Like any other industry, the advertising industry is developing. The horizon of influence is expanding, advertisers go beyond the typical framework and achieve their goals at times in illogical ways. What caused this and what are the future prospects of this industry?
The main goals and objectives of common types of advertising
A typical definition of advertising is an impersonal message addressed to a wide range of people through the media. What are the goals of advertising? If we consider them in a general sense, then any advertising is aimed at awakening a specific reaction from the target audience. Mostly with a positive attitude towards the advertised product or company.
Advertising is based on global communication. If we look at the goals of advertising from this point of view, we can distinguish two main goals:
- Creating a positive opinion about the product.
- Dissemination of product or company information.
In the system of economic sciences, advertising takes an offshoot from marketing. Being a powerful marketing tool, within the framework of a communication system, advertising contributes to the achievement of two marketing objectives: the formation of demand and the urge to shop.
Marketing Goals
The goals and objectives of advertising in the framework of marketing can be divided into three groups:
- Spread of information.
- The conviction of utility.
- Maintaining a formed image.
Nevertheless, in each case, the goals of advertising are individual, depending on the ultimate goals of the company. Given the importance of each of these tasks in the development of the company, you should consider them in detail.
Spread of information
At the initial stage of business, when a brand or a company is just starting to operate in the market, advertising should be emphasized. The main goals of advertising at this stage are to get acquainted with the product. The ultimate goal is to create primary demand.
In parallel, a company can collect information about customer needs. The content of advertising should be aimed at disseminating information relevant to customers. In marketing, this type of advertising is called informative advertising.
Information dissemination objectives
If we detail the tasks of disseminating information, we can distinguish the following:
- Information about the beginning of the sale of a new product.
- Qualitative properties of the goods.
- Ways to use.
- The difference in cost compared to other similar products.
- Additional services.
- Eliminating the wrong opinion of customers about the product as a whole.
Informative advertising should prepare the audience for the next stage of marketing campaigns - persuasion.
Conviction
For the formation of convincing advertising, the company must have as much information as possible about competitors' products. Information should be collected in two directions: what are the current offers on the market and what are the disadvantages in them? The information obtained makes it possible to use the weaknesses of competitors to their advantage.
The lion's share of active advertising in the market is convincing. At first glance, it is difficult to distinguish from informative advertising. But in the framework of the company's marketing strategies, both types occupy a separate position: it is impossible to convince a client if he first sees a product. Informative advertising greatly simplifies this task.
In practice, marketers and advertising specialists use a wide arsenal of rational and even absurd methods to convince. The goal is to gain customer confidence in such a way that he prefers not a competitive product, but this particular brand.
What tasks does it solve?
The purposes of using advertising in the context of persuasion can be systematized in the following order:
- Promote sales.
- Encourage impulsive shopping.
- Sell an additional product.
- Lay out a product image that is different from a competitive one.
- Get high audience ratings.
- Increase customer loyalty.
Once these goals are achieved, one should not stop. As you know, if a company wants to develop, it should not go in cycles at a certain stage. There is a need to maintain the image of the product.
Image maintenance
When the product is widely known among the population, sales are stable, the advertising goals should change their direction. Now the company should strive not only to retain existing customers, but also encourage them to make systematic purchases.
Advertising at this stage should be reminiscent. All types of advertising campaigns should be aimed at maintaining steady demand. It should be borne in mind that reminiscent advertising is somewhat limited, as it is effective only for those customers who are already familiar with the product.
Specialists know that most purchases are made spontaneously. At the time of purchase, the name and brand of the product does not matter to them at all. This approach is clearly visible when buying food. But for other products, this rule is relevant.
The name and properties begin to be interested directly in use or after use. The role of image advertising for a product is to be in the center of attention of the client as often as possible when he is ready for shopping.
Priority tasks
When implementing a marketing strategy of a reminiscent nature, the purpose of advertising is several areas:
- Inform the buyer regularly.
- Prompt about the need for purchases.
- Disseminate information on where else you can buy goods.
- Repeat quality properties.
- Remind you of differences from your competitors.
- Emphasize the features of pricing policy.
- Promote repeat purchases.
- Spread information about the new lineups.
- Encourage customers.
Thus, the manufacturer’s need for advertising persists throughout his entire activity.
Social advertisement
Of particular note is social advertising. If a business uses it to promote goods, stimulate sales and increase profits, advertising plays a fundamentally different role in the social sector.
To date, social advertising has become widespread in almost all countries of the world. The reason for this is the comprehensive flexibility of advertising as a form of information transfer.
Every society has its own problems. National governments, non-profit organizations, and civic initiative groups are active in eliminating them. A wide range of methods are used in their work. However, due to the versatility of social strata, the characteristics of human perception, voluminous and serious information attracts the attention of only a small group of the population.
Considering the fact that almost all focal problem groups in society are characterized by a low level of education, do not have the skills to analyze information and generally tend to ignore the rational order, it became necessary to convey ideas in the most concise and simple way. From this point of view, advertising meets all the requirements of initiators of ideas.
Goals and objectives of social advertising
Depending on the content, the goals of social advertising are individual. But if we look at the entire branch of social advertising, then the idea is always the same - the impact on the behavior of the focus group. For example, social advertising for the protection of children should be aimed at changing the behavior of adults towards children.If we take advertising against drugs or alcoholism, then it appeals to relatives of addicts, as the fight against addiction always covers a group of people.
In other respects, social advertising uses the same methods and forms as commercial advertising. It is also published in the media, the Internet and on external media.
Currently, three groups of social advertising are relevant:
- Promotion of a certain lifestyle. Such advertising carries the idea of the need to play sports, get rid of bad habits, protect yourself from dangerous diseases and develop a rational approach to life.
- Protection of rights. Such advertising often borders on political propaganda. But it all depends on the authors. The presence of legal norms in society, regardless of political factors, is an inexorable fact. For example, child abuse. It is generally accepted that such a phenomenon is characteristic only of social groups with a low standard of living. However, similar facts regularly occur in the advanced countries of the world. And politics has nothing to do with this.
- Patriotic character. It can be used to develop self-identification and national identity of the population. It is impossible to deny that political motives can often be present here. Especially if the country has developed political technology. However, the theory of advertising has a sufficient set of tools and solutions that help to clearly convey the idea of social advertising.
Conclusion
Advertising currently goes far beyond forming opinions about specific things. If earlier the goals and means of advertising were of a simple commercial nature, then now there is a current trend in which the idea is primary and the product or brand plays a secondary role. This approach greatly simplifies the tasks of specialists, since the idea involves an impact through universal values. And technology helps a lot in this. The process can be complicated only by strong competition in the selected sector.