Advertising 101 | Car Dealer Marketing Agency
Advertising is essentially a pivotal marketing tool that is used to gain traction for the sales of products and services of an enterprise. It can be defined as a mass form of communication which leverages different kinds of mediums to inform a targeted audience and create awareness among them about a brand. Using commendable marketing techniques, advertising is instrumental in offering a true value proposition to customers and in turn influencing their perceptions about a brand while persuading them to purchase products or services.
Salient characteristics of advertising
- Advertising seeks to convince prospective customers to purchase a product or service.
- Advertising is primarily done using written, spoken and visual messages.
- Successful advertisements are unique and innovative and aim to generate intrigue in the minds of the target audience.
- Advertising focuses on problems faced by clients and offers effective solutions in the form of products and services.
Functions of advertising
- Advertising employs the use of mass media to reach out and promote the products or services of an enterprise to a larger audience.
- Advertising plays an integral role in bolstering the sales quotient and ROI of an enterprise.
- Advertisement campaigns are responsible for creating awareness about a product well in advance before they are launched in the market. This creates familiarity for that particular product among its targeted audience and people tend to buy it without any hesitation.
- Advertising is a non personal way of establishing a business relationship between a consumer and an enterprise.
- Advertising creates valuable mindshare among the target audience which facilitates the sales of a product through a brand’s subsidiaries and franchisees.
Most sought after categories of advertising
- Print advertising – Print advertising is one of the oldest and most leveraged mediums of advertising. Typically print advertising is done via newspapers and magazines. On a smaller scale print advertising is also done using brochures and flyers.
- Broadcast advertising – Broadcast advertising is a very potent form of advertising and is done by leveraging the viral nature of the internet, radio and television mediums.
- Subliminal advertising – Subliminal advertising is used by brands to generate intrigue among its target audience. This is done by covertly featuring products or making subtle references about them in movies, television shows as well as in sports.
- Outdoor advertising – Outdoor advertising is one of the most popular after print and is done to engage the interest of prospective customers outdoors. Outdoor advertising is typically done using billboards, hoardings as well as through transit in the form of vehicles.
- Celebrity advertising – Celebrity advertising essentially capitalizes on societies love for celebs and famous individuals. Prominent celebs are employed by companies to endorse their products and services. This is a very effective way to convince potential customers into buying a particular product.
Advertising is a seamless tool that is being increasingly augmented with fresh new innovative strategies across the business spectrum. Revolutionary forms of advertising such as mobile ads and QR codes are being devised by brands in a bid to effectively penetrate their targeted audiences. By strengthening the engagement with prospective clients these high octane mediums have enabled businesses to expand their consumer base and exponentially increase their profitability.