Life is Hard. Advertising is Harder.

Advertising is developing an increasing need to be entertaining. Gainging viewers used to be as simple as putting an ad on network TV. Most people were watching TV, and there really weren't enough shows to make the audience difficult to reach.

Now, not only do we have massive segmentation of the audience, from magazines to 500 channel TV packages, we also have an increase in power for the consumer. Sure they always had the option to change the channel, but now they can zip through them or zap past them all together with their DTV recorders. There is so much interactivity on the web that anything else hardly catches a second glance.

This makes it absolutely necessary to find new ways to capture the audience's attention and keep them engaged. Another challenge to this is keeping trust. When you are advertising energy drinks or spray on scents, it isn't as much of a problem. You can show something very comical, and people will remember your advertisement and your product in a positive way. If you have a more serious product, like car insurance for example, it can be a little tricker. Humorous insurance advertisements have been shown to capture the audiences attention. What it does not do, however, is establish the brand as trustworthy or even differentiate the brand from others, aside from the possibility of not falling into the "stuffy auto company" category.

In anycase, advertising is getting more difficult. Greater barriers are being faced to engage the audience and persuade them into action.

I love a challenge.

Cell Phone Applications

Applications for cell phones are becoming an excellent way for promoters to send their message directly to the consumers. With the popularity of smartphones, it is becoming much easier to reach people through this method.

One of the major benefits is that with every application downloaded, you learn about something they are interested in. If a consumer downloads a restaurant finder, this would be a great place to put an ad for, you got it, restaurants.

Also, it helps because the message is sent directly to one individuals screen. This makes it much simpler to send different messages to different people. Since everyone has slightly different preferences and attitudes, sending various individually targeted messages is a very beneficial practice.

Bathroom Advertising

No idea, aside from paying everyday people to put giant RedBull cans on their car, has sparked my interest like bathroom advertising. It is a double sided coin that must examined carefully.

The only real problem with using the bathroom and an advertising medium is that it may make consumers feel uncomfortable. People already feel that they are bombarded with messages. Putting more messages in the one place people feel they will be left alone, may make them feel overwhelmed. It should also be considered how associating brands with this activity may affects consumer's overall perception of the brand.

The benefit is that it delivers results. Think about it. There's not much entertainment in the restroom. A lot of people read in the bathroom of their home, but they have no reading material with them when they are in public restrooms. This assures they will read your message. It has even been shown that if they make repeat visits to the restroom, they will read the message every time they go. There is also a 40% stronger retention rate than with other media impressions. The viewing time, as compared to billboards, printed ads, posters, and fliers, is more than six times longer. Perhaps most compelling is the fact that 92% of people surveyed could recall the name of the advertiser without prompting.

In any case, it is unlikely that bathroom advertising will stop at this point. The reactions seem favorable enough, and the amount of attention paid to these ads makes it doubtful that advertisers will abandon this medium anytime soon.

Breaking In

For a soon to be college graduate, the task of breaking into the advertising industry can present itself as an extremely daunting challenge. Most often, the jobs you see that are available ask for a portfolio. Aside from a few copy or design assignments from schools, most students have little to show for their educations. Couple this with the industry's expectation of two years experience for entry level positions, and most students feel that they are stuck in a catch 22 that will keep them waiting tables well into their adult life.

The best advice I can offer these people is to not be afraid. Don't stop yourself from contacting everyone you think could possibly use your help. Don't stop yourself from taking internships or assignments that don't deal directly with your career path of choice. Offer to work for free. This may seem like a difficult task when you are juggling school, work, and possible clubs such as the AAF. Did I mention you should join the AAF? Anyway, the experience from working for free will be far more valuable than money. Also, some people are more likely to hire you for pay when you are willing to work for free. They just love that go getter attitude of yours. Freelance. While this can seem as challenging as starting the career itself, once you find a client or two who is willing to work with you, things really take off. Now you have references, portfolio material, and experience.

