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.