Evaluation of an Advertising Agency: Apple Company - Case Study Example

Evaluation of an advertising agency World of Apple is an international advertising company in UK that deals with all types of advertisements ranging from electronics to fashion. It also deals advertisements concerning foods and diets. For instance, the UK’s Change4Life campaign has also been advertised by World of Apple Agency. The agency mainly deals with marketing and social media advertising campaigns from all over the world. The company has used different strategies of advertising, but the main one is the use of advertising campaigns. The company launches an advertising campaign that is meant to last for a certain period. The campaign then chooses the method that it will use depending on the areas that are being targeted. A campaign is usually efficient since it ensures maximization of resources unlike a single advertisement which only lasts for a short period before it even reaches some people (Hackley, 2005, 120). The agency also has also worked with the Apple Company where it launched a campaign to advertise iPads. The major objective of the agency was to ensure that, by the end of the given period, all iPads produced by Apple within that period had all been bought. The agency also aimed at raising the demand of the iPads since the demand was unusually low. It also had a goal of attracting customers who were in other places apart from the United States and UK. This would help to increase the market and also spread the technology used by Apple Company. Other goals of the agency included ensuring that it completed the campaign at the minimum cost possible and that it made maximum profits possible (Butterfield, 1999, 6). The products that were being advertised included the iPad touch model that had been currently produced by Apple. The iPad is a portable electronic gadget that is used for a number of purposes such as storage of documents, storage of music and even storage of photos. Apple had just introduced the new iPad which could be used at any place since it was portable. The iPad could also be used for other functions such as reading of newspapers, accessing the internet and watching of movies. The ipad can also store books, maps and even calendars. Some of the features of the iPad included the fact that it had a long battery life, it was portable, and it had a mass storage for music and documents. Therefore, the Agency had to specify these features in order to attract customers. However, the agency also had to choose the right target groups since; Apple Company was majorly targeting individuals who dealt with large amounts of data such as books or account reports. The iPad is also class since it produces pictures of a high quality. Therefore, Apple Company would identify ways in which it can reach such business people who are interested in carrying all their work around with them. Apple Company was also targeting youngsters who need to store a lot of photos and music. However, the company still had a challenge of convincing customers that the iPad was indeed more advanced and cheaper as compared to the normal laptops and computers. In the campaign, the Apple Company used many advertisement methods such as the advertisement by World of Apple Agency. One crucial strategy that the World of Apple Agency used to advertise the Apple iPad is the internet. The internet is an extremely effective method of advertising since; it reaches many people. In addition, the internet enables the customer to interact directly with the advertisement (Zaltman, 2003, 12). The Agency posted pictures of the iPad on the internet showing all its functions, features and advantages. The pictures were eye catching and attractive to the reader. This would help to attract the attention of many young people; especially teenagers. The pictures taken also showed documents stored in the iPad, newspapers and even the internet. This would immediately attract people who had such loads or work but felt it cumbersome to carry their laptops around. The internet was extremely beneficial in this case since; unlike other methods such as the use of televisions which will only be aired for a few minutes, the internet allows a customer to study the advertisement as long as he or she is willing to study it (Davidson, 1994, 91). Apple Company also used TV commercials to advertise its iPad. Commercials mostly included a business person scrolling his work from the iPad without difficulty in portability. The individual would also open other areas such as the calendar, photos and maps. In the TV Commercials, Apple Company also made sure to play songs that had hit during the season. For instance, Apple Company used Never Stop by “Gonzales”. The agency chose all the popular radio and TV stations and paid them to run the advertisement as many times as possible each day. Though this method was a little bit more costly as compared to the internet, it was also efficient especially for individuals who rarely use the internet (Odih, 2007, 188). The agency also made use of billboards and posters with pictures of the people working while holding the iPad. For instance, some billboards showed people holding the ipad and reading notes from it. Billboards are usually effective when they are of a large size in order to be seen by motorists from far or even by a passenger in a vehicle. In addition, the billboards should also not be crowded with words since; the targeted people will not be able to read them. For instance, the Apple Company did not have any wording on the billboard or poster. It only had the pictures of the iPads. This way, the company ensured that the billboards were self-explanatory since; it was clear that the main purpose of the iPad is to store important documents so as to access them faster as compared to a laptop. The billboards and posters were positioned in public places where they could be seen by many people. Roads where the billboards were built were also chosen carefully, in order to ensure that the advertisement would be visible to a large number of people (Fowles, 1996, 45). Though the methods of advertisement may be available, they cannot work on their own. They require individuals who are creative and convincing in order to be attractive to consumers and catch their attention (Belch & Belch, 2008, 55). Therefore, one strategy that Apple Company used is uniqueness. All the designs of the advertisements were unique and attractive. This is especially the use of silhouettes in the internet and the posters. The internet pictures were also uniquely designed, and exceptionally attractive. Choosing the right target group is also a factor that can affect the result of the advertisement immensely. For instance, the company could not target people who have no interest in storage of information. This could have led to loss of time and other resources since; the company would have never succeeded in catching their attention or attracting them. Communication is also a crucial