Advertising
and Marketing
to be integrated with Planning and executing a communication action for promoting awareness
Presentation: The campaign strategy
Learning Objectives
Advertising and marketing help shape a organization’s “reality,” the way it
is seen by the public—even when that image isn’t necessarily real.
Marketing is the process by which organizations, products, and services are introduced and presented to the marketplace. Marketing is more interested in introducing you to the organization and its products or services—to making you aware that they are out there and available—than in actually selling you something.
What Are You Marketing?
1.
Product (or Service):
What exactly are you trying to get across? What’s the point? Are you actually introducing something new? Or, are you reintroducing something that has been around for a while, and making it look new with a new marketing campaign? The product can be an actual product, a service, a organization, an idea, or philosophy. “Say NO to drugs!” is as much a product as a can of shoe polish.
2. Price:
The price doesn’t always have to be money. Eggs cost money. Being fit “costs” physical exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and a good diet.
3. Promotion:
What method or methods will you use to promote whatever it is that you are marketing? An advertising campaign? A public relations campaign? Product placement in TV or movies? Celebrity endorsements?
4.
Place:
How and where will you place your message so that it reaches the people—the market segment—you are aimed at? Will you use all media? Just print? What about radio, TV, the Internet, and/or personal appearances by people who use and endorse the product?
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Designing a Marketing Campaign
Once you know your product, price, promotion, and place, it’s time to start
developing an actual marketing plan.
Even though much of this plan will be similar to the elements of an advertising campaign, the primary focus is to present and introduce—or reintroduce—the product to the action sponsor/beneficiary. Sales come later, once the public knows just what it is that you are trying to sell them.
The following seven-step marketing plan contains elements found in all of them. There are only so many things that can be said, or proven to be effective, in marketing. While new products and services are always being developed, the process of actually marketing them—generating interest that will lead to sales—is as old as commerce itself.
1) The Product is…
You know what you are marketing. Now explain it. People who design computer chips, for example, know everything there is to know about computer chips. They are the last people in the world, however, you would want to put in charge of marketing them. They are usually too close to the product to be able to look at it as users will.
As media scholar Marshal McLuhan once observed, we do not know who it was who first “discovered” water, but we can be pretty sure that it wasn’t a fish.
2) The Market is…
To whom are you trying to market your product? Define them by age, gender, occupation,
income, interests, educational level, marital status, social position, or in any other
ways that will help you get a clear picture of who you have to reach.
Is your market confined to one local area? Is it regional? National? International?
Develop a profile, or profiles, of your typical user or users. When you are dealing with different market segments—men and women, people of different ages, and so on—ask yourself what do they all have in common that make the product or service appealing or desirable to them?
3)
The Competition is…
With whom, exactly, are you competing? Conversely, who are you not competing with? There are direct and indirect competitors.
4)
The Strengths and Weakness are…
What are you and your organization’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of financial stability, cash flow, and personnel? Are you servicing capabilities ready to perform as needed? Do you and the organization have enough experience to realistically compete, persevere, survive, and thrive in this arena? How solid is your project/programme purpose plan? What could possibly go wrong, and what could you do to overcome or recover from it?
Now, what are your product’s strengths and weaknesses? Take a close look at the competition—all the direct competition—and do a point-by-point comparison. Is theirs sturdier or more breakable than yours? More or less dependable? Faster or slower? Cheaper or more expensive? Fashionable or out-of-date? Simpler to operate or more complex? Does it require more maintenance or less? Easier or harder to service? Make sure that you look at everything. That’s exactly what your competition and potential beneficiaries will be doing.
Even though you cannot do a direct comparison with indirect competition, you should be
aware of what it is out there and why some people choose it over you or your direct
competitor’s products.
5) The Opportunities and Threats are…
What are the opportunities and threats facing you and your project/programme purpose? What is the economic picture? Is there anything or anyone out there—competitor, government agency, or anyone else—that could cause you problems? If so, what are they?
6) The Objective is…
Set realistic and quantifiable objectives. While it might appear confident, brave, and noble, make a great media sound bite, and inspire the rest of the organization to announce that you will dominate the sector of activity within three years, you really need to come up with something that is achievable and that you can measure.
7)
The Strategy is…
Now that you have answered all the other questions, you are ready to devise the actually strategy you will use to tell people about it. This will include getting publicity and having the product written about and put on display. You will also want to get people who can be expected to influence buyers to use your product. If you are introducing a new line of golf clubs, for example, you’ll want testimonials from well-known golfers. You’ll also have to determine how much it will cost, and where it will be available. We are now beginning to get into the advertising strategy.
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Designing an Advertising Campaign
Once you have a solid marketing plan in place, the next step is to develop your
advertising campaign.
This section is not about being creative, or coming up with catchy slogans or jingles. It will not go into what percentage of your advertising budget should go for TV, radio, print, or the Internet. This is a look at the process of developing an advertising campaign as a communication tool.
1. Know exactly what are you advertising
You’ve already defined and identified your product. Now might be a good time to give it a name and image that will set it apart from the competition.
2. Know your audience
To whom are you trying to sell? What media does your target market read, listen to, and watch? This is where your advertisements need to be placed.
3.
Know what is unique about the product
What sets your product or service apart from everyone and everything else that is out there? Does you product have a unique image? If you can find something unique, that no one else can offer, and base your advertising campaign on that, your message will stand out.
4. Make one point at a time
Most radio and TV advertisements last for 30 or 60 seconds, and people are very often doing something else while they are on. They might be driving, carrying on a conversation, using that time to get something out of the refrigerator, or any of a number of other things. Many people automatically “tune out” as soon as a commercial starts. People also routinely skip over advertisements in their newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet, or channel surf pasty them on television.
The first thing any advertisement or commercial has to do is get our attention. We don’t pay any attention to them unless they do. The actual message comes after they have it. This means that before there can be any message conveyed, time has to be spent getting the attention of the person who is supposed to receive it. As a result, you don’t have time for any complicated messages. If the one you are trying to get across is complex, break it down into a series of simple ones.
5. Keep it simple
Whatever your messages—or messages—might be, keep it simple. Think about the advertising messages or slogans that you can remember. They’re probably simple. The good ones are.
6. Spend enough money
Neither advertising space nor commercial airtime is free. Be ready—and able—to pay for enough of it to make sure that your message starts to register. It won’t happen overnight.
7. Know with whom you need to advertise
If your product or service is aimed at grandparents, don’t waste money buying airtime on a rap music station, or in a fashion magazine. Not only do you need to know who your market is, but you have to know where to advertise to reach them.
8.
Say it again, and again, and again
Studies show that it takes time for people to become aware of commercials and for their messages to register. They have to hear it again, and again, and again. That means that you will have to buy more and more airtime and advertising space.
9. It’s OK to be nervous
If your advertising campaign is unlike any campaign you have seen before; if it pushes the envelope; if it makes you nervous… You just might be on the right track.
You’re already risking money on introducing a new product. If your product is as new, innovative, and different as you claim it to be, shouldn’t your advertising match it?
10. Have another one ready to go
All advertising campaigns get old and stale eventually. Sometimes you have to start over. Other times you just have to make a few changes. Monitor your advertising campaign’s effectiveness. It will tell you when it needs changing.
11.
Talk to a professional
Advertising agencies and consultants are experts in creating advertising campaigns, and using them effectively. Creating your own campaign is like cutting your own hair. You will save money, but it will be obvious that you did.
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