INTRODUCTION ADVERTISING

Unit Structure 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2

Definitions of Advertising 1.3 Features of
Advertising 1.4 Objectives of Advertising 1.5
Importance of Advertising 1.6 Active Participant in
advertising 1.7 Role of advertising Marketing Mix
1.8 Role of advertising in Society 1.9 Summery 1.10
Questions 1.0 OBJECTIVES After completion of this
lesson the student will be able to understand:
Meaning, Nature and Features of Advertising
Objectives of Advertising Importance of Advertising
Active Participant in Advertising Role of Advertising
in Marketing Mix Role of Advertising in Society
Advertising and Brand building 1.1
INTRODUCTION:
The word advertising comes form the latin word
"advertere meaning” to turn the minds of towards".
Some of the definitions given by various authors
are: According to William J. Stanton, "Advertising
consists of all the activities involved in presenting to
an audience a non-personal, 2 sponsor-identified,
paid-for message about a product or organization."
According to American Marketing Association
"advertising is any paid form of non-personal
presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and
services by an identified sponsor". Advertising is
used for communicating business information to
the present and prospective customers. It usually
provides information about the advertising firm, its
product qualities, place of availability of its
products, etc. Advertisement is indispensable for
both the sellers and the buyers. However, it is more
important for the sellers. In the modern age of large
scale production, producers cannot think of pushing
sale of their products without advertising them.
Advertisement supplements personal selling to a
great extent. Advertising has acquired great
importance in the modern world where tough
competition in the market and fast changes in
technology, we find fashion and taste in the
customers. 1.2 DEFINITIONS OF ADVERTISING 1.
American Marketing Association has defined
advertising as “any paid form of non-personal
presentation of ideas, goods and services by an
indentified sponsor”. 2. According to Webstar,
“Advertising is to give public notice or to announce
publicity”. 3. According to Gardner, “Advertising is
the means of mass selling that has grown up
parallel with and has been made necessary to mass
production”. 1.3 FEATURES OF ADVERTISING 1.
Communication : Advertising is means of mass
communication reaching the masses. It is a non-
personal communication because it is addressed to
masses. 2. Information : Advertising informs the
buyers about the benefits they would get when
they purchase a particular product. However, the
information given should be complete and true. 3.
Persuasion : The advertiser expects to create a
favourable attitude which will lead to favourable
actions. Any advertising process attempts at
converting the prospects into customers. It is thus
an indirect salesmanship and essentially a
persuasion technique. 3 4. Profit Maximisation :
True advertising does not attempt at maximising
profits by increasing the cost but by promoting the
sales. This way It won‟t lead to increase the price of
the product. Thus, it has a higher sales approach
rather than the higher-cost approach. 5. Non-
Personal Presentation : Salesmanship is personal
selling whereas advertising is non-personal in
character. Advertising is not meant for anyone
individual but for all. There is absence of personal
appeal in advertising. 6. Identified Sponsor : A
sponsor may be an individual or a firm who pays for
the advertisement. The name of reputed company
may increase sale or products. The product gets
good market because of its identity with the
reputed corporate body. 7. Consumer Choice :
Advertising facilitates consumer choice. It enables
consumers to purchase goods as per their budget
requirement and choice. Right choice makes
consumer happy and satisfied. 8. Art, Science and
Profession : Advertising is an art because it
represents a field of creativity. Advertising is a
science because it has a body of organised
knowledge. Advertising is profession is now treated
as a profession with its professional bodies and
code of conduct for members. 9. Element of
Marking Mix : Advertising is an important element
of promotion mix. Advertising has proved to be of
great utility to sell goods and services. Large
manufactures spend crores of rupees on
advertising. 10. Element of Creativity : A good
advertising campaign involves lot of creativity and
imagination. When the message of the advertiser
matches the expectations of consumers, such
creativity makes way for successful campaign. 1.4
OBJECTIVES OF ADVERTISING The fundamental
purpose of advertising is to sell something - a
product, a service or an idea. In addition to this
general objective, advertising is also used by the
modern business enterprises for certain specific
objectives which are listed below : 1. To introduce a
new product by creating interest for it among the
prospective customers. 2. To support personal
selling programme. Advertising maybe used to open
customers' doors for salesman. 4 3. To reach people
inaccessible to salesman. 4. To enter a new market
or attract a new group of customers. 5. To light
competition in the market and to increase the sales
as seen in the fierce competition between Coke and
Pepsi. 6. To enhance the goodwill of the enterprise
by promising better quality products and services. 7.
To improve dealer relations. Advertising supports
the dealers in selling he product. Dealers are
attracted towards a product which is advertised
effectively. 8. To warn the public against imitation
of an enterprise's products. 1.5 IMPORTANCE OF
ADVERTISING Advertising has become an essential
marketing activity in the modern era of large scale
production and serve competition in the market. It
performs the following functions: 1. Promotion of
Sales : It promotes the sale of goods and services by
informing and persuading the people to buy them.
A good advertising campaign helps in winning new
customers both in the national as wet as in the
international markets. 2. Introduction of New
Product : It helps the introduction of new products
in the market. A business enterprise can introduce
itself and its product to the public through
advertising. A new enterprise can't make an impact
on the prospective customers without the help of
advertising. Advertising enables quick publicity in
the market. 3. Creation of Good Public Image : It
builds up the reputation of the advertiser.
Advertising enables a business firm to communicate
its achievements in an effort to satisfy the
customers' needs. This increases the goodwill and
reputation of the firm which is necessary to fight
against competition in the market. 4. Mass
Production : Advertising facilitates large-scale
production. Advertising encourages production of
goods in large-scale because the business firm
knows that it will be able to sell on large-scale with
the help of advertising. Mass production reduces
the cost of production per unit by the economical
use of various factors of production. 5. Research :
Advertising stimulates research and development
activities. Advertising has become a competitive
marketing activity. Every firm tries to differentiate
its product from the substitutes available in the
market through advertising. This compels every 5
business firm to do more and more research to find
new products and their new uses. If a firm does not
engage in research and development activities, it
will be out of the market in the near future. 6.
Education of People : Advertising educate the
people about new products and their uses.
Advertising message about the utility of a product
enables the people to widen their knowledge. It is
advertising which has helped people in adopting
new ways of life and giving-up old habits. It has
contributed a lot towards the betterment of the
standard of living of the society. 7. Support to
Press : Advertising provides an important source of
revenue to the publishers and magazines. It enables
to increase the circulation of their publication by
selling them at lower rates. People are also
benefited because they get publications at cheaper
rates. Advertising is also a source of revenue for TV
network. For instance, Doordarshan and ZeeTV
insert ads before, in between and after various
programmes and earn millions of rupees through
ads. Such income could be used for increasing the
quality of programmes and extending coverage. 1.6
ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN ADVERTISING Following are
the group of people who are actively involved in
advertising. 1. Advertiser : Seller who manufacture
and market consumer products are the prominent
group of advertisers. Hindustan unilever , proctor
and gamble, Seimen and Larson and toubro are the
examples of advertisers. Also the retailers are the
second prominent segment among advertisers.