factor that the company considered in the campaign. Customers need to be convinced that indeed they need the product and are not just being forced to buy it (Hackley, 2005, 11). Therefore, Apple Company had to find the right words to convince customers that indeed an iPad was much more advanced than a normal laptop or a consumer. When advertising on TV stations and radios, the Company also had to choose the right words and phrases and frame them carefully in order to ensure that they would not offend any of the customers instead of attracting them (Du Plessis, 2005, 67). Communication also entails the use of the right pictures. For instance, the company decided to use pictures of the real iPads instead of mere models. The company also used silhouettes instead of real people. This is important since; it would reduce judgments about such things as the mode of dressing, or even facial expressions. The bright colors chosen also create a bright mood in the customers thus encouraging them to purchase (Duncan, 2005, 35). In addition, having pictures of the iPads in the billboards and posters also helps those customers who did not know what an iPad was to know about it. Successful advertising also comes from ensuring that all the necessary information is delivered to the customers. Therefore, the agency also ensured that it gave the customers all the details about the iPads. Full details included a clear description of the iPad and its functioning, its main features and the model type. The strategy of persuasion was also used to convince the customers that the Apple iPad was indeed classy and fashionable as compared to iPads by other manufactures. Persuasion is usually extremely vital in advertisements since, customers cannot accept a product until they are convinced (Haugtvedt, Herr & Kardes, 2008, 30). The advertisement campaign had started in September 2006, and by March 2007, Apple Company reported an exceptionally high sales record of iPads resulting from the campaign. Therefore, indeed the advertisement campaign was effective and efficient since Apple Company grew rampantly after the introduction of the iPads, and also made remarkable profits. Effectiveness of the campaign is also shown from the fact that it had been extremely cost effective. The campaign was outstandingly economical to the Company and thus enabling it to make high profits from the iPads. On the other hand, the agency did not use any unplanned resources it only used the internet blog system. Therefore, it managed to remain within the estimated budget. An advertisement campaign can also be said to be effective if it increases the production of the owner of the products. In this case, the Apple Company increased its production of Ipads since the demand was extremely high. This showed how helpful the campaign had been to the company. In addition, there was also introduction of new products in the market as competitors tried to copy the iPad technology. Competitors introduced products such as the iPod thus widening the market. This also proved the effectiveness of the campaign. Otherwise, had the competitors not reacted in any way then Apple Company would have known that the campaign was not effective. The campaign was also effective since the Apple iPads were not only purchased in the US but also in other parts of the world. This showed how the campaign had been tremendously successful in convincing the customers about the quality of the products. Competitors of the client have a lot to learn from this campaign since it was successful and excellent. To begin with, competitors should learn that successful advertisements must be truthful and honest (Sutherland & Sylvester, 1993). Advertisements that give false information to lure customers into purchasing the products are never effective. This is because; they end up driving the consumers away instead of attracting them to the business. Therefore, in as much as such advertisements may seem successful for a while, they always end up ruining the business in the future (O’Shaughnessy & O’Shaughnessy, 2004, 15). Competitors should also learn that advertisements should be well planned and well budgeted to avoid misuse of resources. Advertisements, which make a business to use more money than it is deriving from the advertisements, are usually termed as uneconomical and thus ineffective. Since the campaign by Attract Agency was economical, competitors should learn on how to budget resources to ensure that they do not incur more costs than benefits. Competitors of the clients should also learn the methods that are efficient to use in advertising. This is because; it is not all the advertising methods that attract new customers or create a wider market. Therefore, competitors should make use of methods such as the internet, television commercials, and radios (Zaltman, 2003, 23). Billboards and posters are also extremely helpful though they may be inefficient in terms of space. However, they communicate the advertisement to a large number of people as compared to other methods such as using t-shirts and flyers. They should also learn that good positioning of billboards is particularly crucial for the success of the business. This is because; billboards may be placed in areas where they will not attract any customer. Communication is also extremely essential for an advertisement to be successful. From the campaign of Apple Company, competitors should learn that the way in which customers are approached affects the advertisement gravely. Customers should be approached with sincerity and fullness of information. Therefore, advertisements must give all the information whether positive or negative. For instance, if a product has any defects, the advertiser should make them known to the consumer instead of giving the positive side of the product only. For instance, in the case of the Apple Company, the campaign would give the major limitations of the iPad. For instance, it stated that an iPad should be held with keenness since it can be easily damaged when it falls down. Therefore, to avoid future conflicts with consumers, advertisers should give them all the information concerning the product (Szmigin, 2003, 24). The competitors should also learn that the target group should be carefully chosen to avoid wastage of resources on the target group. This will also help in determining the areas where the advertisement will be carried out. For instance, Apple Company had clearly identified that iPads were mostly used by people who need to store large amounts of data such as documents, pictures and maps. In conclusion, indeed advertisements are immensely useful in widening the market through attraction of new customers. They also help to create customer loyalty and build the image of the producing company. Therefore, companies should make good use of advertisements since they are more beneficial as compared to other methods such as personal selling (Duncan, 2005, 23). 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