The main thing is to put yourself out there. Take every assignment or job that you can get your hands on. Take an interest in what you do, and soak up everything you learn like a sponge

or a sham wow.

Research

Research is necessary for any advertising campaign. It is necessary to find out what issues are preventing any particular product or service from achieving greater sales, or greater sales growth. It can also show you how the competition is interacting with consumers.

The problem with research, however, is that its answers are speculative, but are not treated as such. Consumers can provide excellent ideas, but these ideas are only a starting point to help jump start the agenda planning.

Research is not an excuse for poor advertising. Just because a focus group in Idaho led you to believe that your campaign would be received with open arms, does not take away personal accountability.

In conclusion, research is necessary. It is a step in the process, a means to an end, but not an end in and of itself.

Content this!

In the old days, it was simple. Advertisers paid programs for Ad space based on the number of viewers that particular program had. Now, however, technology allows the advertisers to track how many of the program's viewers also watch the commercials.

This works out very well for the advertisers because now they don't have to pay for people who are flipping the channel as soon as they are given a chance to reach them. What I find to be interesting, though, is how this effects television.

It is common knowledge that "content is king". If you want someone to engage with your newspaper, magazine, book, website, radio or television program, you have to have good content to keep them coming. Now, television programs will not only have to have good enough content to attract viewers, they will also have to make sure that their content attracts the type of viewers who will stick around to watch the Ads.

Southern Comfort goes all in online

Southern Company has decided to focus their advertising efforts online. That's actually an understatement. Their decision wasn't simply to make online advertising the most important aspect of their advertising campaigns. They actually decided to make it the only form of media they use for promotion.

This might be a very smart move for Southern Comfort. The internet is superior to television in that it is much easier to find a target audience. This is especially true when the target audience is between the ages of 21-29,which is exactly the age group Southern Comfort is going after. Magazines are a good way to reach specific consumers, but the reach leaves something to desire. Also, advertising online is significantly less expensive. They will be able to produce many more promotional pieces for the same price.

Advertising alcohol on television is definately restricted. Most networks only allow it during certain times of the evening, and other competitor's Ads will be run at that same time.

I do, however, question their all in method. While I agree that the most of the advertising budget should be dedicated to the internet, I feel that traditional advertising is still effective. Taking your name out of the many that are shown during broadcast's alcohol advertising period will only make competitive brands easier to remember.

If you like the Pope, then you'll love buying my product

In an article by Henry Chu of the Los Angeles Times,I learned that Vatican Radio, which follows the movements of the Pope, has decided to start selling Ad space after 80 years of Ad-free operation. This must have been an extremely difficult decision for the Vatican to make. I'm sure the consideration of the ethical dilemma of a sort of "holy endorsement" isn't one that was taken lightly.
This made me think about what the future will hold for advertisers. If a fully functioning religious authority has become open to advertising dollars, then no one will consider themselves too high and mighty to indulge in the profits.
Schools might consider selling Ad space from their walls. I would hope this would only be for high school and colleges, but seeing it at elementary schools wouldn't be suprising. They could even start hosting brand sponsored peprallies and sports events.
If your convincing enough, you just might be able to get people to sell Ad space on their cars. It's already been done on race cars. Why not use regular people's cars. I bet that could end up being very cheap and fairly effective (although driving habits should probably be taken into consideration).
Of course I'm mostly joking, but only mostly...

