Why the Strong and the Weak Theories of Advertising Are Important - Essay Example

Fill 430) wrote that the strong and the weak theories of advertising are important because they are both right and they are both wrong. Discussthis statement providing contemporary examples to support your arguments Introduction With the liberalisation of trade, globalisation, and development of international business the competition among firms becomes increasingly fiercer. In order to communicate with consumers and increase sales the companies adopt a huge variety of advertising campaigns. Taking into consideration progressively increasing marketing budgets it is possible to assume that by allocating significant sums for advertisement the companies enjoy high returns. On the other hand, with the increased advertisement, consumers tend to be less perceptive and naïve in terms of what they hear from TV ads, see on the boards, or read in print ads. Сustomers tend to more protective and selective in what they see and hear. This behaviour makes customers not so easily “reachable” as some advertisers might think. On the other hand, advertising is viewed as effective reinforcing tool, which reminds the customers about a given product, service, or brand. These different concepts and approaches to advertising have caused a major debate between Ehrenberg and John Philip Jones, who developed two different theories: strong and weak theory (Keeble, 1998). This paper aims to define the status of each theory and analyse each theory by using some practice-based cases. The Strong and the Weak theories of advertising Advertising as an integral element of human activity has a variety of interpretations and definitions of this concept. Among a variety of these interpretations and explanations, Fill (2013:429) recognises two major views: (1) advertising is a potent marketing force, which is done for persuading people; and (2) advertising is force for persuasion and for reminding people about brands. There also exist different theories and frameworks of advertising. Among a variety of these theories, there were two concepts: (1) Strong theory presented by Jones (1990) and (2) Weak theory presented by Andrew Ehrenberg. More detailed overview of these theories of advertising is provided below. The Strong theory of advertising As it comes from the previous definition, advertising is quite a powerful instrument, capable to affect consumer’s behaviour, beliefs, attitudes and persuade thus for taking action. This view is aligned with the strong theory of advertising, according to which advertising can generate long-run purchasing behaviour, can persuade consumers and thus to increase sales (Fill, 2013). Strong theory views consumers as passive recipients of information, whose purchasing decision can be strongly influenced by advertising. Therefore, advertising is powerful enough in order to “persuade someone to buy a product that they have never previously purchased” (Fill, 2013: 429). While this approach and impact of advertising is extensively laid out in various journals and textbooks, in practice it often fails to be as effective as in theory (Fill, 2013). The Weak theory of advertising In contrast to the Strong theory, there is a Weak theory of advertising, which is recognised to be more applicable in practice. Based on this theory, customers’ purchasing decisions depend on their habits and awareness rather than on the information communicated via advertisement. In contrast to the Strong theory advertising, weak theory of advertising views consumers as more active, conscious problem-solvers. Consumers are also viewed to be more selective in advertising, and perceive only those messages of the company about whom they already have some prior knowledge of or actual experience of using its products (Fill, 2013). Therefore, consumers’ purchasing decisions depend more on consumers’ habits and awareness rather than on purely the advertising messages (Fill, 2013). This concept is based on the “awareness-trial-reinforcement” framework, whereas consumers first need awareness prior to actual purchase. Once they try a specific product or service, there can be used advertising in order to reinforce their experience, and stimulate to repeat this or similar experience with a given company/organisation. Thus, in this case, advertising is viewed not as a strong persuasive force as it is in the strong theory, but as a power increasing awareness and reinforcing repeat action (Fill, 2013). In the Weak theory, advertising performs more supportive function, providing increased knowledge of consumers in relation to specific product or service and reminding about the brand. Therefore, according to weak theory, advertising can be especially effective in targeting existing consumers who have already tried the company’s products and are loyal to the brand. The Strong theory versus the Weak Theory As the previous findings show, the strong and the weak theories have absolutely different approaches. Some of the key differences are summarised below. According to the strong theory, advertising is an effective tool for changing people’s attitudes and pursuading them to buy a product/service which they had never bought/used before. Therefore, the strong theory is capable to increase sales of brands