They stock the products . and sell them to the
ultimate consumers. Government and social
organization are also the active participant in this
category. 2. Target audience : It refers to the
recipient of the advertising message. Every message
is either directed to a mass audience and class
audience. Advertising desire to cover this target
audience for promoting sales. Advertising message
intends to cover the potential user and non user
who may purchase the product in future. The
messages are also directed to the user of the
competitor's product so that they switch over the
advertiser's products. 3. Advertising Agencies : An
advertiser has two options viz. (i) to design, develop
and produce and advertising message and get it
placed in desired media directly through his own
sales or advertising department, or (ii) to entrust
the entire job of advertising 6 to a team of highly
professionalised, specialised, independent,
advertising agency. An advertising agency is
composed of creative people, who conceive design,
develop and produce, advertising message with
creative ideas and place it in the desired advertising
media, for and on behalf of its client (the
advertiser). The advertising agencies usually charge
a commission of 15% on the media bills from the
media owners. In addition, they charge out-of
pocket expenses to their clients, i.e. the advertisers.
They employ copywriters, artists, photographers.
Typographers, layout designers, editors and such
other creative people. 4. Advertising Production
People (Artists) : The production of impressive and
persuasive advertisements is possible only with the
active help and creative spirit of the artists like
copywriters, artists, photographers, typographers,
layout designers, editors and such other creative
people. Such people are usually employed by the ad
agencies or, their services may be hired by the ad
agencies on job basis. 5. Target Audience (Readers,
Listeners, Viewers and Present and Future Buyers) :
Advertising messages are given about products
services and ideas to readers, listeners, viewers and
actual and potential buyers, who are known as the
audience. The target audience may be classified
into the following three categories, viz., (i) existing
or, current consumers, who are reminded and
influenced to continue their patronage and to
increase the volume of their buying, (ii) consumers,
who buy and use, a competitor‟s brand; hence they
are persuaded to buy the advertised brand, instead
of the competitor‟s brand; and (iii) those
consumers, who do not use any such product; and
even then, are persuaded to buy the advertised
product. 6. Mass Media : Advertising messages are
communicated to the target audience through
different mass media, such as, (i) Print Media : They
consist of newspapers, magazines, journals,
handbills, etc. (ii) Electronic Media : They consist of
radio, television motion pictures, video, multi-
media and the internet. (iii) Outdoor Media : They
consist off posters, hoarding, handbills, stickers air
balloons, neon sing bill boards, local cinema houses,
and transit media. 7 (iv) Direct Mail : It consist of
brouchers, leaflets, pamphlets, letters and return
cards addressed to consumers. The advertising
agencies guide their clients (advertisers) in selection
of the most appropriate advertising media, which is
known as „media planning‟. Each medium has sits
own merits and demerits. 7. Government
Authorities : The business of advertising is regulated
by the government department. The government
adopts law and regulation which have a direct or an
indirect bearing on the advertising. Apart from this
ASCI (Advertising standards council of India) and
ABC (Audit Bureau of circulation) are also some of
authorities regulating advertising. 8. Advertising
Production Firms: Advertising production firms are
the support agencies which help in the production
of advertisement. This includes copywriter, artist,
photographers, typographers, producer, editors.
These are the people who transform ideas into a
finished forms Thus the success and failure of the
advertisement depend on these people. Check your
progress 1. “Advertising has become an essential
marketing activity in the modern era of
globalization”. Explain. 2. Explain how the following
group of people are involved in advertising. a) Mass
Media b) Target Audience c) Advertising Agencies d)
Government Authorities 3. “To sell something is not
the only objective of Advertisement”. Discuss. 1.7
ROLE OF ADVERTISING IN MARKETING MIX
Marketing mix consist of four important variables of
marketing, i.e. 4Ps-Product, Price, Promotion and
Place. Apart from the traditional 4 Ps, there are also
other variables, i.e. Packaging, Postion, and Pace.
Advertising is an element of promotion. However, it
not only assists in promoting the product, but also
affects the other variables of marketing mix. This
can be explained as follows: 8 1. Advertising and
Product : A product is normally a set of physical
elements, such as quality, shape, size, colour and
other features. The product may be of very high
quality .At times, the product is so designed that it
requires careful handling and operations. Buyers
must be informed and educated on the various
aspects of the product. This can be effectively done
through advertising. Thus, advertising plays the role
of information and education. 2. Advertising and
Price : The price is the exchange value of the
product. A marketer may bring out a very high
quality product with additional features as
compared to competitors. In such a case, price
would be definitely high. But buyers may not be
willing to pay a high price would be definitely high.
Here comes advertising. Advertising can convince
buyers regarding the superiority of the brand and
thus its value for money. This can be done by
associating the product with prestigious people,
situations, or events. Alternatively when a firm
offers a low price products the job of advertising
needs to stress the price advantage by using hard
hitting copy. It is not just enough to convince, but it
is desirable to persuade the buyer. Thus advertising
plays the role of conviction and persuasion. 3.
Advertising and Place : Place refers to physical
distribution and the stores where the goods are
available Marketer should see to it that the goods
are available at the convenient place and that too at
the right time when the buyers need it. To facilitate
effective distribution and expansion of market,
advertising is of great significance. Thus advertising
do help in effective distribution and market
expansion. 4. Advertising and Promotion :
Promotion consists of advertising, publicity,
personal selling and sales promotion technique.
Businessmen today have to face a lot of
competition. Every seller needs effective promotion
to survive and succeed in this competitive business
world. Advertising can play a significant role to put
forward the claim of seller, and to counter the
claims of competitor. Through effective advertising,
sellers can face competition and also help to
develop brand image and brand loyalty. 5.
Advertising and Pace : Pace refers to the speed in
marketing decisions and actions. It involves among
other things the launch of new products or brand
variations at greater speed than before. As and
when new brands are launched, advertising plays an
important role of informing, educating and
persuading the customers to buy the product. 9 6.
Advertising and Packaging : The main purpose of
packaging is protection of the product during
transit, and preservation of quality and quantity.
Nowadays, marketers take lot of efforts to develop
and design attractive packages as they carry
advertising value. A creatively design package
attract the attention of the customers. It also carries
an assurance of quality and creates confidence in
the minds of customers to buy the product. 7.
Advertising and Positioning : Product positioning
aims at creating and maintaining a distinct image of
the brands in the minds of the customers. Through
advertising the marketer can convey the positioning
of the brand and accordingly can influence the
buying decision of the target audience. 1.8 ROLE OF
ADVERTISING IN SOCIETY : Advertising is the
integral part of every day's life. It is a pervasive
method of marketing in society. Though the
methods by which marketers advertise have
changed over the decades, the role and purpose of
advertising has changed over the period of time.
Without advertising modern society cannot
survive .Advertising is useful to society in following
ways. Encourage Purchasing Encouraging people to
purchase goods and services is the main role of
advertising. Some industries rely on advertising
more than others: A cereal company, for instance,
must advertise more aggressively, due to the wide
arrange of competing products, than a power
company that faces little to no competition.
Advertisers often influence members of society to
purchase products based on instilling a feeling of
scarcity or lack. . Reflect cultural trends Advertising
bridges the gap among people by communicating
varied culture through advertising message. It bring
variation in the social life Promotes Economic
growth Advertising contributes to bring about all
round development of the economy by increasing
demand and by encouraging economic activities it
fuels the desire to shop and, in turn, shopping
stimulates the economy. Improves standard of
living : Advertising is an economic activity. It
provides opportunities to people to improve their
income. It motivates people to consume more
material and thereby improves their standard of
living. 10 Provides employment: Effective
advertising generates demand for goods and
services. high demand calls for more production
which requires more of physical and human
resources thus creating employment opportunities.
