Historical Milestones In Advertising

An examination of the growth of advertisingand promotion helps to clarify, among other aspects, their social and economic functions. Without a careful look at the history some of these may seem strange. Efforts to persuade men to buy or trade something can be traced back thousands of years; the tools, the specialization, and the institutions to carry out this intention came later and have been refined to their present state largely since 1900.

Advertising goes back to the very beginning of recorded history. Archaeologists working in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea have dug up signs announcing various events and offers. The Romans painted walls to announce gladiator fights and the Phoenicians painted pictures promoting their wares on large rocks along parade routes. A Pompeii wall painting praised a politician and asked for the people’s votes.

Another early form of advertising was the town crier. During the Golden Age in Greece, town criers announced the sale of slaves, cattle, and other goods. An early “singing commercial” went as follows: “For eyes that are shining, for cheeks like the dawn/ For beauty that lasts after girlhood is gone/ For prices in reason, the woman who knows/ Will buy her cosmetics of Aesclyptos”.

Another early advertising form was the mark that tradespeople placed on their goods, such as pottery. As the person’s reputation spread by word of mouth, buyers began to look for his special mark, just as trademarks and brand names are used today.

The turning point in the history of advertising came in the year 1450 when Gutenberg invented the printing press. Advertisers no longer had to produce extra copies of a sign by hand. The first printed advertisement in the English language appeared in 1478.

In 1622, advertising got a big boost with the launching of the first English newspaper, “The Weekly News”. Later Addison and Steele published “The Tatler” and became supporters of advertising. Addison gave his advice to copy writers: “The great art in writing advertising is the finding out the proper method to catch the reader, without which a good thing may pass unobserved, or be lost among commissions of bankrupts.”

Advertising had its greatest growth in the United states. Ben Franklin has been called the father of American advertising because his "Gazette", first published in 1729, had the largest circulation and advertising volume of any paper in colonial America. Several factors led to America’s becoming the cradle of advertising. First, American industry led in mass production, which created surpluses and the need to convince consumers to buy more. Second, the development of a fine network of waterways, highways, and roads allowed the transportation of goods and advertising media to the countryside. Third, the establishment in 1813 of compulsory public education increased literacy and the growth of newspapers and magazines. The invention of radio and later television created two more amazing media for the spread of advertising.

Text 2

Read the text and answer the questions that follow it.

Advertising

Advertising permeates almost all facets of modern life. Whenever we scan a newspaper, look at a magazine, listen to the radio, watch a TV program, open our mail, or walk down a city street, the chances are that we will be exposed to commercial messages. It is virtually impossible for anyone to escape contact with some of advertising.

The range of advice furnished us by advertisers is almost unlimited. Consider for a moment the ways in which advertisers tell people how to live. Commercial messages tell us:

1. What to eat - “the bread that’s better for you because it’s eight hours fresher”.

2. What to wear - “easy-care fabrics that need no ironing”.

3. How to care for our bodies - “with the deodorant (soap, toothpaste, shaving lotion) that keeps you fresh all day”.

4. Where to shop - “at the shopping center that’s fun for the whole family”.

5. What to drive - “the automobile with style”.

6. Where to take our vacations - “in a fun-filled paradise for the whole family”.

7. And how to get there - “on the airline that’s ready when you are”.

8. Where to put our money - at the bank that cares about you”.

9. How to provide for our retirement - “with the savings plan that lets you retire at the age of 55”.

10. And even where to be buried - “where perpetual care is guaranteed”.

Advertising is very important to society. It pays for a large part of our recreation and entertainment, lowers the cost of our newspapers and magazines, enables us to view free TV shows, and probably encourages most of us to work harder to buy things we didn’t know we needed until they were advertised. Advertising is controversial. It is criticized extensively.

Advertising is also important to the communication goals of a company. As the old saying goes, “Doing business without advertising is like winking at someone in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does”. However, in the marketing of most products advertising does not constitute the entire promotional program, but is simply part of the overall effort to sell the product. It is important, then, for marketing management to decide the specific role advertising should pay.