as well as complete categories of products (Jones, 1990; Fill 2013). In contrast to the strong theory, weak theory suggests that advertising is capable only to increase people’s knowledge, but as consumers are very selective, they will not be influenced by the advertisement. In strong theory consumers are quite stupid and apathetic, while in the weak theory consumers are more pragmatic, conscious and selective. Weak theory assumes that advertising is not strong tool enough for changing consumer’s attitudes and therefore, will not result in increase sales or inflow of new customers (Jones, 1990; Fill, 2013). Based on the strong theory, consumers are not aware of the new products/brand and are open for new information, while in the weak theory consumers already know the product/brand and the role of communicated information is of limited importance (Jones, 1990; Fill, 2013). Right or Wrong? Despite contrasting approaches, Fill (2013) views both the strong and the weak theories of advertising as important tools in markeitng communication as they both are right and wrong. He believes that both theories are important and useful, and can be applied in different contexts and environments. The deciison which theory to follow depends on the company’s strategic goals and objectives, its target audience, its marketing communication concept, etc. For example, the company that first enters the market and whose name and brand is absolutely unknown to the customers should definitely work under strong theory of advertising in order to inform potential customers and pursuade them for trial. On the other hand, well-established brand might want to remind its consumers about the brand and products offered, thus to increase repeat business (number of loyal customers who repeteadly select a given brand or products). In this case, target audience already has some experience with the company’s products and they is already loyal to the brand. Thus, according to Fill (2013), Storng theory is important when the company is new on the market or launches new product, while Weak theory is important when the company wants to increase/maintain sales among existing customers. However, taking into consideration that “the strong theory fails to deliver the expected results" and “the Weak theory does not apply to all circumstances”, the companies should seek for a balance between these two theories (Fill, 2013: 430). Cases when strong advertising theory is right While there are different views on effectiveness of advertising, it might be helpful to refer to some specific examples and case studies. Referring to strong advertising theory, it is possible to assume that the companies will more heavily utilise this approach if they enter new market, launch new product, or strive to capture a market share of competitors. When the company offers a new product to the market, its aim is to advertise the new feature and communicate potential benefits of a given product to potential consumers and thus to persuade them to buy and try this product. It can be referred to new cars, new type of banking service, new snack, new shampoo, etc. There are no limits actually. A good example of strong advertising is recent advertising battle between Samsung and Apple. Apple was dominating the smartphone market, its market share had grown up to 29% in the US smartphone market share and customer loyalty was equal to 84%. In terms of brand preference, Apple’s perception reached 51% vs. 8% of Samsung (Effie Worldwide, 2013). Samsung recognised a great potential of US market and aimed to persuade iPhone fans to switch to the Galaxy S II. While developing an advertising strategy the company set several objectives: to increase brand awareness and to achieve 3 M unit sales within the 3-month campaign period (Effie Worldwide, 2013). The company has utilised several advertising platforms for its campaign, including: digital out-of-home and banner ads, TVads, cinema, social networking, sponsorship, online advertisement, PR activities, etc. In result, the company’s actual sales reached 5, 657, 640, which was 89% over its goal. Furthermore, Samsung showed increase sales volume of 91% in 2012 compared to 2011, while its main competitor, Apple, had shown only 15% increase (Effie Worldwide, 2013). This case perfectly illustrates how useful and effective advertising can be especially in case when the company wants to increase product awareness, differentiate it from competitors, and to increase sales. Another example of a company, which has successfully utilised the strong theory, is BelVita – breakfast biscuits. The company has launched extensive and aggressive marketing campaign utilising various advertising platforms, including TV, Internet, and in-store promotions. In result, BelVita biscuits became market leaders, generating significant sales to the company (Bemford, 2013). Cases when weak advertising theory is right While developing a strategy and setting objectives for the next year or several years many companies recognize the importance of retaining existing customers, as the cost of retaining customers is significantly lower than the cost of attracting new customers. This approach is based on the weak theory as it more commonly used to retain existing customers (Jones, 1990). One of great