Roles of Advertising
The role of advertising has changed over time as the industry has developed. It originally served as a means of identifying the product's manufacturer, and that function is still crucial today. Advertising became more focused on providing commercial information along with identification of the product's maker as technology, such as the printing press, made it possible to reach a wider audience.
Industrialization's advancements allowed for the production of more goods than the local market could consume, and as a result, advertising's role in stimulating demand for a product changed. This was accomplished using two techniques: hard-sell approaches that use arguments to persuade consumers and soft-sell approaches that establish a brand's reputation and appeal to consumers' emotions.
In order to understand how advertising works, let us consider the four roles advertising plays in business and society:
- Marketing
- Communication
- Economical.
- Societal
Related Topic: Sales Management
The marketing role
Marketing refers to the strategy a company employs to meet the needs and wants of customers by offering products and services. Selling a company's product, which can be a service (restaurant, insurance), a good (phones, soft drinks), or an idea is the responsibility of the marketing manager or department (support an organisation believe in a candidate). Products are also identified according to the product category they fall under. By category, we refer to the classification given to the product, such as Levi's in the category of jeans, Bata in the category of shoes, etc. The target market is the specific demographic of consumers believed to be potential buyers of the products and services.
The creation of a brand, which is the unique identity of a specific product that sets it apart from its rivals, involves marketing professionals as well. For instance, KFC is a different brand of restaurant than McDonalds. They are the brands of various businesses and are in direct competition with one another.
Strengths of Advertising
- Can reach a mass audience
- Introduces Products
- Explain Changes
- Reminds and Reinforce
- Persuades
By generating consumer interest, advertising achieves all of its goals. This includes creating advertising campaigns on a regular basis, which requires making choices regarding the planning, creation, distribution, and evaluation of an advertising effort.
The communication role
A form of mass communication is advertising. It connects buyers and sellers in the marketplace by transmitting various types of market information. By constructing an image that goes beyond simple facts, it informs and transforms the product. Advertising is included in the broad definition of marketing communication, but it also refers to a variety of related communication strategies used in marketing, including sales promotion, public relations, direct mail, events and sponsorships, packaging, and personal selling.
The economic role
In societies where supply outweighs demand and there is some degree of economic abundance, advertising tends to flourish. Advertising in these societies shifts from being primarily informative to stimulating demand for a specific brand. There are two perspectives on how advertising affects the economy.
In the first, advertising is viewed as a tool for assisting consumers in determining value, using price in addition to other details like quality, location, and reputation.
According to the second viewpoint, advertising is so persuasive that it makes it less likely for customers to switch to a competing brand, regardless of the price. In other words, the consumer decides on non-price benefits like psychological appeal by focusing on other positive attributes. It is assumed that this is how images and emotions can affect a consumer's choice.
The societal role
A variety of societal functions are also served by advertising. It keeps us up to date on innovations and problems, lets us compare products and features, and informs us about new and improved products. It strengthens our sense of aesthetics and reflects current fashion and design trends. It has an educational function in which it imparts knowledge on new products and how to use them. It also aids in the development of our self-image by providing us with relatable role models. These social roles have both harmful and beneficial aspects.
Functions of Advertising
One tool that can assist a business in achieving its objectives is advertising. It is a means to an end, not the end itself. The objectives of the advertising determine its functions. These are the purposes of advertising:
- To make the product distinct from the competitors'.
- To communicate information.
- To provoke the users.
- To expand the distribution.
- To encourage brand preference and loyalty.
- To reduce the sales cost. Different strategies for advertising were tried to achieve more sale, which would automatically reduce the cost.
Advertising pyramid
An advertising campaign's primary goal is to grab the attention of viewers or potential customers. Designing and advertising involve the full spectrum of a creative team. Let's first define the advertising pyramid before going over its components.
The five basic element of this pyramid are: attention, interest, desire, action and satisfaction.
Attention
Getting the consumer's attention is the first goal of advertising. The task is simple because anyone can attract attention by yelling or clapping. The headline, which is the first part of the advertisement to grab attention, performs this function for print advertisements. Because of this, the copywriter typically uses larger font sizes to create very catchy headlines. The other methods involve using brief, conversational punchlines. The goal will be lost if complex language is used, and the reader will stop reading.
The headline for Tucson, the four wheeler is quite enticing as the reader's curiosity is piqued: "Behind every great adventure lies a great spirit. The use of an eye-catching image is the second method for grabbing attention. Titan has had great success with its advertising by featuring a picture of well-known Bollywood actor Aamir Khan. The next step is to keep the reader's interest once their attention has been captured.
Interest
The next goal of the advertisement is to pique readers' interest in the service or product. After creating a catchy headline, you keep their attention by going into detail about the salient aspects of the product. Typically, this is included in the body copy. Either explicitly or subtly, the copywriter uses them. This section is more factual, so there is less room for exaggeration. Information presentation, however, is crucial.
The copywriter piques readers' interest by relating a dramatic event, quoting a passage, or perhaps even adding a little humour. Cartoons and images are used by the illustrators to pique interest. The sound effect and engrossing dialogue on radio may keep listeners interested.
Desire
In this step, the advertisement sets up a scenario so that the potential customer can experience the benefits of the product secondhand. The author sets up a scenario that gives the reader the impression that they will be missing out on a lot if they don't use the product. Writers of print advertisements often use the phrases "think yourself to be the most successful person" or "imagine" to encourage visualising. When a product is used, the user is depicted on television as happy and satisfied, while a radio announcer might say, "You at your best with your suiting."
The prospect of owning the product is laid out by the desire, which also captures the customer's attention. The reader may occasionally become offended, so this section is handled with care. It is one of the more challenging sections to write, which is why some copywriters skip over it.
Read more: Sales Promotion
Action
This step is meant to inspire people to take action. If an advertisement is unable to elicit a response, it is unsuccessful. Customers are encouraged to purchase the product by using phrases like "buy now," "limited stock," and "offer closes on June 30." This is not a challenging step because if the copy is clear, the reader will act without a doubt. Action may be implied, such as "fly the friendly skies," or it may be explicit, such as "call on us to book, the stock is limited." As an action-inducing device, the product sachet may occasionally be attached to the advertisement.
Satisfaction
The customer should feel satisfied after purchasing the product; this is the top of the pyramid. The customer should always feel as though they received fair value for their money. Long-term customer brand loyalty is aided by this parameter.
