Internet Advertising and Commercial Broadcasting - Essay Example

Number: Lecturer: Advertising Introduction Advertising can be defined as an activity or act of promoting goods or services by drawing the interest of the public through electronic, print or broadcast media. Electronic media may include; use of television sets, radios for audio communication, the internet, smart phones, billboards, etc. print media may include; the use of magazines, newspapers, brochures, which can be printed and circulated physically to the public. Print media posses a permanent attribute since they can be kept for future use. When starting a business, advertisement is crucial for making the audience aware of the existence of any new product. Goods and services offered to the public can be introduced or promoted. This can help business enterprises to increase sales, maximize profits, inform society, and build the image of goods and services, among many other advantages. Promotion of goods and services through advertisement makes consumers to be aware of specific products or services in the market. Information is important to consumers especially regarding to brand name, price, manufactures, trade mark and any other key details. These enhances making of right choices by consumers when buying a commodity or service. Today’s world is competitive and selling commodities or services is a challenge without effective advertising. Advertising is fundamental to success of any business or service. It’s through advertising that customers or consumers of your products or services will be made aware of your existence. The target audience is normally the focus when planning for and advertisement. The effectiveness of an advertisement therefore depends on the method used to reach the target audience. Creativity is very important when designing for an advertisement. Originality, artistic, attractiveness, are some of the attributes a good advertisement should posses. It’s said that what people see or hear captures their psyche and this leads to preferences change. When advertisement is done on a regular basis, higher demand for goods and services is generated which by extension demands for equivalent supply of the goods or services demanded. Demand and supply dynamics should be monitored carefully, so that they remain at equilibrium always. Advertising in itself can create Job opportunities to talented creative thinkers, artists, designers, who can exploit their unique talents in the field of advertising. Promotion is found in nearly all places imaginable and where one least expects it.  Some advertisements are very conspicuous and divergent, while others may be faint but the human eye tends to take notice of them. Costs of promoting goods and services are more often than not catered for by sponsors who use various traditional media initially identified such as use of newspapers, magazines, television commercials, radio advertisements, outdoor advertising, direct mail or new media such as blogs, websites or messages. Among these, the mainly for of advertisement used throughout time are commercial broadcasting, magazines, and outdoor advertising. Internet advertising through the use of search engines is another form of advertisement companies and organizations are adopting today. Jupiter communications consumer survey data observes that 81 % of people who are regular internet users locate websites through the use of search engines. The article further indicates that 54% of online shoppers who are experienced in shopping through the internet mainly rely on search engines when locating for a product to purchase on the internet. IMT strategies further assert that online search engines have provided more awareness for websites than other advertisement platforms such as television, radio or newspapers. 80 % of online search program users locate whatever they are looking for as soon as the third page. Sale leads which are made from main phrases and words searches are always the best qualified and also they have the highest buying probability. Regular search engine advertising is therefore fundamental in increasing a company’s chances of improving sales of products and services considering the importance of search engines to internet users. Any successive online advertising campaign must begin with firm search engine advertising. Companies must take note that online search engines have much strength such as both national and international potential customers can be reached and the cost of advertising is very cheap when compared to traditional advertising. Commercial broadcasting Commercial broadcasting is the use of media such as radio or television programming by privately or public owned organizations to offer advertising service for a fee. A recent study by AllBusiness.com revealed that a common American spends more than four and a half hours a day in front of the tube, and 99 percent of all U.S. households have at least one TV” an indication that any advertisement through television is received by almost all Americans. A radio is another key platform that is used for commercial advertising. Use of this media involves audio communication of messages which can be received to listeners who are tuned to the channel transmitting the messages. Radio or television stations have airtime specifically meant for advertising for profit making. However, in public media, which at all costs avoids airing advertisements for commercial purposes. Developed countries such as the United States of America provide free advertisement platforms through state owned Radio and television. Magazines Use of Magazines, newspapers and brochures is another platform that organizations use to market their goods or services. Strengths of advertising using magazines over newspapers include; long life e.g. a magazine placed at a doctor’s waiting room can stay for a longer period of time when compared to newspapers. Some of the weaknesses however include high cost of developing, their production demands advance planning and forecasting, among others. There exist numerous classifications of magazines such as fashion, science, and social. AllBusiness.com observes that companies that publish magazines determine if a magazine is put into a category of trade or consumer through the defining of the target audience. A good example is the “Advertising Age”, a publication which specializes in business or commercial topics and focuses on professionals in the commercial world with an interest in promotion. Other categories of magazines cover a range of topics and interests that may not be adequate such as Ski magazine, or widely sought, such as Life magazine.” It’s important to note that the amount of money that a magazine costs will depend on its reputation. Outdoor advertisement Outdoor advertising includes advertisements which are seen on the various streets in a town or city, electronic billboards, etc. Always when travelling, I always see billboards advertising various goods and services. During my travels I also listen to radio messages advertising for various goods in many occasions. In order for advertising to be effective, media planners and buyers have to recognize and select the most excellent magazine, best TV channel or radio station, best location for the billboard for the sole reason of making choices that determine the advertisement method that should be considered and the resources which should be used depends on the targeted audience and the monetary response that is received. Finally its wise noting that success of any organization largely depends of the degree of investment that is put on advertising. It’s impossible to succeed in any business venture without proper and targeted advertising mechanisms. Creativity too is fundamental to advertising and therefore proper planning is key to its success. Works Cited Evans, David. “The Online Advertising Industry: Economics, Evolution, and Privacy.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Forthcoming 34.2 (2009): 56-67. Hollis, Nigel. “Ten years of learning on how online advertising builds brands.” Journal of Advertising Research 45.02 (2005): 255-268. Librarianship, Journal of Business & Finance. “Advertising and Media Planning Sources.” Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship (2004): 157-188. McCoy, Scott, et al. “The effects of online advertising.” Communications of the ACM - Emergency response information systems: emerging trends and technologies 50.3 (2007): 84-88. Read More