Advertising and Brand building Brands are the
identification that differentiates one business from
another (through name, symbol etc.). However,
today brands can also be defined as the personality
they reflect to people in relation to status,
emotional characteristics and subjective quality.
They give the consumers a perceived knowledge of
the product, its quality and uniqueness before they
buy it. Brands Ensure delivery of service as
promised by them. For example, Pizza Company A
claims to deliver pizza within a certain time and
Pizza company B claims to deliver most delicious
Pizzas. It makes easy for the consumers to identify
what they want and which brand to choose for it. It
is important for a brand to accomplish the claim
advertised to retain Brand Image. Advertising is one
of the key elements in building a brand, which is
equally important to the marketer and consumers.
Brand personality acts as a potent brand
differentiator and offers sustainable competitive
advantage. Advertising by creating or reinforcing
brand's personality enhances brand value or equity
which in turn can be leveraged through brand
extension. Brand personality also helps brands to
gain market share, command price premium and
insulates from discounting Brands. Building a strong
brand name is key factor for business success. In the
competitive business environment of today,
consumer sophistication has altered business
practices. Organizations are forced to anticipate
customers' needs and convey clear messages to
consumers by establishing strong brand names and
focusing on brand building. A brand's practical
attributes and symbolic values are inherent
elements that help the brand appeal on consumers'
minds and emotion. When consumers relate brands
with symbols, it becomes easier for an organization
to raise consumer interest. For instance, Lexus is
known for luxury, or Apple is known for innovation.
Therefore, in consumers' minds, a brand is more
than just a recognizable name: it is a promise that
needs to be met on a regular basis. 11 Advertising is
important for building brand awareness. By raising
consumer interest and making consumers
awareness of their products and services, firms not
only expand their customer base, but they also keep
their loyal customers and increase their market
share. In other words, the more aware consumers
are of a brand, the more likely they are to buy from
a particular business. Approaches in Brand building :
To make brand distinctive: brand building can be
done through repetitive advertising. Also by
highlighting unique selling proposition one can
distinguish brand from one another. 1. Constant
innovation: Consumers need continuous innovation
and new products. It is not always a new product
even an improvement on the existing product is
acceptable to the consumers. Through intensive
advertising such brands are build which is time
consuming. 2. Domination of brand: brand building
largely depends on the domination is creates on the
competitors. Domination can take place either in
national market or in niche market. 3. Prompt
availability: Prompt delivery of the product is one of
the factors that ensure brand building. This is
possible if there is proper coordination between the
finance, production, and marketing department. 4.
Integration of new and old media: Consumers have
ever changing demand. Due to availability of various
media option the seller can push the product in the
market by blend multiple media option .Thus
advertising message are flashed to consumers
through media mix. 1.9 SUMMERY Advertising
consists of all the activities involved in presenting to
an audience a non-personal, sponsor-identified,
paid-for message about a product or organization.
Advertising has become essential to promote sales,
to introduce new product, to create good public, for
large scale of production, for educating people etc.
Advertising is the integral part of every day's life.
Without advertising modern society cannot
survive .Advertising is useful to society as it
encouraging people to purchase goods and services,
12 it bridges the gap among people by
communicating varied culture through advertising
message, it contributes to bring about all round
development of the economy by increasing
demand, it provides opportunities to people to
improve their income. 1.10 QUESTIONS : 1. Define
Advertising and explain its nature and features. 2.
Define Advertising and explain the main objectives
of Advertising 3. What is Advertising? Explain the
importance of Advertising 4. Who are the Active
Participants in Advertising? 5. What is the Role of
Advertising in Marketing Mix? 6. Explain the Role of
Advertising in the Society 7. What is the interface
between Advertising and Brand building? Explain
the main approaches in Brand building
INTRODUCTION ADVERTISING Unit Structure 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Definitions of
Advertising 1.3 Features of Advertising 1.4 Objectives of Advertising 1.5 Importance of Advertising 1.6
Active Participant in advertising 1.7 Role of advertising Marketing Mix 1.8 Role of advertising in Society
1.9 Summery 1.10 Questions 1.0 OBJECTIVES After completion of this lesson the student will be able to
understand: Meaning, Nature and Features of Advertising Objectives of Advertising Importance of
Advertising Active Participant in Advertising Role of Advertising in Marketing Mix Role of Advertising in
Society Advertising and Brand building 1.1 INTRODUCTION: The word advertising comes form the latin
word "advertere meaning” to turn the minds of towards". Some of the definitions given by various
authors are: According to William J. Stanton, "Advertising consists of all the activities involved in
presenting to an audience a non-personal, 2 sponsor-identified, paid-for message about a product or
organization." According to American Marketing Association "advertising is any paid form of non-
personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor". Advertising
is used for communicating business information to the present and prospective customers. It usually
provides information about the advertising firm, its product qualities, place of availability of its products,
etc. Advertisement is indispensable for both the sellers and the buyers. However, it is more important
for the sellers. In the modern age of large scale production, producers cannot think of pushing sale of
their products without advertising them. Advertisement supplements personal selling to a great extent.
Advertising has acquired great importance in the modern world where tough competition in the market
and fast changes in technology, we find fashion and taste in the customers. 1.2 DEFINITIONS OF
ADVERTISING 1. American Marketing Association has defined advertising as “any paid form of non-
personal presentation of ideas, goods and services by an indentified sponsor”. 2. According to Webstar,
“Advertising is to give public notice or to announce publicity”. 3. According to Gardner, “Advertising is
the means of mass selling that has grown up parallel with and has been made necessary to mass
production”. 1.3 FEATURES OF ADVERTISING 1. Communication : Advertising is means of mass
communication reaching the masses. It is a non-personal communication because it is addressed to
masses. 2. Information : Advertising informs the buyers about the benefits they would get when they
purchase a particular product. However, the information given should be complete and true. 3.
Persuasion : The advertiser expects to create a favourable attitude which will lead to favourable actions.
Any advertising process attempts at converting the prospects into customers. It is thus an indirect
salesmanship and essentially a persuasion technique. 3 4. Profit Maximisation : True advertising does
not attempt at maximising profits by increasing the cost but by promoting the sales. This way It won‟t
lead to increase the price of the product. Thus, it has a higher sales approach rather than the higher-cost
approach. 5. Non-Personal Presentation : Salesmanship is personal selling whereas advertising is non-
personal in character. Advertising is not meant for anyone individual but for all. There is absence of
personal appeal in advertising. 6. Identified Sponsor : A sponsor may be an individual or a firm who pays
for the advertisement. The name of reputed company may increase sale or products. The product gets
good market because of its identity with the reputed corporate body. 7. Consumer Choice : Advertising
facilitates consumer choice. It enables consumers to purchase goods as per their budget requirement
and choice. Right choice makes consumer happy and satisfied. 8. Art, Science and Profession :
Advertising is an art because it represents a field of creativity. Advertising is a science because it has a
body of organised knowledge. Advertising is profession is now treated as a profession with its
professional bodies and code of conduct for members. 9. Element of Marking Mix : Advertising is an
important element of promotion mix. Advertising has proved to be of great utility to sell goods and
services. Large manufactures spend crores of rupees on advertising. 10. Element of Creativity : A good
advertising campaign involves lot of creativity and imagination. When the message of the advertiser
matches the expectations of consumers, such creativity makes way for successful campaign. 1.4
OBJECTIVES OF ADVERTISING The fundamental purpose of advertising is to sell something - a product, a
service or an idea. In addition to this general objective, advertising is also used by the modern business
enterprises for certain specific objectives which are listed below : 1. To introduce a new product by
creating interest for it among the prospective customers. 2. To support personal selling programme.
