If birds would fly without wings, then businesses would thrive without advertising. It is more than just an element of marketing, advertising is a vital tool in ensuring the perpetuity of a business. Why do you think big companies like Coca-Cola with a large fan-base and customer reach, still run ads? People remember who they see and interact with every time, and if people can’t see you anymore, it means you no longer exist.
Lumen rightly defined advertising as any paid form of communication from an identified sponsor or source that draws attention to ideas, goods, services, or the sponsor itself. Most advertising is directed toward groups rather than individuals, and advertising is usually delivered through media such as television, radio, newspapers, and, increasingly, the Internet. The basic thing here is, advertising helps you draw the attention of people who need your products. It helps create a familiarity between your offer and your customers, that the next time they encounter a problem, your product becomes the first thing that comes to their mind as a rightful solution.
Many people assume advertising to be a hook or crook strategy of attracting the attention of consumers, but that’s not the case, a good advertisement is always founded on the truth. William “Bill” Bernbach, an American advertising creative director, emphasizes this factor of advertising and says-“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth.”
Advertising is an old method of promoting goods and services that even go way back to the olden times. Advertisement is connected with TV, radio, banners, the digital world, and newspapers. The methods of advertising have changed as new technology and media have allowed consumers to bypass traditional advertising venues. Starting from the remote control that enables people to skip the part where an advertisement is being made without moving an inch to videos on social media that let people skip the ads while watching their programs or videos, conventional advertising is on the wane. Across the board, television viewership has fragmented, and ratings have fallen.
As days go by, fewer people are subscribing to newspapers, magazines while giving their 100% loyalty to digital news. Because, who will choose some newspapers over their mobile phones? Well, except from some of our elders who are 100% unrepentant.
Why Should You Advertise?
1. To inform:One of the major keys of advertising is bring awareness to the people about a new brand, product, or service. it is information, informing the audience about what you have and making them aware that they have the best option will help to convince them. These potential customers are provided information regarding features, contents, quality, price, and availability of the new product.
2. To persuade: Advertising is used to tell the audience why you are the best option after making them aware of your presence by enhancing the image of the brand and the main goal is to convince them to switch to buying your services or trying out your new product.
3. To remind: Advertising helps to remind people about the reasons they need to purchase a particular brand or product and the main goal is to be in the minds of your audience as the first and best option whenever they want to purchase such product or service and protect against other brands stealing them away from you.
4. Product Differentiation: Advertising helps brands to separate and differentiate their products from other brands’ products by properly explaining the features, benefits, and advantages their products have to the audience.
5. Brand image: Advertising helps to build a good image for the brand. It explains the product quality and develops a better image in the minds of people.
THE PROS;
1. Increase in sales: Advertising helps to raise the volume of sales in a brand. By spreading information about their new product or services, more people are drawn to them and they purchase them.
2. Confidence boost: When existing customers see the product or service they use being advertised, they tend to have a feeling of pride.
3. Education: Advertising helps to enlighten customers about different products in the market and what to look out for in their product. This allows a company to look at the specific pain points its goods or services address so that customers can independently decide if there is value available to consider.
4. Promotion of products and services: When an advertisement is made, more people become aware of the products or services, and this aids promotion. Every customer has a preference for specific products or services they meet.
THE CONS;
1. Wrong information – Does, “what I ordered vs what I got” seem familiar? Many adverts make false images of themselves and intentionally keep customers in the dark and it is until they buy the products that they realize that they are not the same. This is why you should always ensure your products and services are exactly what you project them to be.
2. Confusion: The customers might get confused about deciding on the best product to get, because while advertising, every brand projects their products as the best. To tackle this, you should always ensure clarity and brevity in your advertising message. Tell your customers why your product is unique compared to others, and what difference it would make for them when they choose to stay loyal to you.
3. Price impact: Most times, advertisement involves payment and the cost is passed on to the customers by adding the cost of advertisement to the price of the product, and doing this, makes the products and services more expensive. You should try more organic means to supplement your paid advertisements, this is where content marketing comes in.
4. Impact on children: Some advertisements hurt children especially those with vulgar, foul, and sexual languages. The other way is encouraging parents to buy goods, for example, sugary things, that can be detrimental to their children’s health when taken in excess but because of the captivating designs, the children are drawn to it and begin to trouble their parents to purchase them.
Advertisement is the voice of your business, you have to make it as saucy and enticing as possible because it’s all your prospects need to determine whether to buy from you or not.