service messages such as health campaigns against smoking or in support of healthy eating.

Ads in Magazines and Newspapers

These adverts come in different sizes and the publishers charge different rates depending on their location i.e. which page and also how big they are. Magazines and newspapers actually use adverts to pay for the editorial - the writing and articles in their magazines, in addition to the circulation sales income which is the money they receive from selling each copy.

Whole and half page ads are called display ads. There are often smaller box shaped ads towards the back pages of magazines. These are called classified ads and due to their position and size are considerably cheaper. Classified ads are also used on the internet and in newspapers to help companies sell products.


Leaflets and Inserts

Leaflets and other media artefacts are often placed inside newspapers and magazines. This is particularly the case with Sunday papers and magazines / subscription magazines that are wrapped in plastic. This wrapping is partly protective but principally to contain the many bits of advertising materials that lurk loose within.

TV Ads

TV adverts are only allowed on certain channels: ITV, C4 and satellite channels. The BBC does not need to advertise because it sources its funding from licensing in the form the TV Licence that every television owner should possess.

TV ads are short, usually about 30 seconds, and are interspersed between programmes. As with print adverts the location, length and timing or scheduling of a tv ad affects how much it costs to broadcast. Adverts in prime time viewing slots can be exorbitantly expensive.

See http://www.adcracker.com/index.htm 

  ads come in different types - some are more obvious than others. Local and commercial radio stations will have very classic ad slots in their schedules to advertise local services, restaurants, clubs, etc.

These are often accompanied by a jingle or catchy tune. Other ads are more subtle such as interviews with authors and film celebrities in which they 'plug' or draw attention to their wares.

It would be interesting to find out if music producers can pay radio DJs and radio stations to give their artists and tracks more air time and exposure than others...

Radio Ads

Radio

  Youtube, MySpace and Facebook.

You will also have heard about and probably seen all sorts of 'phishing' emails advertising to solve your money worries if you release your bank details.

Mobiles are now being targeted with advertising too. Text messages, emails are also efficient methods of targeting audiences with new sales pitches.

Film Trailers & Advertising

Film trailers are shown to audiences just before a film begins. The advertising companies use this static audience, waiting to watch their chosen film, to advertise existing and future releases.

This is called a 'captive audience' and increases the likelihood that an advert and the product in the advert will be seen by the target audience. This form of advertising allows niche products to be advertised to a select audience.

This is not necessarily an effective form of advertising because the audience is aware of this sale strategy. The audience still has a choice to decide whether to pay attention and investigate the product further.

Internet Advertising & New Media Forms

This is probably the most sophisticated and technologically advanced form of advertising. It ranges from still ads to dynamic Flash roll-over banner ads on web pages.

Pop-up adds are common place and internet browsers now have anti-popup features to prevent their audiences being bombarded by unwanted ads.

Viral ads are also prevalent on the internet - these are subversive ads which spread from INBOX to INBOX and appear on moving image archive sites like

Merchandising
Merchandising is where there is an existing brand and product, let's say a Pop Band, and they use the value of their brand to sell additional products such as t-shirts, mugs, clothing lines, dolls by putting their brand name and logos on the products.

Understanding Advertising - audiences & demographics

A demographic is a specific section of society, defined by certain parameters e.g. race, class, age, gender.

Advertisements work best when they carry a concise or direct message.

This might be a message which distinguishes a brand from its competitors – think how the BMW adverts work, reinforcing the image of their cars as supreme driving machines and conveying the impression of quality. You never see a female model in a BMW advertisement or hear of ‘free finance’. Compare a BMW print advertisement with one for Peugeot which offers cars that are good value for money.

A company has to decide the form of the advertisement. Is it to be a television commercial (very expensive), or a cinema commercial (even more expensive), radio or print or billboard. It will look at the market it wants to reach. It might choose a magazine rather than a newspaper.

E.g. Orange decided that the specific market they wanted to reach was the mainly young people in their twenties who go to the cinema. They created a series of cinema very funny and creative advertisements with Kevin Spacey, which have been enormously successful. They succeeded in promoting brand awareness and introducing the audience to new mobile phone products.