Advertising maybe used to open customers' doors for salesman. 4 3. To reach people inaccessible to
salesman. 4. To enter a new market or attract a new group of customers. 5. To light competition in the
market and to increase the sales as seen in the fierce competition between Coke and Pepsi. 6. To
enhance the goodwill of the enterprise by promising better quality products and services. 7. To improve
dealer relations. Advertising supports the dealers in selling he product. Dealers are attracted towards a
product which is advertised effectively. 8. To warn the public against imitation of an enterprise's
products. 1.5 IMPORTANCE OF ADVERTISING Advertising has become an essential marketing activity in
the modern era of large scale production and serve competition in the market. It performs the following
functions: 1. Promotion of Sales : It promotes the sale of goods and services by informing and
persuading the people to buy them. A good advertising campaign helps in winning new customers both
in the national as wet as in the international markets. 2. Introduction of New Product : It helps the
introduction of new products in the market. A business enterprise can introduce itself and its product to
the public through advertising. A new enterprise can't make an impact on the prospective customers
without the help of advertising. Advertising enables quick publicity in the market. 3. Creation of Good
Public Image : It builds up the reputation of the advertiser. Advertising enables a business firm to
communicate its achievements in an effort to satisfy the customers' needs. This increases the goodwill
and reputation of the firm which is necessary to fight against competition in the market. 4. Mass
Production : Advertising facilitates large-scale production. Advertising encourages production of goods
in large-scale because the business firm knows that it will be able to sell on large-scale with the help of
advertising. Mass production reduces the cost of production per unit by the economical use of various
factors of production. 5. Research : Advertising stimulates research and development activities.
Advertising has become a competitive marketing activity. Every firm tries to differentiate its product
from the substitutes available in the market through advertising. This compels every 5 business firm to
do more and more research to find new products and their new uses. If a firm does not engage in
research and development activities, it will be out of the market in the near future. 6. Education of
People : Advertising educate the people about new products and their uses. Advertising message about
the utility of a product enables the people to widen their knowledge. It is advertising which has helped
people in adopting new ways of life and giving-up old habits. It has contributed a lot towards the
betterment of the standard of living of the society. 7. Support to Press : Advertising provides an
important source of revenue to the publishers and magazines. It enables to increase the circulation of
their publication by selling them at lower rates. People are also benefited because they get publications
at cheaper rates. Advertising is also a source of revenue for TV network. For instance, Doordarshan and
ZeeTV insert ads before, in between and after various programmes and earn millions of rupees through
ads. Such income could be used for increasing the quality of programmes and extending coverage. 1.6
ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN ADVERTISING Following are the group of people who are actively involved in
advertising. 1. Advertiser : Seller who manufacture and market consumer products are the prominent
group of advertisers. Hindustan unilever , proctor and gamble, Seimen and Larson and toubro are the
examples of advertisers. Also the retailers are the second prominent segment among advertisers. They
stock the products . and sell them to the ultimate consumers. Government and social organization are
also the active participant in this category. 2. Target audience : It refers to the recipient of the
advertising message. Every message is either directed to a mass audience and class audience.
Advertising desire to cover this target audience for promoting sales. Advertising message intends to
cover the potential user and non user who may purchase the product in future. The messages are also
directed to the user of the competitor's product so that they switch over the advertiser's products. 3.
Advertising Agencies : An advertiser has two options viz. (i) to design, develop and produce and
advertising message and get it placed in desired media directly through his own sales or advertising
department, or (ii) to entrust the entire job of advertising 6 to a team of highly professionalised,
specialised, independent, advertising agency. An advertising agency is composed of creative people,
who conceive design, develop and produce, advertising message with creative ideas and place it in the
desired advertising media, for and on behalf of its client (the advertiser). The advertising agencies
usually charge a commission of 15% on the media bills from the media owners. In addition, they charge
out-of pocket expenses to their clients, i.e. the advertisers. They employ copywriters, artists,
photographers. Typographers, layout designers, editors and such other creative people. 4. Advertising
Production People (Artists) : The production of impressive and persuasive advertisements is possible
only with the active help and creative spirit of the artists like copywriters, artists, photographers,
typographers, layout designers, editors and such other creative people. Such people are usually
employed by the ad agencies or, their services may be hired by the ad agencies on job basis. 5. Target
Audience (Readers, Listeners, Viewers and Present and Future Buyers) : Advertising messages are given
about products services and ideas to readers, listeners, viewers and actual and potential buyers, who
are known as the audience. The target audience may be classified into the following three categories,
viz., (i) existing or, current consumers, who are reminded and influenced to continue their patronage
and to increase the volume of their buying, (ii) consumers, who buy and use, a competitor‟s brand;
hence they are persuaded to buy the advertised brand, instead of the competitor‟s brand; and (iii) those
consumers, who do not use any such product; and even then, are persuaded to buy the advertised
product. 6. Mass Media : Advertising messages are communicated to the target audience through
different mass media, such as, (i) Print Media : They consist of newspapers, magazines, journals,
handbills, etc. (ii) Electronic Media : They consist of radio, television motion pictures, video, multi-media
and the internet. (iii) Outdoor Media : They consist off posters, hoarding, handbills, stickers air balloons,
neon sing bill boards, local cinema houses, and transit media. 7 (iv) Direct Mail : It consist of brouchers,
leaflets, pamphlets, letters and return cards addressed to consumers. The advertising agencies guide
their clients (advertisers) in selection of the most appropriate advertising media, which is known as
„media planning‟. Each medium has sits own merits and demerits. 7. Government Authorities : The
business of advertising is regulated by the government department. The government adopts law and
regulation which have a direct or an indirect bearing on the advertising. Apart from this ASCI
(Advertising standards council of India) and ABC (Audit Bureau of circulation) are also some of
authorities regulating advertising. 8. Advertising Production Firms: Advertising production firms are the
support agencies which help in the production of advertisement. This includes copywriter, artist,
photographers, typographers, producer, editors. These are the people who transform ideas into a
finished forms Thus the success and failure of the advertisement depend on these people. Check your
progress 1. “Advertising has become an essential marketing activity in th

DETERMINANTS OF ADVERTISING MEDIA Selection of a right type of advertising media is a difficult task.
Any media that is selected must be capable of accomplishing at least the three main objectives : 1. It
must reach the largest number of people possible. 2. It must attract their attention. 3. It must be
economical. But in practice there is hardly any single media that satisfies the above three objectives.