examples of such campaign is any retailing network or chain, which informs its customers about upcoming sales, discounts, new arrivals or changes in assortment. For this purpose, the company will more likely use direct advertising channels such as mail, e-mail, social media, etc. Thus, for example, Whole Foods has launched in 2014 rolled out national advertising campaign “Values Matter” aiming to inform its existing customers about corporate focus on organic products (MacVey, 2014). For this campaign the company utilized several advertising platforms, including billboards, TV, online videos, and magazines. The goal of this campaign was to be synonymous with sustainably grown food (MacVey, 2014). In this specific case, the company aims to retain its customers in the time of increased competition in the organic market. Probably, it will also attract new customers, who are interested in organic nutrition. People will more likely want to visit the store and make impulse purchases there as well. Also, the company introduced a rewards program in order to retain customers (MacVey, 2014). While this scenario will result in mixed effect of both weak and strong advertising theories, initially it would be based on the weak theory. Another good example of weak advertisement is advertisement of ordinary dairy product produced by a company which exists on the market for a long time and its product is not new. Many people used it already at least once, and already know this product. By watching this advertisement they are encouraged to buy milk of a given company. Combination of both strong and weak theories Quite often companies develop advertising campaign aiming to reach existing customers and increase their loyalty to the brand, as well as to attract new customers. Recently, Coca-Cola has created the first “drinkable” advertising campaign (Litsa, 2015) in order to promote its Coke Zero. Coca-Cola is a globally operating company, known and beloved by billions of customers across the world. Hardly there are any people (except infants and some categories of people), who did not drink Cola in their life. While many people know the taste of Cola, they stop purchasing this beverage. In order to refresh consumers’ minds, the company launched a campaign, whereas consumers are offered to drink cola via mobile phone, TV, radio, or print (Litsa, 2015). People have an illusion that they taste the campaign with a help of technology (Litsa, 2015). The viewers of virtual pouring of Coke Zero ads receive an actual free bottle of Coke on big retail stores in the US. Thus, at this stage the company does not persuade customers to buy Cola after watching the ad. Rather, it refreshes consumers about Coca-Cola, and differentiates the brand in consumer’s minds. Thus, the company build up its brand value and customer’s loyalty, which will further transform into sales. Conclusion Even though nowadays people tend to avoid excessive advertising messages and respond only to those they are specifically interested in, advertising continues to a strong force, either weak or strong (Blythe, 2009). While evaluating the usefulness and importance of these theories, it is critical to understand the marketing communication objectives, context, target audience, and the overall business environment. If the company enters a new market, where it is absolutely not known to the local customers, undoubtedly it should adopt weak theory, and actively inform customers about its products. This strategy might not transfer into substantial initial sales because of limited awareness, increased consumer’s suspicion, and loyalty to other brand the result will more likely follow in result of weak strategy. Even if advertising will not make customers to go and buy its products, it will raise awareness and make customers knowledgeable about new products. This information might help customers to decide whether to buy it or not. References: Bemford, V. (2013), ‘Breakfast biscuit sales double for second year’, Retrieved 10 July 2015, from http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/fmcg/breakfast-biscuit-sales-double-for-second-year/349440.article Blythe, J. (2009). "Advertising: The Weak and Strong Theories" in Key concepts in marketing, United Kingdom : SAGE Publications Ltd., pp.181-182. Egan J (2007) Marketing Communications. London. Cengage Learning. Ehrenberg, A.S.C, (1997) How do consumers come to buy a new brand? Admap (March), 20-4. Jones, J. (1990), Advertising: strong force or weak force? Two views an ocean apart, International Journal of Advertising, 9 (3).. Effie Worldwide, (2013), Samsung Telecommunications America: Taking a Bite of Apple, Bronze, North America Effies. Fill C. (2013) Marketing Communications: brands, experiences and participation 6th Edition London Pearson. Keeble, G (1998), “The weak, the strong, and the creative department”, Admap. Litsa, T, (2015), Coca-cola Creates First Ever "Drinkable" Advertising Campaign. Creative Guerrilla Marketing. Retrieved 8 July 2015, from http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/guerrilla-marketing/coca-cola-creates-first-ever-drinkable-advertising-campaign/ MacVey, M. (2014). Whole Foods Rolls Out First National Advertising Campaign. Adage.com. 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