Advertising Is One of the Main Aspects of the Marketing Mix - Essay Example

29 March Assignment Advertising is one of the main aspects of the marketing mix which is used to attract consumers towards buying a particular product or making use of some sort of service. Over the years, the entire process has become an art as different companies on the global scale are striving to compete with each other while making sure that theirs’ is the product that is being purchased by the consumer. Since the 70s, cars have begun taking a huge place in the consumer market as this was the era when the huge muscle engines began taking shape and most people started to afford the luxury of having a car at their disposal. Most companies also began putting a great amount of effort into the marketing that went on for the distribution, sale and purchase of cars; manufacturers tried to bring about cost effectiveness while keeping in mind the kind of style and prestige that customers wanted to be associated with in terms of the car they were about to purchase. Advertising thus began to take up a huge part of the business because producers and manufactures tried to attract more and more customers towards their showrooms by displaying what the customer wanted. Muscle cars were initially used with the help of great design and specification with the hope of attracting car enthusiasts to the store who could then spread the message by word of mouth as well. Further, the print media also took a popular stance as cars could be advertised with picturesque beauty and catchy captions, attracting different sections of the potential consumers and target market. Since then right till the 21st century, cars have played a very important role in the manufacturing industry and as the years have gone by, better looking cars for different kinds of people with different incomes and budgets have been created. This industry has boomed a great deal and has gone from providing only the rich people with such a luxury to making the demand for cars quite an elastic one. However, despite such differences, the main target market or consumers of the automobile or car industry continue to be men – both enthusiasts of cars and motor vehicles as well as everyday working men who need a mode for commuting every now and then. Gradually, women have also taken to having their own cars as more importance and independence has been thrust on to them. Today if we take a look at the different levels of segmentation with respect to the potential target markets, the car industry is also greatly influenced by purchases made by young teenagers who have started learning how to drive and are in college etc. All these potential segments of the market make up the target consumer group. The main thing to look at is the kind of demand that is being created by the car companies itself; for example the creation of the Volkswagen Beetle has been attracting a large number from the younger generation because of its eccentric style and looks; mostly it is young girls and women who take to this car because of the built and smooth engine that it has. Also, its recent captions including the word ‘curvy’ has been attracting many women as well. Taking another example from Tata, the Nano was built with a view to provide cars to almost every different kind of family in the Indian subcontinent. Since the country has a vast population of earners with a low income bracket, this car was designed with a smooth back end engine and a price no one can see to deny. One of the lowest priced cars in the world, the Nano was a sensation because of the heavy advertising that was done almost nine months prior to its launch. Within a few months it had almost a million orders for its purchase and people had to be put on a waiting list to be able to sign on their names for the purpose of purchasing the car. Therefore, these are some of the ways by which the car industry has been able to attract different sections of the society over the last few years. This assignment further looks onto some of the best car advertisements that have been made and how they affect different sections of the society. The advertisements presented here are Porsche’s ‘Engineered for Magic’ and Skoda’s ‘Original Cake Car’. Both of them have been presented in a well manner while keeping in mind the target consumers. They have been made cleverly with a view to attract the viewer towards buying or owning the product immediately and in the process creating a need for the product even though the consumer might not need it. This is thus crafty advertising which has been done with a lot of thought in order to let the consumer know of all the benefits the car provides and then make him feel as though he needs it in order to gain from it personally. The 911, Caymand and Boxter models of the Porsche have been made very popular recently. The advertisement ‘Engineered for Magic’ by Porsche aims to look at different uses of the same car and what it is that sets the Porsche apart from other cars. Different models of the car have been presented in different situations; the first instance shows a snow ridden land where the car is easily able to sail through the thick snow without having any problems as such. The advert also depicts a young child in the backseat smiling playfully, which reflects the fact that it is not uncomfortable for even a small baby to be in the car during an adverse situation in the environment. The next instance shows a man loading heavy materials into the car and the caption reads ‘pickup truck’ indicating that the car has several uses and may be used for loading heavy materials without any damage done to it. A tired businessman walks into the parking lot in the next scene and gets into his Porsche