Understanding Advertising

An introduction...
Advertising is the business of selling a product, service or idea to an audience. Huge advertising agencies make vast amounts of money creating adverts for companies and then distributing or broadcasting them. One of the largest advertising corporations is Saatchi & Saatchi.

Brief definition

Advertising is a persuasive way of communicating a message to a large number of people, known as a mass audience. For a communication to be advertising it has to be:

• paid for
• communicating to a mass audience
• trying to persuade that audience to buy or do something.

It is in the manner of the persuading that is important in advertising. In order to be effective advertising has to communicate a message successfully, and there has to be an interactive process with the audience. If the message is effective, the audience receives the message. The purpose of advertising is to communicate an effective message which stimulates the desired action – usually a purchase of some sort.

Advertising is a non-personal form of promotion that is delivered through the media. The effect of advertising as a method of mass promotion is that a single message can reach a large number of people. There are two types of advertising:

1. Mass Market Advertising

Mass market advertising is aimed at reaching the largest number of people, but does not always reach the desired target audience. This is can be an efficient use of promotional resources, if the message needs to communicate to a mass audience.

2. Niche Market Advertising

This is where the target market is carefully selected for age, gender, social status and other relevant factors. The advertising is aimed just at that target audience.

The importance of advertising...

Advertising is important throughout the world because a great deal of money is spent marketing products, and the advertising industry supports a lot of jobs. An often quoted statistic by market research firm ZenithOptimedia estimates that worldwide spending on advertising exceeds (US) $400 billion.  Well over £13 billion will be spent by the advertising industry this year in the UK in making advertisements and by the media in buying them.

This level of spending supports thousands of companies and millions of jobs.  In many countries television, radio and newspapers are in business because of revenue generated through the sale of advertising.

The purpose of advertising...

Almost every business needs to promote itself in some way, reaching out to customers and potential customers. For businesses with large numbers of customers in well-defined market areas, advertising is often a cost-effective way of communicating with them.

The aim of most advertising is to increase sales. Advertising includes promotional activities, and these may focus on intermediate objectives which make sales easier at the end of the day.

The promotional objectives of advertising can be summed up in the acronym SMART: Specific - Measurable - Agreed - Realistic - Time Limited.

The effectiveness of promotional campaigns can be measured against these objectives. In other words it is possible to see if the advert works.

Advertising needs to be specific in what it is trying to do. It should be possible to measure the response to the advertisement , perhaps by increased sales or increased interest in the product.

The objectives of the advertisement must be agreed by everyone involved. In a big company this means all department associated with the product. In a small company it means that the person answering the phone must know about the advertisement, and that it is airing on television or radio, so that any questions can be properly answered.

The expected results of the advertising campaign must be realistic.

The campaign has to run for an agreed length of time, so that it is time–limited.

Advertising can do many different things...

1. It can create awareness of something, or change customer attitudes

2. it can create a reputation as the market leader for a product which may eventually allow the company to increase prices

3. It can create and build brand awareness – for example Coca Cola – which makes the product easier to sell and makes consumers feel good about the product

4. It can send out a specific one-off message to a particular market such as informing people of a special offer or a sale

5. It can prompt a specific action such as stimulating the customer to visit a website or car showroom. The customer leaves their contact details and this helps to build a customer database.

6. It can keep ‘front-of-mind’ awareness of a product which encourages customers to keep this product in mind – the AA does this with its advertising campaign about ‘you need a friend’. You do not need a car break down service very often, but when you do the advertisement encourages you to think of the AA first

7. It can inform the market that a new product is available - this is probably the oldest form of advertising.

8. It can hard sell a product – ‘come down to this furniture store now for amazing deals’.

All media carry advertising except the BBC. In other countries like Australia the public service broadcaster does have limited advertisements.

Where to advertise...

A company has to decide what media will best reach the target market for the product they are advertising. Advertising is only cost-effective if it reaches an audience which significantly overlaps with the target audience.