Friday, December 31, 2010

Rules are meant to be broken, so are advertising norms!


Sometimes, in our day to day lives, breaking the age-old rule seems an easier option than to religiously follow each one of them. Likewise, in brand advertising, it is sometimes a different approach to deliver the brand message through an out-of-the-box mode and through a unique technique which was never tried before. The only concern is to maintain the standard, consistency and of course ethics of promotion and ensure that the brand message adheres to the objectives of the promotion. Through this blog, let us have a brief idea how and why unobserving advertising norms is at times a creative approach of brand promotion.

First condition- If you have been advertising your brand through the same old conventional mode by utilising whatsoever resource available, its time you go for a change. Indulge in something innovative, something creative. Present your brand like a newly wedded bride - beautiful, charming and of course a centre of attraction for everyone. You can either opt for rebranding or revamping of your product- its features, look, advertising mode etc.

Second condition- Repetitive or monotonous approach of brand advertising through the same old medium, technique, approach etc is a reason enough to generate boredom amongst your target group. In order to keep alive their interest in your brand, you have to break that conventional shell and present your brand message in an enticing manner. Make use of the latest tools and techniques and deliver your brand message in an interesting manner.

Third condition- Why not make the best use of technology? Why the same old advertising mode or tool? Upgrade your advertising practices by adopting the latest technological tools and techniques. Technology is a supplementary as well as complementary asset for advertisers. Hence, as a brand advertiser one should make the best use of every available technological product or application.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Is a tinge of truth important in advertising?

Of course yes! A tinge of truth is important in any advertising activity whether through indoor or outdoor media. It is a well noted fact that the all year availability of a brand requires continuous advertising through a particular medium or mediums of advertising.

Advertising is a circumstantial affair. A particular advertising activity is planned by the advertiser depending upon the circumstances. A brand is mostly advertised all through the year. However, the purpose of advertising of a single brand varies from one campaign to another. In one ad campaign, the brand is put on sale or discount during which customers can buy the same brand but at discounted rates. Heavy advertising is required in such types of promotion as such ads last only for a limited amount of time. However, any ad message should be truthful to at least some extent for many reasons more than one.

Any advertising activity should provide justification to the brand’s features or benefits- Saying something in the ad message and offering something else by the brand (after purchasing the same) most often leads to negative impression about the brand in the near future. It may even fail to attract the same target customers in the future. Customers will develop a notion about your brand with this claim that the brand message was/is fake and not trustworthy.

Avoid too much whimsical messages- Any ad campaign should be linked to some ground reality. Advertisers cannot unleash their freedom to talk in a pompous tone about the brand if the same brand doesn’t offer that many facilities in real. This is to avoid customers’ negative feedback about the brand after adopting the same. Customers should not feel cheated after purchasing your brand and if they do, it is sorry to say that nothing can help out.

Seasons come and go, and in each passing season we can see so many changes of Nature. Like the changing seasons, the brand advertising trends should also change from time to time (if the need is required).

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

5 crucial features of advertising!

One of the important strategies of launching an advertising campaign. is decision making. Decision making comprises of such issues like whom to target, which media vehicle to use for the campaign, when to launch the campaign etc. Once the decision making phase is over, the advertising campaign is one the verge of launching in the market. The company which is advertising its brand or service is interested in various aspects of advertising which include frequency, media timing, media impact, reach and longevity.

Frequency from advertising’s point of view refers to the average number of times that an intended customer is exposed to the ad campaign. Companies usually establish frequency goals which vary from one advertising campaign to another. For example, a company might want to expose his ad message at least six times during the campaign. On the other hand in a crowded and competitive market a company might want to provide maximum exposure of his brand to provide repetition since repetition is one of the best methods to increase visibility of the product.

Media timing refers to the time span during which the advertising campaign is live. The time span can range from days to years. Companies have different strategies while framing the media timing to promote their brands. To cite an example some companies run ads for their brands during holiday seasons just to promote season specific products. This tactic of brand promotion comes under seasonal advertising. Various companies also prefer a continuous ad campaign for their brands which last accordingly to their promotion requirement.

Media Impact is again an important aspect of brand advertising. The medium of advertising whether television, radio, newspaper or billboard should provide an effective impact upon the customers. Based upon its products, companies should make an appropriate decision about which media vehicle is going to suit best for which product or brand.

Reach refers to the percentage of customers in the market who are exposed to the advertising campaign.Reach is again an important aspect of advertising to study the impact of the ad upon the customers.

Longevity can be grouped under media timing. How long does the ad survive in the market is again important to study. Depending upon the latest longevity of the ad campaign, a company can devise another promotion campaign.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Four Effective Guidelines for Successful Advertising!

Creating a buzz about your brand in the market takes only few strategies of advertising for you to work out. An effective implementation of these strategies will create more bangs for your brand in the market, thereby taking your business to new heights. Take a look at some guidelines which will help you to provide a successful promotion campaign for your brand.

Track and trace your target audience

Any advertising campaign aims at influencing its target group. In fact, a target group plays an important role in an advertising activity. If advertising is a selling and buying process, advertisers are sellers while target groups are buyers. If you want to advertise your brand, you have to track and trace your customers.