There are number of advertising media choices available to the company in India. However, the real
managerial task is to identify from among them the one (s) which is relevant for the company. For this
purpose the management should consider the following factors: 1. The Nature of the Product : The
nature of the product determines the choice of the advertising media. For instance, cinema, television,
colour periodicals would be the obvious choice for products like fabrics and toilets requiring visual
presentation. In this connection, management should develop a product-media match. 2. Market
Requirements : While selecting advertising media, the company‟s market requirements should be
considered. When they meet these requirements, they lend themselves to good use. For example,
specialised high fashion colour magazines would be the proper media for consumers with high income
groups and sophisticated tastes. Similarly, outdoor media would be appropriate when consumer action
is to be induced at the point of purchase. 39 3. Advertising Objectives : The advertising objectives also
determine the type of media to be selected. For example, the press is preferred to project corporate
image while radio and television is relevant for product advertising. 4. Distribution Strategy : The
advertising media should be compatible with the distribution strategy adopted by the company. For
example, if the company is selling through middlemenwholesalers and retailers etc., then outdoor
advertising media duly supported by television, radio and cinema etc. may help to pull the product out
of channel. 5. Nature of the Message and Appeals : The nature of advertising message appeal also
determines the advertising media for a company. The media should be able to carry the message and
appeal to the right persons in the perspective. For example, if time is the essence of communication,
daily newspaper and radio may be the best choice. Mass consumption items like soaps, toothpastes,
hair oil etc. may determine television, newspapers as the best selection. 6. Budget : The budget available
for advertising purpose will decide the choice of media of advertising. For example, a manufacturer
having comparatively large funds for advertising may choose television or radio or both as a media of
advertising. On the other hand a medium or small sized businessman may prefer newspaper and
magazine as an advertising media. 7. Competitors Choices : A company should also take into account the
wisdom of competitors media choices despite differences in advertising objectives and appropriations. It
is not desirable to outright dismiss their choices. Generally, the advertising media used by competitors
are preferred so as to make an impressive appeal for the product. 8. Media Circulation : The company
should take into account the circulation of the advertising media. Media circulation must match the
distribution pattern of the product. This applies to the press media. Circulation should not be confused
with readership. Circulation means the number of copies sold after deduction of free copies, returns and
other differences between the total number of printed copies and total number sold at full price. The
advertising media selected should have maximum circulation, such as Hindustan Times etc. 9. Media
Availability : The question of media availability is quite relevant while considering advertising media
alternatives because not all medias are available to a company at all times whenever 40 required. For
instance, in 1973, and 1974, owing to acute newsprint shortage, space availability in national dailies was
a real problem. 10. Penetration : How can we penetrate the market most thoroughly or how can we
reach the greatest number of potential customers is also an important factor influencing the choice of a
particular advertising media. Shall we reach housewives at the kitchen-sink by means of television or
radio and which is likely to have the greater impact ? This fact should be considered. 11. Size and Nature
of the Business Enterprise : The size and nature of the business enterprise also play an important part in
making a choice for the advertising media. Different media will suit to departmental stores, chain stores,
small shops, manufacturers and producers etc. A big business enterprise may make use of television,
radio and newspapers having national network, whereas a small unit may prefer local newspapers and
cinema-slides etc. Thus the above factors are generally considered while selecting the advertising media
for selling the products. 4.3 RADIO ADVERTISING Today, radio has emerged as one of our major
advertising media. It provides a very large coverage of audience in urban and rural areas. Now almost
every family has a radio set in our country. Radio advertising in India was started in 1967 when a
commercial service on „Vividh Bharati‟ was started. Commercial broadcasting is now undertaken by
Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Poona, Nagpur and Bangalore stations etc. of All-India Radio. Ceylon
Radio Commercial Broadcasting is quite popular throughout the country. Commercial broadcasting is a
major source of income. Today, radio advertising is extremely popular with both trade and industry as
the demand exceeds the time. Radio advertising may be described as „word of mouth advertising on a
wide scale‟. The advertiser delivers the message orally and not visually. It makes appeal to the ear and
not to the eye with the effect that the message is conveyed to the masses whether literate or illiterate.
4.3.1 Advantages or Merits of Radio Advertising Radio advertising is quite popular in India on account of
the following advantages: 1. It has a wide coverage. Even illiterate people are covered under this media.
It can convey message even to small remote areas. 2. It is quite flexible as it can be used on a national or
local level according to the need. 41 3. It gives message of the advertiser at the door of the prospects
when they are in a respective mood. 4. It easily catches the attention of the people. 5. Today radio
advertising is a major source of income. 6. It claims the advantage of memorising value. In this
connection, psychologists say that anything learnt through the ears is not easily forgotten. 7. Radio
advertising affords variety of programmes including entertainment on account of which the goodwill is
developed. People buy the product advertised by radio because they enjoy the free show. 8. Radio
advertising has human touch unequalled by any other media. 4.3.2 Disadvantages, Demerits or
Limitations of Radio Advertising Radio advertising has the following disadvantages, demerits or
limitations : 1. The message given by radio advertising is short-lived. 2. It is costly and is beyond the
reach of small and medium sized advertisers. 3. It only appeals to the sense of hearing and thus does not
portray visually a picture of the package of the product. 4. It is not suitable for all kinds of products, such
as industrial goods which are not needed by the average radio listener. It is useful only for the goods of
common use. 5. Radio advertisements are very brief and thus details cannot be elaborated. 6. Since
there is a multiplicity of advertisements in a very short time, it is most likely that the listener may forget
the name of the product. 7. There is no possibility of demonstration in case of radio advertising. 8. It is a
selective media of advertising. FM broadcasting : FM broadcasting is a broadcast technology pioneered
by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation (FM) to provide high-fidelity sound over
broadcast radio. The term "FM band" is effectively shorthand for "frequency band in which FM is used
for broadcasting". This term can upset 42 purists because it conflates a modulation scheme with a range
of frequencies. Modulation characteristics : Frequency modulation (FM) is a form of modulation which
conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its frequency (contrast this with amplitude
modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant). In
analog applications, the instantaneous frequency of the carrier is directly proportional to the
instantaneous value of the input signal. This form of modulation is commonly used in the FM broadcast
band. Pre-emphasis and de-emphasis : Random noise has a triangular spectral distribution in an FM
system, with the effect that noise occurs predominantly at the highest frequencies within the baseband.
This can be offset, to a limited extent, by boosting the high frequencies before transmission and
reducing them by a corresponding amount in the receiver. Reducing the high frequencies in the receiver
also reduces the high-frequency noise. These processes of boosting and then reducing certain
frequencies are known as pre-emphasis and deemphasis, respectively. The amount of pre-emphasis that
can be applied is limited by the fact that many forms of contemporary music contain more
highfrequency energy than the musical styles which prevailed at the birth of FM broadcasting. They
cannot be pre-emphasized as much because it would cause excessive deviation of the FM carrier.
Systems more modern than FM broadcasting tend to use either programme-dependent variable pre-
emphasis; e.g., dbx in the BTSC TV sound system, or none at all. 4.4 INTERNET ADVERTISING The
Internet facility has developed around for some 30 years. It actually began in the early 1960 in USA,
where the US Department of Defense saw it as a means of supercomputer communication for
researchers and military facilities across the country. Until it commercial explosed in 1990s, the Internet
remained a relatively obscure network of linked computers - mostly by academics, military researchers,
and scientists around the world to send and receive electronic mail, transfer files, and find or retrieve
information from databases – At present, Internet the fastest growing medium in history, offers
incredible opportunities for a wide range of people in both 43 business and advertising. For advertisers,
there is a whole new world of potential customers. 4.4.1 Type of Internet Advertising : Ads on the
Internet can take a variety by forms. Most advertising on Internet can be classified as websites, banners,
buttons, sponsorships, interstitials, Meta ads, classified ads, and email ads. Websites : Some companies
consider their whole website as an ad. However, a website is more than an ad - it‟s an alternative
location where customers, prospects, shareholders, investors, and others can come to find out more
about the company, its products and services. Some companies use their website like an extended
brochure to promote their goods and services. Others treat their website as an online catalog store,
conducting business right on the Net. Still other website act in information and entertainment provides.