For example, although companies advertise large computers and related equipment extensively, the advertisements alone cannot be expected to make the sale. For one thing, a substantial amount of money is involved. For another, there a host of technical and financial matters that must be resolved to the prospect’s satisfaction before an order will be placed. In this example, advertising is expected to make a prospect aware of his or her needs and to make the prospective customer receptive to a visit by the manufacturer’s sales representative. In other words a company often uses advertising to make buyers aware of a product and receptive to a detailed face-to-face presentation of it. Even in the case of many convenience goods, advertising must be supplemented by point of sale displays and other sales promotion devices.

1. Speak on commercial messages given in the text. If you can add some of yours.

2. Why is advertising very important for society?

3. Why does the author say that advertising is controversial?

4. What is the role of advertising according to the text?

5. Is advertising a significant pert of the total promotional mix?

Text 3

Advertising Media

Read the text and speak on different ways of advertising.

The different outlets that present advertisements are called advertising media. The most commonly used are newspapers, television, direct mail radio, magazines, and outdoor displays.

Newspapers. Newspapers make up the largest category of the advertising media. Firms can advertise in newspapers distributed locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally. Newspapers offer good coverage for firms of any size, because there is at least one newspaper in every local market and many people read the newspapers every day. Newspapers are well suited for immediate needs since they can run advertisements with little lead time. Advertisers can choose ads of any size, from a few lines in the classified section to full pages or separate supplements. Because they reach diverse audiences, newspapers do not always allow advertisers to target their audience precisely. The life span of newspapers is very short since readers usually discard them quickly, although readers can clip or refer back to ads if they wish. Also, the quality of the paper is generally low, and the use of color is limited.

Television.Another large medium, television accounts for almost 22 per cent of advertising expenditure. Perhaps television’s greatest advantage is that it allows creative use of action, color, and sound to an extent not possible in any other medium. Television advertising also offers the capability of reaching vast audience. Firms can advertise nationally on a major network, regionally through cable networks, or locally through local stations. The major drawback of network television advertising is the high cost. To keep costs down, many advertisers now use 15-second ads, with networks running more of these shorter ads during a commercial break. At any rate, TV ads have an extremely short life, which prompts creators to use special effects, unusual sounds, music, humor, and distinctive characters to encourage viewers to remember advertisements and products. Television advertisers face difficulty in determining the audience that actually sees the commercials. Viewersin public places such as hotels, airports, restaurants, or stores are not counted. In homes, commercials play to empty rooms when viewers take breaks. Many viewers change channels when commercials begin, a habit called “zapping” that is made easier by today’s remote controls and cable systems. Some rating systems estimate that zapping cuts a prime-time commercial’s audience by 10 per cent or more.

Direct mail. Thousands of organizations send catalogs, advertisements, flyers, brochures, and fund-raising materials to homes, offices, or stores of target individuals. Nearly 18 per cent of all advertising expenditure goes for direct mail. For direct mail to effective, the material must reach the target group through up-to-date mailing lists. Advertisers can develop or purchase mailing lists that will reach nearly any target market imaginable, although selective mailing lists are expensive to buy. Direct mail’s effectiveness is easily determined by the response: customers’ orders or donations to fund-raising organizations. Even banks use direct mail. Direct mail, traditionally considered one of the less expensive forms of advertising, is becoming more costly as postal rates rise. Many firms are trimming mailing lists to include only their best customers or prospects.

Radio.About 7 per cent of all money spent on advertising goes for radio ads. Radio serves a large and various audience. Because of the wide variety of programming that caters to numerous interests - such as talk shows, all news, hard rock, classical music, jazz, oldies, easy listening - advertisers can easily pinpoint target audiences. Spending on radio advertising has grown significantly because of its low cost and its ability to reach precisely defined target audiences. Radio advertisements have the disadvantage of an extremely short life. Messages are limited because radio relies only on the sense of hearing. Listeners may keep radios turned on for background music or mere noise and ignore the advertisements.

Magazines.The last decade of the 20-th century saw a dramatic increase in the number of magazines being published. Expenditure for magazine advertising also have grown in the last several years. They now account for about 6 per cent of total advertising volume. Magazines have a number of advantages over newspapers as an advertising medium. They are usually read in leisurely manner and often kept for weeks or months before being discarded. Another advantage of magazines is that they offer better printing and color reproduction than newspapers do. Advertisers cab choose from a wide variety of magazines. Some magazines, such as newsmagazines, appeal to a mass audience. Others are designed for specific groups of people, such as teenagers, homemakers, or amateur photographers. Certain companies advertise in trade publications, which are devoted to particular businesses, industries, or professions.