At least we don't have to keep watching those car commercials

It's no secret that our current recession has had a dramatic impact on the auto industry. We have seen companies teetering on the edge of destruction, we have seen the government loan these companies money simply to keep them afloat, and we have seen car lots close down.
While these companies struggle to make a profit, many of them have decided to cut back on their advertising. Of course, we know that advertising during a recession is extremely important (and it often helps companies to become the leaders of their respective industries once the recession is over). Nevertheless, many companies were spending massive amounts of money to build brand awareness. Their focus now shifts to building sales, and, as such, much of their promotional budget will be cut.
Some of the companies, which were bought by the U.S. government, now have the ability to back out of advertising contracts that were previously negotiated. This is because they are considered to be new companies now that they have switched ownership. Others are simply not buying advertising space like they used to.
One of the more interesting effects of the auto industry's drop in advertising is in broadcast. Their decline in broadcast advertising has left a massive void to fill. This fact coupled with the 20% decline in rates for broadcast advertising since 2007 has brought local businesses to invest in broadcast ads. This will most likely benefit the local businesses more than the broadcast stations, however, because it takes a lot of local businesses to make up for auto dealers that advertised with them in the past.

We could trick them into liking it!

I don't know how many people are aware of this, as it happened a long time ago, but an old Sony Ericsson marketing campaign I heard about recently seemed like it could possibly be the worst way to promote an item. Ever.
In an effort to promote their cell phones, the company hired actors that were meant to seem cool to their target market. Rather than film or photograph the actors using the cell phones, they sent them to various locations including bars and tourist locations. At the bar, they might take a picture of you. After they show you picture, they can tell you about all the wonderful features of their phone. At tourist locations, they might ask you to take a picture of their group.
Of course, if you asked them point blank if they were actors, they would tell you that you were. As if that absolves any ethical violations. This is not just bad for the mislead consumers, but also for the company. A marketing campaign like this is certain to attract media attention. People are going to hear about it, and they will not be happy. They will see your company as manipulative and uncaring. Building healthy mutually beneficial relationships between customers is a must. If you don't have trust, you don't have a sale.

Copywriter vs. Art Director(Who can I fire first?)

What's more important for a promotional piece; the images or the words? Of course, it is common knowledge that both are necessary, but each one has a specific role to play when trying to persuade a consumer. In my experience, it seems that images are most effective for grabbing attention. The visual element is the first thing that a reader notices, and, as such, the image will almost always be the place here the reader begins. This is where the art directors job ends. The copy must hook the reader and ultimately convince him or her into action. The headline is going to responsible for convincing the reader to continue reading. The body copy then convinces the consumer to take some action (hopefully resulting in a purchase). These are certainly not rules set in stone, it's more like my personal formula from which to build a promotion upon. For example, an image might demonstrate how a produce works in such a way that it leads a consumer to purchase it. For a guy like me, however, my way just seems like a natural progression.

Consumer power

The use of the internet by consumers is something that has interested companies for a long time now. While it does work as a very effective mass media tool, it also creates an environment where businesses have to pay more attention to the individual. This is because people have as much reach and power over the web as companies do. If a person believes they have purchased a poor quality service or product, or that they have been treated unfairly, they can easily express their discontent to a large audience with the use of the internet. Whether through the use of facebook, twitter, or blogs, most people can get on the internet and express their opinions to followers who are sure to listen. For this reason, businesses are going to have to be more sensitive to each individual's needs

Advergaming

Advertising in video games has long been hailed as an easy way to get information to the 18-35 year old male demographic that advertisers are after. Now, thanks to new technology it is becoming even more effective. In the past, you created an ad, placed in the video game, and wished it a fond farewell. These days we have a much greater amount of flexibility. No longer does an ad have to remain in its current form for the rest of its existence. Now, long after the ad has been made and the video game sent out to the public, the advertisement can be altered. This should provide an excellent way to reach a typical target market and have an excellent response time as well.

Advertising to Children

Trying to influence the purchasing behavior of children has always presented various ethical issues. According to James U. McNeal, PhD, children under twelve spend $28 billion annually, teenagers spend 100 billion, and they influence how their parents spend to the tune of $249 billion dollars. This tremendous economic impact ensures that advertising to children will continue, but precautions must be taken to prevent psychologically negative impacts. Children do not have the same cynical view towards advertisements as adults do. An advertisement's claims seem as reliable as the news. This means that exaggerations and emotional appeals will have a much greater effect on children. Also, they are still forming their personalities. Considering the fact that advertisements will promote spending money on material things, advertisers must be careful that they do not instill materialistic values into the minds of developing children. Research has shown that when wealth and materialism becomes the dominant value for an individual, that individual is more likely to experience stree and less likely to form lasting relationships. In conclusion, while advertising towards children is an important part of our economic activity, it should be done with great care.