Website typically consist of a home page and an indefinite number of subsequent pages that users can
visit for further information. A web page refers to a single HTML (hypertext markup language) file,
which, when viewed with a browser, may actually be several screens long. A large website may have
hundreds of these pages of information. This means the site contains hundreds of different documents
of various lengths (from 1 to 10 or more screen), each probably covering a different subject. Banners :
The ad banner is the basic form of web advertising. A banner is a little billboard that spreads across the
top or bottom of the Web page. At present one comes across larger banner ads that can dominate the
screen or even provide television commercials. When users click their mouse pointer on the banner, it
sends them to the advertiser‟s site or a buffer page. Buttons : These are similar to banners. They are
small version of the banner those often look like an icon usually provides a link to an advertiser‟s home
page. Since they take less space than banner, they are less expensive. Sponsorships : A form of
advertising on the Internet that is getting popular is the sponsorship of Web pages. Corporations
sponsor entire sections of a publisher‟s Web page or sponsor single events for a limited period of time,
usually calculated in months. In exchange for sponsorship support, companies are given extensive
recognition on the site. Sometimes an addedvalue package is created by integrating the sponsor‟s brand
with 44 the publisher‟s content. For instance, a Web page on Olympics or some other spots can be
sponsored by a business firm. Interstitials : This is a dynamic form of Net advertising. It is a catch all term
for a variety of animated ads that pop up on the screen while the computer downloads a website that
the user has clicked on. There are now many types of interstitials including pop-up windows, splash
screens, superstitials, etc. Meta Ads : Used in search engines (such as Yahoo, Google, etc.), a met ad is
an advertisement displayed on the results page of a search, specific to the searched item. Meta ads are
also referred to as keyword advertising. This method enables an advertiser to target a specific audience.
Advertisers can pay search engines to display their banners only when relevant keywords are searched
for by a user. For example, if a user searched for the term “handicrafts and handlooms”, the Meta ads
displayed might be for handicrafts and handlooms items. Classified Ads : Another growing area for
Internet advertisers in the classified ad websites. Some of these websites offer free classified advertising
opportunities because ad banners of other advertisers support them. They are similar to newspaper
classified ads. You can search for homes, cars, jobs, toys, shoes etc. E-Mail Advertising : Advertisers can
send e-mail advertising to customers who have asked for it. It is similar to direct mail advertising, and
therefore, it is the most effective form of internet advertising. However, there is too much of span via
the e-mail. Span refers to unsolicited, mass e-mail advertising for product or service that is sent by an
unknown entity to e-mail addresses. 4.4.2 Advantage of Internet Advertising: 1. Interactive Medium : It
allows consumers to directly interact with an advertiser, thereby establishing future relationships. 2.
Enormous Audience : With an audience of about 500 million people world wide (some estimates put the
figure at 1 billion people), the internet is the only true global medium, providing information and
commercial opportunities that are immediately accessible around the world. 45 3. Immediate
Response : Products and information are available on demand made by the consumer, thereby,
providing instant feed back for the advertiser. 4. Selective Targeting : Advertisers can reach the right
target audience, especially through the Meta ads. 5. Proximity to Purchase : It may be the greatest
advantage of Internet advertising. Purchasers can be targeted right wither they are, right at the moment
when they are considering of making a purchase. 6. Affluent Market ; Most of the Internet users belong
to middleupper class or upper class audience. Therefore, Internet medium enables to reach the affluent
market of the society. 7. Provides In-depth Information : Internet provides in-depth information about a
company and/or products. Commercial websites provide detailed information about products or
services to the Internet users seeking information. 8. Reaches Business-to-Business Users : The Internet
medium can reach to B2B users when they are still at work, not only business related information, but
also consumer products advertising while they are working. 4.4.3 Disadvantages of Internet Advertising:
1. Lack Mass-Media Efficiency : Internet is not a mass medium as the case of radio and television.
Therefore, it may never offer mass media efficiency. Most marketers in developing countries like India,
may find it as too complex, too cluttered or not worth the time and efforts. 2. Slow Downloads : The
downloading of websites is very slow in many parts of the world, including India. The ads that pop up in
between only irritate the Internet users. 3. Problem of Span : There is too much of Spam via the e-mail.
Therefore, e-mail users do not consider going through even the responsible ads. 4. Problem of Online
Purchases : In India, most consumers would like to physically inspect the goods before purchases.
Therefore, they may not place orders online. Again, most people do not believe the internet as a sage
place for financial transaction. 46 5. Untested Medium : There is hardly any research to test the
effectiveness of Internet advertising. Therefore, a good number of markets in India do not give much
importance to Internet advertising. 4.5 TELEVISION ADVERTISING Television Advertising : It is said that
to-day television advertising is the best selling media ever invented. It has a potential advertising impact
unmatched by any other media. It is a means of bringing actual demonstration in the homes of the
prospects and is therefore more effective media when compared with radio. That is why the position of
radio advertising has now being gradually taken by television advertising. Commercial television
advertising was introduced in India on January 1, 1976 on the pattern of All India Radio. Thus, as an
advertising media, television is of recent origin in India. It is also known by the name of „Doordarshan‟
in India. Television makes full use of sight, sound and motion and thereby maximises impact on
audience. On colour TVs, now colour may also be used to add to the impact. The coverage of television
is increasing at a rapid pace in India. This media is particularly advantageous for those advertisers whose
products require demonstration. Sponsored programmes have also been started on television in India.
4.5.1 Advantages or Merits of Television Advertising Television advertising has the following
advantages : 1. The main advantage of television advertising is that it combines the advantages of both
radio and cinema. Thus it is a most powerful audio-visual media. 2. It makes the message more
attractive and impressive. 3. It is most advantageous to those advertisers whose products and service
require demonstration. 4. It is a source of major income to Doordarshan. 5. It possesses geographical
selectivity. An advertiser can place his advertisements on selected few stations as per his requirements.
6. It has a wide coverage. At present television services are available to more than 80% of India‟s
population. 47 4.5.2 Disadvantages or Demerits or Limitations of Television Advertising Television
Advertising is subject to the following demerits or limitations : 1. It is very expensive advertising media
and would certainly exclude the small advertisers. 2. Television message is short-lived. 3. The range
within which the telecasting reaches the audience is very limited. 4. In case of India, an average Indian
cannot afford television as it is quite costly. 5. Television advertisements are very brief due to high cost
of advertising on television. 6. Television advertising is a very deliberate media, requiring long term
planning, the gaining of approval from the authority and also lacking flexibility. Check Your Progress 1.
“The most brilliant and original advertising ideas will be wasted if they are not presented through
media.” Discuss. 2. Explain the following types a. Website b. Sponsorship c. Banners d. F.M. Broadcasting
4.6 PRESS ADVERTISING 4.6.1 Meaning of Press Advertising Press advertising is the most popular and
effective method of publicity today. It has become the part of the culture and political life of people
today. Press, also referred to as print, is an advertising media comprising all those vehicles owned by
others and which can carry the advertising message in print to be read by target customers. In India, this
media is very commonly used by companies and account for nearly 70 per cent of their total
expenditure on advertising media. 4.6.2 Forms or Types : Press advertising takes the following two
major forms : 1. Newspapers : NP Newspapers are bought largely for their news values. Newspapers
may be national/local daily/weekly. These are 48 a good vehicle to pass on information about new
products, current products and price-off deals. They can be used for local, national and regional market
coverage. In India, there are a number of newspapers both in English and also in regional languages.
