Marketing Communications - Essay Example

Advertising In any business the issue of advertising always comes into focus when it comes to examining just how the target market will be reached or made aware of the products or services that are on offer. In order for this to be realized there has to be a rigorous campaign strategy that will see to it that the business is able to realize its objectives especially in relation to the sales and customer outreach. Advertising in this connection can be a particularly important marketing tool also in marketing the business.

This is in terms of the brand, not forgetting that which is on offer. There are various stimulus that can be used in the marketing process. However, the one that is at the centre of attention in this case is that to do with billboards. In this light it will be of essence to understand what a billboard really is in relation to advertising. Simply put a billboard refers to a large outdoor signpost which is majorly set up along highways or major roads. The main intention with billboards is to capture as much attention especially with the people who have no time to stop by and read the finer details entailed in advertisements.

This is the major reason why they are usually set up as large structures with few details but just the major piece of information being communicated. When it comes to setting up a stimulus like the billboard, there are quite a number of things that come to play in this case. It should be recognized that the main idea with these structures is to create as much attention as possible and draw as many people as possible to reading what is being communicated. For starters, billboards should be in a position to capture the reader’s attention in the least time possible as he or she drives by.

For this reason they will have to be of large printings, the words in the billboard should also be minimal and finally there should be colors which are catchy to the eyes and for this reason quickly draw a person’s attention to them. Another factor that should be considered is the location in which the billboard will be placed. They should be placed in a place where there will be a large number of people who will be able to access the billboard the most preferable place to do this in most cases is usually along highways.

A reason for this is because there is a lot of traffic flowing and so the drivers and passengers may be able to see the billboard. The attractive nature of the billboard is also another thing that can comes into play in connection to the billboard and the target audience. People will always tend to be attracted to that which they consider classy, modern and more appealing. Those willing to advertise using billboards should consider whether to use the traditional painted billboards or switch over to the use of digital billboards.

The choice of the billboard to use should be done with consideration about the costs and the effect the change might have on the environment. On examining the options that are there for the type of billboard, it will be cheaper to a greater extent to employ the use of digital billboards as opposed to the other painted ones. One of the reasons for this is that with the digital billboard, several of a company’s products can be placed on the same billboard for marketing at the same time. This is made possible by the fact that these digital billboards apply the aspect of time slice for the advertisements that are going through it.

On the other hand several advertisement companies can place their advertisements on the same billboard and end up sharing the cost for the bill board, leading to a further saving in costs. Again, this is made possible by the time slice ability of the advertisements on the digital billboard. Each piece of advertisement is allocated its own time for which it can stay visible on the billboard. The changes that are to be made on the existing marketing stimulus, in this case the billboard may not be immediately felt.

However, one of the indications that may point out the billboard is having a far reaching effect is whether the firms products or services will start gaining popularity if other locations. Another indicator as to whether the reviewed changes are working may be clearly brought out in an industry such as the movie industry. It is seen that movie-goers always aim for the advertisements that are catchy to the eyes and their imagination. Applying the digital billboard in this case will have a far-reaching effect as opposed to the case of using the painted billboard.

Advertising is a very important issue in any business and for this reason it should be done in the best way possible. In some cases it is advisable for a firm to invest more in advertising when it is recognized that the returns that will come as a result of this advertising are high. References Bird, Steve (2004), Marketing Communications. Juta and Company Limited.