Advertising

The object of all business is to make profits and publicity helps in increasing its sales, for it makes a commodity or an idea known to people. So, publicity – a term synonymous with advertisement – denotes a specific attempt to popularise a product or service, at a certain cost. It is in a way – mass persuasion.

People in the past used to employ town-criers to advertise their goods, but today the methods for advertising are much more sophisticated, effective and widespread. Newspapers and magazines still remain the most important medium of advertisement. Besides, there are the slides and short films on the cinema screen, broadcasting commercials over the radio or flashing them over the television, putting hoardings on the roadsides, posters on walls, neon signboards, distributing pamphlets and calendars, throwing leaflets from a helicopter, and the latest being online marketing. It may be any method employed – but invariably it has a message on it, for that is the purpose of advertising, and ours is an age where one cannot ignore its importance.

Advertising has become very scientific now, based on certain principles – for each category of buyers has to be kept in mind, wooed and convinced. The advertiser has to keep in mind three important factors while planning any advertising campaign:

• The psychology of the prospective buyers plays an important role – for instance, women would pay significantly to buy products that enhance their beauty, men want products that project their masculinity, while the young want something tech-savvy and exciting.
• The income-charts of different cross-sections of society are the second factor. It is pointless trying to sell laptops or cars to the lower middle class, or trying to convince the rich about the benefits of instalment plans.
• The advertiser has to keep in mind the changing trends in fashion – for everyone wants the latest thing and label in the market, especially for the young, clothes and music, food and entertainment should be absolutely modern.
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