Many newspapers in English and Hindi have nationwide coverage. So a message given in newspapers
may have a better impression on the minds of the people and it may be more specific, clear, complex
and lengthy. Currently, 1173 daily newspapers and 5280 weekly newspapers are published in India, out
of which the largest number is accounted for by the Hindi language newspapers followed by Urdu,
Marathi and English newspapers in terms of number, and English, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi and
Gujarati in terms of circulation. Among the states, the largest number of newspapers are published in
Uttar Pradesh followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka. Among the prominent national English language
dailies are the Times of India, Hindustan, Indian Express, Statesman and Economic Times etc., whereas
among the national Hindi language dailies include Hindustan Times, Navbharat Times, National Dunia
and in Rajasthan - Rajasthan Patrika. However, among the different language groups, companies in
India, both in the state and private sector, largely use English dailies as their advertising media. Small
enterprises prefer local newspapers as their advertising media. The newspapers charge on the basis of
column centimetre space used by the advertiser. They also charge premium for special positions and
provide concession for space booking on contract. However, these rates vary from newspaper to
newspaper as per their circular and coverage. Advantages or Merits of Newspaper Advertising Media :
The advantages of merits of newspaper advertising media may be summed up as under : 1. Their
coverage is high as they reach every nook and corner in a very short time. 2. They offer a lot of flexibility.
According to the convenience and necessity of the advertiser, the shape, size and appeal may be
frequently changed to suit the need of the advertiser. 3. High frequency enables speedy preparation and
publication of advertisement. 4. It is the cheapest media of advertising as far as its cost per reader is
concerned. 5. The daily newspaper have strong repetitive value as it offers an opportunity to the
advertiser to repeat is message at a short interval of only one day. 6. The public response towards
newspaper advertising is very quick. 49 7. By inserting local advertisements (in local newspapers), the
effectiveness of advertising copy could be tested quite easily. 8. By inserting frequent advertisements in
the newspapers, their visual appeals may be created very easily. 9. The reputation of the newspapers is
available to the advertisers and their products also. Leading newspapers provide space to reputed and
reliable concerns only. 10. Newspaper advertising provides geographic selectivity. Disadvantages or
Demerits or Limitations of Newspaper Advertising Media : The following are the disadvantages or
demerits or limitations of newspaper advertising media : 1. The life of a newspaper is very short, i.e.,
only for the day. It is said, “Nothing is alive as today‟s newspaper” and “Nothing is dead as yesterday‟s
newspaper.” 2. There is waste of circulation. The advertisement is carried even to those places where
there is no market existing nor the possibility of creating a new market in the near future. 3. If the
customers are limited in numbers, advertising in newspapers may be ineffective and costly too. 4. Visual
effects may not be created in practice as the newspapers are generally printed on cheap newsprint. 5.
There is lack of uniformity in advertising requirements. Lack of uniformity of publishers‟ requirements
with respect to rates, size, type of copy and so on. 6. Newspaper advertising is less popular in
undeveloped countries where the masses are illiterate ignorant and poor. 2. Magazines and Journals:
Another media under press advertising media is magazines and journals. They offer selective circulation
throughout the country at a cost within reasonable budget limits. These are published periodically at
regular intervals, i.e., weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Magazines and Journals are
read at leisure and with care when the reader is mentally prepared to receive the advertisements. It has
a long effective life. From the advertiser‟s point of view, magazines may be classified under five groups :
(i) Special Interest Magazines; (ii) Trade Magazines; (iii) Technical Magazines; (iv) Professional
Magazines; and (v) Regional Magazines. Advantages or Merits of Magazines and Journals : The following
are the advantages of magazines and journals as an advertising media : 50 1. The life of magazine is
considerably longer than that of newspapers. These are kept ready for weeks and months. 2. Better
reproduction of advertisement than newspapers is provided. 3. Magazines are highly selective in nature
and waste of circulation is avoided. 4. Magazine advertising create prestige, reputation and an image of
quality. 5. The number of readers per copy in case of magazine advertising is quite high. There is
multiplicity of readership. 6. Magazines are ideals for introduction new ideas. 7. Magazine readership is
usually a leisurely home readership for enjoyment relaxation, and „with guards down‟. 8. The printing,
paper, colour combination is more attractive in case of magazine advertising than newspaper
advertising. 9. Magazines reach specialised groups conveniently and effectively. 10. The cost of utilising
magazines for advertising is quite low. Disadvantages or Demerits or Limitations of Magazine and
Journal Advertising : As compared to newspaper advertising, the magazine and journal advertising have
the following disadvantages, demerits or limitations : 1. The chief demerit of magazine advertising is its
low flexibility. 2. Preparation costs for magazine copy are usually rather high and sometimes exceed the
cost of the space used in trade magazines. 3. The circulation is limited as compared to newspaper
advertising. 4. It takes more time in printing etc. than newspaper advertising. 5. The size of magazines
differs widely and hence the advertiser has to prepare the copy of advertisement according to the size of
the magazine and journal. 6. Change in appeal cannot be effective quickly. 4.7 FILM ADVERTISING 4.7.1
Meaning : Film is an audio-visual medium of communication and offers wide opportunities to the
advertiser to screen commercial films and slides produced by them. Today cinema is an important and
51 effective media of advertising. Suitable short films may be prepared to create a lasting impression
upon the audience. These may be presented in the form of a story or a cartoon. Through the merits of
the product are presented to the audience effectively. Such films may be shown before the start of the
feature film or during interval. At present there are three kinds of films used as media of advertising :
4.7.2 Kinds of Films : 1. Straight Advertising Films : These are most common now-adays. These
concentrate on advertising message relating to only one product of a particular company, such as
Hindustan Lever, Tata Oil Mills (toilet preparations), D.C.M., Gwalior Rayon, Calico etc. These are of
short duration lasting from 3 to 5 minutes. 2. Documentary Films : Documentary films are mainly used
for publicity aspect and in most cases is educative in character. They are used to show various aspects of
an industry as a whole. 3. Sponsored Advertising Films : It is a very good combination of advertisement
and entertainment. Cartoon films come under this category. In India, cinema has practically reached in
all the parts of the country. Bombay has become the hub of advertising films and slides production. With
all these, cinema as an advertising media holds great opportunities particularly, for those companies
which are poised to penetrate the rural market of our country. It is particularly relevant for advertising
consumer-products and farm inputs. 4.7.3 Advantages or Merits : 1. It has a quite wide coverage. 2. It is
able to explain and demonstrate the use of a product quite conveniently. 3. Appeal is made to all
sections of the society. 4. It is never wasted as no advertisement can escape the attention. 5. It is
effective and may pay rich dividend to the advertiser. 4.7.4 Disadvantages, Demerits or Limitation : 1.
