What is advertising?
Advertising is a way of communicating with consumers to market a service or a product. It may be referred to as a message sent by the manufacturer or service provider to influence the receiving general public. As advertising becomes known, people become aware of the products or services being sold and the advertiser starts making profits.
How does it work?
Regardless of the fact that people notice it or not, advertising is always there. In today’s market, advertising makes use of all the possible channels of communication to convey the message. The most common means of displaying an ad include TV, print and electronic media. Sometimes high end companies also hire celebrities to endorse the products of interest.
The whole advertising industry is filled with three basic sections. The first one comprises of advertising agencies which develop the ads. Then there is the media that conveys and publishes the advertisements. The third section comprises of a creative team that works on the conceptualization of the ad.
Companies interested in advertising their brands or certain products hire advertising agencies. They then brief the advertising agencies regarding the brand and the associated details like its images, the background values, ideals and target consumer market.
Now the advertising agencies transform the received data into visuals, themes, layouts and texts to convey the message to the consumers in a creative way. Finally, after the client’s approval, the advertisement goes on live.
Benefits of advertising
Unlike public relations campaigns, advertising allows a company to control the way its products are publicized. Since companies pay for different advertising channels, they are able to regulate the content, format and timing of their message. Having this control helps them achieve their goals more efficiently.
Advertising provides equal opportunities for small as well as large corporations to influence their consumer base. Using different means of advertising, a company may publicize its products or services all across the globe. Other benefits associated with advertising may include:
- The capability of evaluating returns on ventures with different platforms
- Variety of options on account of media outlets
- Innovative presentation of products to consumers
How to choose an advertising company?
Choosing the right advertising company is one of the most important decisions made by a company. The future of a company depends greatly upon its choice of an advertising agency. Some of the things that must be considered while choosing an advertising agency are:
Definition of intent
Before consulting an advertising agency, it is important for a company to define its intent. The company needs to be completely aware of what they are expecting out of an advertising campaign. Business objectives that are vividly defined prove helpful in choosing the most suitable agency.
Initial research
Compiling a list of potential advertising agencies comes in handy. The best way to do this is by contacting different media outlets for advice. It is important to make sure everything about the potential agency is known.
Never judge a company by its size
Never rely on an advertising agency just because it is a large scale company. Always focus upon the value that the potential agency is capable of bringing to your products services. Comparatively smaller agencies are usually more committed and focused.
Don’t hesitate to experiment
Sticking to the same advertising agency for all the products might not be the best option for a company. Experimenting with new advertising agencies might help identify a team of advertisers that might turn things around for it completely.
Keep core competencies in view
It is recommended for a company to ask about the core competencies of an advertising agency before hiring them. Different agencies excel at different skills. Making sure that their competencies are aligned with the venture is essential.
Advertising is one of the deciding factors behind the success or failure of any company. Using the right means of advertising might lead to incredible sales while bad advertising may prove devastating for a company.