Integrated Marketing Communications

The only true way for a company to deliver a consistent message to a mass audience is through integrated marketing communications. That is, one must coordinate the message that is delivered through each form of promotional communication; advertising, public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion. It is already widely accepted that supplementing advertisements with sales promotion tactics greatly increase the ads effectiveness. This fact makes it appear that coordinating promotional elements produces positive results. Why not coordinate all promotional elements? That way companies can deliver the same consistency with their message as they do with their product. In short, through integrate marketing communications a company can gain greater control over their positioning in the consumer's mind.

The Unsung hero

When you think of traditional advertising you most likely cycle through categories such as outdoor, television, radio, print, and internet. One that most people tend to skip over is the Yellow Pages. It has a similar texture to newspapers, so the same kinds of ads can be used. Most people will not get rid of their Yellow Pages book for at least a year. Also, they are very common to find in almost any household. For these reasons, Yellow Pages is an advertising medium that deserves much more respect than it is given.

Recession and the elderly

Since the recession began, advertisers have noticed a tend in companies targeting people over the age of 50. Chrysler, Kraft Foods, Procter& Gamble, and Target are some of the brands who have begun to market to this older segment. Traditionally, younger markets have been the main target of advertising as they have likely not formed any brand loyalties and could potentially become lifetime consumers. Conversely, the older segment was deemed unimportant as it was view to have a lower amount of money to spend and already formed brand loyalties. However, the recession has made them more appealing to advertisers. The fact that they are more likely to have their mortgages already paid off, coupled with the fact that they are not as likely to be losing a source of income as their younger counterparts, has made them a sought after target market. Also, the fact that the baby boomers are the ones who are entering this age group plays a factor. They are a very large group and will always be targeted. Also, they seem less resistant to change than previous generations.

Online advertising has created new ethical questions to consider. One consideration that is not only a problem on the web are advertorials. These are advertisements that are made to look like editorials. This is appealing to advertisers because the reader is more likely to believe the content; however, the dishonesty raises ethical questions and can cause people to distrust the brand that made the advertorial. The generally accepted rule at this point is that any advertisement that can be confused as regular content should be marked as advertising. This is true for print and online media outlets. Another issue is kick through ads. These ads sends the reader to a different website if their mouse scrolls over it, without them clicking on it. Also, these links are often put in words or phrases within editorial content. Some classify this as spyware since it sends users to a website without their consent. The makers of this technology, however, contend that since the words that are links are underlined in green, and the ensuing content is labeled as advertising, there is no ethical violation.

The current recession has had a remarkable impact on the advertising industry. Overall, spending on advertising has fallen 2.6%. The three companies that spend the most money on advertising have all cut their ad spending significantly. Procter&Gamble, the top spender on advertising, cut their spending from $3.53 billion to $2.85 billion, a 19% decline. General motors dropped their spending 14.9%, and AT&T dropped theirs 7.2%. One of the most interesting parts, however, is that P&G claims that their reach has not been affected by the decline in spending. They say that they have managed to make deals on radio, print, and broadcast ads. This could be the result of a 20% drop in broadcast television advertising rates.

Google has been receiving negative responses from newspapers due to the advertising they have recently decided to place on the news section of their website. In the past Google has refrained from advertising because the newspapers were upset to lose ad dollars to a company that was using news website's headlines and copy. Google maintains that they rely on the success of these news sites in order to exists, and they increase traffic to the news organization's websites as well. This is made evident by the fact that the news organizations are voluntarily giving their content to Google.