The films are too short and need changes frequently. 2. Production cost of a film is quite high. 52 3. The
audience may not like to waste time in seeing such films repeatedly. They resent to it as they come for
entertainment only. 4. Restrictions are imposed against screening of films, e.g., there is censoring. 5. For
screening films, the cooperation of theatres is a must which is not easily available. 4.8 PURCHASE POINT
ADVERTISING Purchase point advertising is that advertising which is undertaken at the premises of the
manufacturer or the dealer for attracting the customers. This is a direct method because the advertising
process is either undertaken by the manufacturer directly or through the dealer. Under this method,
goods are displayed at the counters, windows or in almirahs. It is observed that the point of purchase is
the exact point where the prospects are reminded finally about a product. It is considered as a powerful
media now a day. 4.9 SPECIALTY ADVERTISING Under this media of advertising, manufacturers provide
various articles of low value free of cost to the existing and prospective customers. The articles
constitute calendars, ball-pens, diaries, cigarette cases, bags and other executive gifts. Such articles bear
the name and address of the advertiser. It is felt that recipients will do business with the firm in the near
future even though articles are given on no obligation basis. It is also called Novelty Advertising. These
articles are given to targeted customers. 4.10 VIDEO ADVERTISING It is now considered as the latest
media of advertising. Under this method, video-cassettes ad-films are prepared. Nearly 22 million
people around the world watch Indian films on video. India alone has video-audience of about 30
millions which is increasing day by day. There are more than 50,000 video-libraries and about 1 lakh
video-parlours/clubs in India. The video-cassettes released in India are also being screened in thousands
of luxury buses. Besides the feature film they contain advertisements which are displayed at short
intervals. 53 Check Your Progress 1. “Press Advertising is the most popular and effective method of
publicity today.” Explain. 2. Explain the following terms. a. Film Advertising b. Documentary Films c.
Sponsored Advertising Films d. Purchase Point Advertising e. Video Advertising 4.11 OUTDOOR OR
MURAL ADVERTISING 4.11.1 Meaning of Outdoor or Mural Advertising: Outdoor or mural advertising is
the oldest form of advertising and remains the most common media even today. It is also called „wall
advertising‟. Outdoor advertising consists of a display of advertisements out of door which may be in
the form of posters, painted signs, field signs, neon light signs, hoardings and posters carried by
sandwitchmen. This is also referred to as mural advertising as posters consisting of a picture, are often
placed on walls particularly a large one, printed directly on a wall or large photograph attached directly
to a wall. Small playcards or posters placed outside or inside carriages such as trams, delivery-vans,
buses, railway carriages etc. also come under this category. The new form of advertising by using
balloons, kites and smoke-writing in the sky is also a part of outdoor advertising. Outdoor advertising is
not always argumentative but suggestive. The effectiveness of such advertising materially depends on its
positions. Therefore, outdoor advertisements must be placed in such a way as can be seen by a large
number of prospective customers with ample attention. The articles suited for such advertising are
those which the masses can buy, such as food products, soaps, medicines, cigarettes, shoes, clothes and
other domestic requirements. 4.11.2 Main Characteristics of Outdoor Advertising 1. It is a widespread
popular advertising media which makes the goods and services of interest to mass appeal. 2. It has a
comparatively longer life. 3. It has a high coverage. 4. Most outdoor advertisements are big and
dominant so it is a very powerful eye-catching media. 5. It is a very flexible advertising media so that the
advertiser can retain sites where he needs them most. 54 6. It is the oldest advertising media. 7. It also
consists of suitable and popular slogans which can be easily remembered by the prospects. 4.11.3 Types,
Forms or Kinds of Outdoor Advertising Outdoor advertising may take any of the following forms : 1.
Posters : This is the most common and popular form of outdoor advertising. These are exhibited on a
hoarding or on walls, roofs, fences, chimneys etc. A really commanding effect can be produced by
posters which cost less than any other advertising media. Design is the basis of all poster-advertising.
These mostly contain pictures. Advertising for a movie is done in this way. Even where no pictures are
used, the proper arrangement of lettering is important. The posters should be simple, attractive and
capable of telling its story at a glance. Posters also give considerable scope for the use of suitable and
attractive colours. Humour can also be used with advantage in poster-advertising. 2. Advertising Board :
These are also posters which are kept at certain fixed places especially at points where people
frequently assemble, such as bus stops, railways, crossings etc. Generally these advertising boards are
made of metallic sheet enclosed in a wooden frame and fixed with a panel having specified height at
main junctions. These are fixed and well set with flood-lights. 3. Vehicle Advertising : It refers to moving
advertisement. It consists of placing posters or playcards inside or outside vehicles such as trams, buses,
taxies, delivery-vans, railway carriages etc. The main advantage of this system is the small space
available for such posters. These posters are fairly sighted by the eyes and can be easily read. This
method is a very common media and is considered to be very effective. 4. Electric Displays and Signs :
Signs illuminated by electricity are today to be seen in large number in cities. This is the most modern
and the most attractive form of outdoor display. It may consist of wooden letters studded with bulbs.
Sometimes with a view to attract the attention, coloured bulbs are used and the colours are changed at
short intervals. Another device used to attract attention is to turn on the light on each letter at a time to
give the impression of the sign being written by an invisible hand. 5. Neon Signs : There are brilliantly
coloured tubes available in various shades. These can be of the still or the flashing type. These signs are
more attractive and interesting than the signs built up by a number of electric bulbs. 55 6. Sky
Advertising (Sky Writing) : Sky advertising is another modern form of outdoor advertising. In this form of
advertising media an aeroplane writes the name of the product or the producer in the sky. It is also
known as „smoke writing‟ because the message is written in the sky by means of smoke. Large sized
printed balloons are also dropped from the aeroplane in the sky. Usually, near the circus-tents, a large
sized balloon is floated on which the name of the circus is written. 7. Sandwitchmen : They are hired
persons and properly dressed who walk in the streets in a procession with boards, posters and notices
placed about them. The idea is to attract the attention of the public. The cinema-theatres usually
arrange this kind of advertising media when a new picture is released. 8. Stickers : It is also an important
form of outdoor advertising. In this case, the advertiser enters in a contract with the popular players
that whatever they will wear or use during the match will bear the sticker of the advertiser. 9. Puppet
Shows : This is purely an Indian outdoor advertising media which provided entertainment while
conveying a message. Now-a-days it is used widely in the family planning campaign in India mostly in
villages. One such show tells how a rich man of the village who has large family, rejects the family
planning campaign. But his wife has twins and there are complications. He calls in the midwife who tells
him that his wife will not survive more births. He accepts the family planning advice and so becomes the
innovator in his village. The above are the most common forms of the outdoor advertising. However,
there ay be other forms of this type of advertising. 4.11.4 Advantages or Merits of Outdoor Advertising
Media 1. It has a wide coverage. 2. It is capable of gaining more attention of the public. 3. Outdoor
advertising is more useful for local dealers. Its results can be more readily secured by using this form of
advertising. 4. In big cities and high traffic areas, outdoor advertising is the most effective form of
advertising. 5. Outdoor advertising is more flexible. 6. It offers greater selectivity because it can be used
locally, regionally or even nationally. 7. It can be easily remembered. 56 8. It is quite economical. 9. It
has comparatively long life. 10. It is a very good media to stress brand names and package identity.
4.11.5 Disadvantages or Demerits or Limitations of Outdoor Advertising Media The outdoor advertising
media possess the following disadvantages, demerits or limitations and thus is subject to criticism : 1. It
is subject to adverse reaction of the public on the ground that the walls of the houses are used for
writing outdoor advertisement even without the permission of the owner of the house. 2. The message
written under this type of advertising is too brief. 3. The exact effect created on prospects is difficult to
measure. 4. The language used in writing on the wall advertising is usually defective and sometimes
immoral too. It has an adverse effect on the public. 4.12 EMERGING MEDIA OPTIONS 4.12.1 Meaning
There are several Media Options which have emerged d