Camaro with a high level of ease and comfort as the caption reads ‘Getaway car’. The car finally finishes as the equivalent of a school bus for young children picked up by their mothers in style. This is how the advertisement has been so cleverly made as it attracts almost every different kind of person from society right from a mother to a businessman and a worker. This makes the entire advertisement very effective for the purpose of presentation to other people as it will surely indulge in attracting a large number of people. The main segments that the company is trying to reach are all these different kind of people mentioned above; the company is thus trying to hit on all these levels with a single blow; indicating both gender groups as well as varied interests even though the price level might be a little higher as compared to other brands. Presented next is the Skoda Fabia advertisement called ‘Original Cake Car’. This advertisement is a very innovative one indeed because it has gone in depth in order to depict to the customer the kind of hard work that has gone into its making, and how cleverly the car has been crafted to suit the needs of the consumer. This ad begins with a number of bakers and chefs as well as some scientists, building a number of different cakes and sweet foods in order to finally build a car with all the created materials. The proceed to work towards building a model of the Skoda Fabia in the form of a huge cake as the caption at the end reads ‘The new Fabia. Full of lovely stuff.’ While the advertisement plays, the potential consumer is able to witness the making of the ‘delicious’ car and how different goodies and savouries are used to put it together. This creates an impact in the sub conscious level of the consumer as he begins to think that the car was indeed made beautifully ‘full of lovely stuff’ with a lot of care in order to suit his personal needs. It is the brand for manufacturing products for a segment of happy drivers which are mostly those that need a smooth drive to work or leisure; this car advertisement has thus been designed in a manner to attract the consumers that are not really car enthusiasts, but would like to indulge in a car that has a great sense of style as well as has been made with a lot of comfort. It reflects a very happy environment and surrounding and thus has been able to target a large number of women as well. There are a number of women bakers in the ad and the car has been designed to suit the needs of someone who requires comfort in driving at their own pace - a car made with a lot of attention to detail and care. The price on this car is very affordable to the average consumer as well. Therefore, in both of these advertisements, the companies have been able to segment out their consumers very well and have been able to create a very niche target market for their respective cars. The overall promotion and distribution level of these cars have also been met with great amount of satisfaction the part of the consumers because these cars have been labelled as some of the best cars that have been produced by far. The Skoda Fabia was also labelled as the car of the year for 2010 because of the kind of comfort and ease that it had provided its customers with. One main thing about these advertisements is that the communication that was meant to be transmitted through the videos has been done in a very effective manner. In the Porsche ad, the company has been able to communicate through the use of captions as well as depictions of different kinds of people from society using the cars’ young kids, mothers, businessmen, workers. The message has thus been able to go through to such kind of people who have then been able to create a demand in their lives for which may be satisfied with the use of this car. The same goes with the Skoda ad, where the making of the large cake car has been depicted in order to show the consumer what a reliable, good looking as well as attention to detail and made with care car it is. In terms of marketing the product, the four keywords to be looked at are attention, interest, desire and actions. The question thus arises; do these advertisements follow this formula? In case of the Skoda ad, it certainly grabs the customer’s attention because the visuals are very creative and show how; with the help of a different analogy (of a cake) the car has been made. The Porsche ad grabs the attention of the consumer in a manner that the consumer wants to know what kind of uses the car can be put through. They are both short and concise, thus not letting the consumer’s mind sway and thus keeps it glued onto the subject matter at hand. The advertisements also create a great amount of interest in the mind of the consumer as it raises his will and curiosity in terms of availing of the benefits of the car. The Porsche ad shows this tremendously as each scene depicted in the ad is an added benefit or advantage that the customer will gain by buying the product. The ads have also helped to create a varied level of desire among the customer, the next key term in the formula for proper and effective advertising. It has helped the consumers to understand how they should want the product so it can satisfy their various needs. Both the ads have been able to show the customer that he should be able to want the product as it is easily accessible and for almost every kind of person, and not just restricted to the more higher or elite levels of society. The final step concludes the action that the consumers take in terms of purchasing the product. Yet another step in this formula may also be cognition or the kind of awareness that the consumer has about the product. The Porsche ad has been able to depict this awareness better