Emphasize your competitive advantages

Every brand owner should highlight the competitive advantages of his brand. Advertising is also directed to provide proofs to your customers that your brand is the right one for them. It doesn’t mean that other brands are wrong. It is not ethical for a brand owner to provide ill news about his competitor brand. A healthy brand competition can establish a distinctive forte of your brand amongst your target groups.

Money makes Money in brand advertising

You cannot be a miser when it comes to allocate a required budget for your advertising campaign. What needs to be spent needs to be spent. advertising is not the place to cut corners, depending upon the requirement of the campaign; you have to spend the required budget to make the campaign a hit. Money makes money in brand advertising. Spend your money in a wiser way but don’t be a miser when it comes to launching an advertising campaign for your brand.

Monitor your advertising campaign

It is important to monitor your advertising campaign. You need to check whether the campaign is properly creating a buzz about your product or not. You also need to figure out additional promotion ideas which you can instantly launch during the campaign.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Changing trends of Advertising in contemporary India

Think of any brand which is available in the market place since a long period of time. Compare the old advertisements of the brand with the new ones. What change do you observe? A complete makeover right? That is the trend of advertising in contemporary India- renovated and renewed. The following paragraphs will throw some light on some famous trends of advertising about various brands whose presence has seasoned in due course of time.

Generates quick and effective response to customers

What makes an ad campaign successful is the response from the target audience. In order to gain positive response from customers, advertisers have to provide the brand message in such a way that customers find it easy to access and comprehend. advertisers who display their ads through broadcast media have to consider some additional factors such as clarity of sound or musical composition (jingles) associated with the advertised brands for example television and radio commercials which require audio visual features to deliver the brand communication.

Positive message encouraging customers to adopt the brand

Modern ads mostly provide positive brand message thereby encouraging the buying motive of customers. In fact in today’s world of aggressive competition, it is important to create a positive image about a brand to its audiences so that they are encouraged to adopt the product. Anything which is done with goodwill is well appreciated and lasts long. So, while framing the brand message, advertisers should ensure that it provides a positive impact on customers.

Widespread usage of rich technology & media

Modern advertising uses rich technology & media while devising any ad campaign. The widespread usage of such enriched technology & media has resulted in providing an effective brand communication on customers. The induction of rich technology in brand advertising has resulted in providing a rich brand communication to customers at large.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

An Advertising Idea Can Change Your Business!

For a modern trader, it is next thing to impossible to flourish in his business activity without a proper advertising campaign for the same. rules the roost in any marketing activity about a business idea, product or cause. To focus the view, advertising plays a pivotal role in a marketing process of a brand, service or idea. For brands it is already obvious how advertising can promote sales for the same. But when it comes to advertise an idea or service, the strategies have to be reconsidered before its execution.

In brand advertising you have a tangible product to promote and it is easier for you to talk about the product to your target audience. You can even give a live demonstration about your product and its features. Though conditions apply for every single product and also for the kind of product you deal with, advertising a tangible product and an intangible product has various marked differences. In business or service advertising, you have to sell your idea. You have to convince your client or customer or business counterpart that your idea is unique and worthy. If necessary, you also have to provide basic data or report sheets about how your business has achieved a positive growth over the years and how it has created its own benchmark in the market place. Testimonials provided by clients prove to be one of the effective techniques to promote your business. These testimonials assure that you have been indulging in a successful business which guarantees satisfying results to your new clients or customers.

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you hold, what matters is how your business performs in the market place. And for better performance of your business, you need to exhibit your skill and potential which is driven by a unique idea of. Advertising After all, in today’s world an advertising idea can change your business!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Know the values of Advertising

Advertising provides the freedom to have a control over the entire campaign. This feature of advertising differentiates it from other tools of marketing such as personal selling, public relation, publicity etc. As an advertiser you have the exclusive freedom to decide your own media vehicle, target the right audience readily, aim at particular environmental areas. Advertising provides accuracy of your brand information. You cannot advertise something which doesn’t promise or provide something accurate. Through an accurate ad campaign you have the chance and ability to influence your target group the way you desire.

Advertising as a tool for brand communication also provides reliability. Through advertising, a brand assures a target group that it caters to their need or desire. Especially for consumer goods, reliability plays a significant role while promoting the product. This is something like promising the target audience that the brand is the only solution which caters to their need or desire.

The main target of an advertising campaign is to instruct, inform or educate the target group about the product, idea or service so; advertising cannot guarantee sales of the product, idea or service. This is one of the significant features to be noted about advertising. Advertising does not compel anyone to buy. It informs, educates and instructs the target group about the best features, benefits, significances of the brand, service or idea. Over here, it depends upon the kind of language you employ to transmit the message about the brand. With an attractive communication, it is easier to lure your target group and indulge them in buying your product without much effort.

It is already a known fact that the entire advertising budget is spent upon disseminating only one message. However, to deliver that message there are various factors which are required and worked upon such as adequate budget, effective media vehicle, enticing communication, attractive design etc. With a perfect co-ordination of all these features, it is not a difficult task to launch an ad campaign for your brand in the market.