Advertising is ubiquitous. Though many argue that advertisements rose with the Industrial Revolution of the 19th and 20th century, the truth is advertising was present in its dormant form since the time two men existed on this planet and designed symbols to develop their own communication style in order to propagate their goods and services to survive and thrive.
As you flip the pages of the history, you might find several pieces of evidence of outdoor advertising used in the ancient civilization like bamboo flute playing to attract the customers, hand-inscribed papyrus leaflets and creating image-based signs on the rocks.
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Globalization Changed the Media, Not the Purpose
Though the mediums of advertising have evolved with globalization, the primary purpose of any business entity was to reach the potential buyer while the buyer is still seeking the information to satiate his needs.
However, increasing profitability either by decreasing product’s cost or by expanding the market is an archaic business practice. The market dynamics, high competition as well as the emerging media choices have made it obligatory for the enterprises to strike the chord with their customers through emotional stimulation.
An advertising icon, Leo Burnett once said, “Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and beliefs.” Through this statement, he gave an insight into how today’s enterprises should look at advertising.
He suggests that brand advertising should be an innovative blend of textual, visual and audible elements that evoke the emotions and imagination of the target demographic.
Businesses ‘Go Digital’
The year 2017 showcased an upward graph in the digital ad spending. Media agency Magna forecasted that half of all global advertising dollars will be spent online by 2020, equaling all combined ‘offline’ ad spend, such as TV, print ads, and billboard posters.
However, all the advertising strategies from the ancient period to digital have aimed at remaining at the forefront of the consumer’s mind.
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The ‘AIDA Model’ for every advertisement
The presentation of information through various media has taken a dramatic leap. It has the prowess to engage the customers through both entertainment and information, but every advertisement crafted constitutes the basics of the AIDA model that stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
This clearly spells out the prominent position of advertising as a marketing tool for any business entity. Advertising should never cease, it should just become wiser and experienced as the brand passes from its introductory to its maturity phase.
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To elaborate on this model, below are 7 more reasons that showcase the advertising’s undebatable position in every business’s strategy:
1. Advertising Addresses Needs through Your Products
By answering the 5W1H (who, what, where, when, why and how) advertisements in a very crisp manner and a short period display the key features of your product.
Nobody likes to be sermonized, however,everyone likes to adapt to something that is newsy and trendy. Advertising lends these attributes to your product while astutely offering the solutions to the problems through the launch of a new product, service or an idea.
In this era, however, brands go beyond the audience’s perception of needs and wants by positioning the products in a manner that can make a difference in consumer’s lives either by giving them a status in the society, providing security or satisfying a certain kind of desire.
2. Advertising Offers Alternatives
In the cut-throat competition in the market, advertising is the only tool that helps to differentiate your company’s products and showcase alternatives equipped with added features or better performance.
Gerard Tellis author of “Effective Advertising: Understanding When, How and Why Advertising Works” said that advertising invites the target audience to evaluate how your product or service measures up against your competitors.
3. Advertising Creates Loyal Customers
When advertising uses the common man as the hero, a customer can easily identify himself/herself with the brand’s central message and this inspires the change in behavior and action.
Graeme Newell in his blog about ‘Nike Brand Strategy: Emotional Branding Using the Story of Heroism’ explains, “Nike advertising takes the common hero story and turns it on its head. Instead of inspiring customer loyalty by singling out an external enemy, it pulls out the stops and focuses on an internal foe – our laziness.”
4. Advertising Builds Long-Term Relationships
Businesses are aware that it is very difficult to win a new customer, but it is equally tough to retain the existing customers.With the proliferation of media platforms, it is pertinent for businesses to leverage all mediums like websites, email-messaging, social media, etc.
This helps to establish a personal connection with the audience through an interactive process. This is the era where advertising helps the brand to create the culture of trust.
Hence, advertising should not only take place during the launch of a product or on special occasions, but it should be a continuous process that makes customers an inevitable part of the brand journey.
5. Advertising Increases Revenue
Vilfredo Federico Damaso Pareto who was a popular Italian philosopher and economist developed the ‘Pareto Principle’ according to which businesses earn 80% of total profits through 20% of customers.
Advertising plays a crucial role here as only the brilliantly conceptualized ads hit the viewers mind and persuade them to take an action.According to one survey, it was found out that businesses who maintained or expanded advertising over a five-year period saw their sales increase an average of 100 percent, and companies that cut their advertising budget grew at a less than half the rate of those who advertised steadily.
6. Advertising Builds your Brand Image
When any business entity plunges into advertising, it showcases its dynamic nature. It evokes the feeling of sincerity and authenticity.Advertising humanizes the brand by giving it a personality. This image should not just resonate with the social standards of the target audience but it should be the extension of the audience’s personality.
Especially, strong advertisements that are endorsed by celebrities enhance the image of a brand in the consumer’s mind.
Advertising through various parameters, differentiators and use of the right medium can help businesses to build a strong reputation in the market. All these factors lead to change in the consumer buying behaviour leading to increased sales or revenue.
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7. Advertising Boosts Morale
Last but not the least, advertising is not just meant to grab the eyeballs of outsiders but also hugely impacts the employees working in your organization.One cannot disagree with the fact that employee morale is one of the crucial factors for any company to succeed.
Making employees an inevitable part of the ads conceptualization, asking them about their views on the ads created, telling them when ads will appear, etc. will knowingly or unknowingly create a greater sense of pride among them for the company. Yes, it also creates a sense of ownership in them that motivates them to live the vision and achieve the mission of your company.
It is crystal clear that the end goal of any advertising is to get the consumer buy a product.
However, advertising has several dimensions that aim to start a dialogue between ideas and reality, address the aspirations empathetically and, thereafter, make the product or service an important element of the culture.This transition from propagating one’s idea to penetrating into the tradition and customs defines the success of any business entity.
In this transition, only advertising with its creative and strategic tools can help the brands to create a strong image in the market and helps business take an upward graph.
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