than the Skoda ad because the Porsche has clearly shown the various kinds of benefits and uses of the car that the customer will be able to achieve on its purchase, thus making the customer fully aware of the advantages that come with the car. Various other aspects of the marketing mix have been delved into further with the help of these advertisements. The respective car companies have tried to aim at product mix, place mix and price mix along with the promotion mix that is being done through advertising. Both these advertisements however do not contain any information about the price. This is a method used in order to not distract the mind of the consumer form purchasing the product. It could so happen that if the consumer looks at the price, he might not be interested in the car again and might even shy away from the entire brand thinking all the cars are priced at the same value, more or less. Thus, not putting the price helps the potential customer in finding out more about the car, hopefully with the help of an agent or a proper test drive in the showroom itself and after engaging in these activities, he might purchase the product because of the benefits he gains even though he might feel the car is a little overpriced for him. The brand associated with both the advertisements and companies has been able to be communicated very well across the consumer. Both the brands, Porsche and Skoda, have created a sort of brand value for themselves around the world, and thus help to establish a sense of prestige the customer might gain by purchasing the product. To conclude, both these advertisements have been able to put forth effective communication to the consumer in terms of helping him buy the product, however the Porsche advertisement according to personal opinion has been more than effective in doing so in comparison to the Skoda ad. This is because it depicts more in lesser time as compared to the innovative but a little vague idea of the Skoda ad. The Porsche helps to reflect the different levels of consumers that it will be able to reach and the various uses that are associated with its purchase. Therefore, the Skoda ad could have been made better with a little less time spent on its ‘baking’ and a little more time on what the various uses of the car is, or how it could actually benefit a consumer except for just showing that it is made ‘of lovely stuff.’ Works Cited 1. Ferrell, O.C. and Hartline, Michael (2005). Marketing Strategy. Thomson South-Western. ISBN 0-324-20140-0. 2. Moran, Michael. (2007) Six of the best: Cleverst Car ads ever. Online. Web. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/features/article1963071.ece 3. Amadio, Evan. 1970’s cars – the art of advertising. Online. Web. http://ezinearticles.com/?1970s-Cars---The-Art-of-Advertising&id=3552486 4. (2008) why on-Car advertising? Online. Web. http://blog.cashurdrive.com/caradvertising.html 5. Mull, Corey. (2010) 5 Best car ads of 2010. Online. Web. http://mlcwideangle.exbdblogs.com/2010/11/11/5-best-car-ads-of-2010/ Appendices 1. “Skoda Fabia Advert – Original Cake Car” 18 May 2007. YouTube. 29 March 2011. . 2. “Porsche. Engineered for Magic. Every day. (TV Commercial)” 24 March 2011. YouTube. 29 March 2011. . 3. “Hyundai – Best Car Advert Ever” 29 August 2007. YouTube. 29 March 2011. . 4. “2010 Kia Soul Hamster Commercial | Black Sheep Kia Hamsters Video” 25 May 2010. YouTube. 29 March 2011. . 5. “Dodge Challenger Freedom Commercial” 11 June 2010. YouTube. 29 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezk0e1VL80o&feature=player_embedded 6. “Audi” 27 November 2006. YouTube. 29 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUOJSnR9z3k&feature=related 7. “LaFontaine Nissan - "Polar Bear" New Nissan Leaf Commercial - Highland, MI” 9 September 2010. YouTube. 29 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpeuvVdwlN0&feature=player_embedded 8. “Ford Fiesta Big Deal” 11 August 2011. YouTube. 29 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAxV5psuW5Y&feature=player_embedded 9. “Chevrolet Cruze – Dear Civic” 14 September 2010. YouTube. 29 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_P09pnAci4&feature=player_embedded 10. “Audi RS6 2008 - Gymnastics Commercial AD” 21 April 2008. YouTube. 29 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPz63IMgrtA&feature=related 11. “Honda Ad” 22 January 2006. YouTube. 29 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2VCfOC69jc 12. “Jeep and Mercedes Benz car ads by Michael Bay (HD)” 29 March 2011. YouTube. 29 March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ0ZpBnmh_0 13. “Nissan Car Advertisement” 28 November 2006. 29 March 2011. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOS5BaxCtAk 14. “Mercedes Benz E Class” 10 January 2009. 29 March 2011. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-tHKRRJvPA&feature=related 15. “Maruti Suzuki Swift TVC” 26 September 2008. 29 March 2011. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWAbTgS-EHM&feature=related 16. “Volvo XC60 Concept Advertisement” 22 June 2007. 29 March 2011. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM8Oa0zccyQ&feature=related 17. “Audi R8” 17 October 2007. 29 March 2009. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YKH6eX-CJI&feature=related 18. “Audi 2010 Green Car Superbowl” 5 February 2010. 29 March 2011. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq58zS4_jvM&feature=related 19. “Why is the sky blue – smart car advertisement” 29 June 2006. 29 March 2011. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elZh4mi5qIA&feature=related 20. “Volkswagen Punch Dub Superbowl Commercial 2010” 7 February 2010. 29 March 2011. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDcWRUtrVuc&feature=related Read More