Outdoor displays. Most of the advertising on outdoor signs is placed by national advertisers. One of the main advantages of outdoor signs is that people pass by the signs repeatedly. In addition, large, colorful signs easily attract attention. However, the ads on outdoor signs must be short and simple because most passers-by see a sign for only a few seconds. The main kinds of outdoor signs are: posters, painted bulletins, electric spectaculars. Posters, commonly called billboards, consist of printed sheets of paper, which are pasted on large billboards. Painted bulletins are signs painted on buildings or billboards. Electric spectaculars consist of large illuminated displays, many feature changing messages and moving pictures. Electric spectaculars are the most expensive kind of outdoor signs.

Other ways of advertising include the use of transit signs, window displays, point-of-purchase displays, telephone directories and novelties.

Scan the text again and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Text 4

Read the following text and say which statements are false and which are true. Correct the false ones.

Sales Promotion

Sales promotion refers to promotion activities - other than advertising, publicity, and personal selling - that stimulate interest, trial, or purchase by final customers or others in the channel. Sales promotion may be aimed at customers, at middlemen, or even at firm’s own employees.

The different promotion methods can all be viewed as different forms of communication. But good marketers are not interested in just “communicating”. They want to communicate information that will encourage customers to choose their product. They know if they have a better offering, informed customers are more likely to buy. Therefore they are interested in 1) reinforcing present attitude that might lead to favourable behaviour or 2) actually charging the attitudes and behaviour of the firm’s target market.

For a firm’s promotion to be effective, its promotion objectives must be clearly defined - because the right promotion blend depends on what the firm wants to accomplish. It’s helpful to think of three basic promotion objectives - informing, persuading, and reminding target market customers about the company and its marketing mix. All are concerned with affecting behaviour by providing more information. Even more useful is a more specific set of promotion objectives that states exactly who you want to inform, persuade, or remind, and why.

Potential customers must know something about a product if they are to buy at all. Therefore, informing may be the most important objective. For example, a cable TV company found that whenever it offered service to a new neighbourhood, most of the families subscribed. The cable company’s main job was informing prospects that cable was available. A firm with a really new product may not have to do anything but inform consumers about it - and show that it meets consumer needs better than other products.

When competitors offer similar products, the firm must not only inform customers that its product is available, but also persuade them to buy it. A persuading objective means the firm will try to develop or reinforce a favourable set of attitudes in the hope of affecting buying behaviour. Promotion with a persuading objective often focuses on reasons why one brand is better than competiting brands. Ads for Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol tout it as the pain relief medicine most often used in hospitals to help consumers to buy Tylenol rather than some other firm’s brand.

If target customers already have positive attitudes about the firm’s product, then a reminding objective might be suitable. The objective can be extremely important in some cases. Even though customers have been attracted and sold once, they are still targets to competitors’ appeals. Reminding them of their past satisfaction may keep them from shifting to a competitor. Campbell’s realizes that most people know about its soup - so much of its advertising is intended to remind.

1. Sales promotion may be aimed only at consumers.

2. It’s hard to generalize about sales promotion because it includes such a wide variety of activities.

3. Marketers want to communicate information that will encourage customers to choose their product.

4. The right promotion blend depends on how the firm wants to accomplish its objectives.

5. Informing may be the most important objective.

6. When competitors are offering similar products, the firm must only inform customers that its product is available.

7. Promotion with a persuading objective often focuses on reasons why one brand is better than competing brands.

8. If target customers already have positive attitudes about a firm’s product, then a reminding objective might be suitable.

9. Even though customers have been attracted and sold once, they are not any more targets for competitors’ appeals.

And now speak on each basic promotion objectives.

Text 5

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow it.

Public Relations (PR)

Effective public relations requires believability and to be continuously believed we must constantly exhibit a high level of integrity.

This area of communication represents one of the oldest methods of seeking to obtain a favourable response from a selected group of people. It should not be related to business organizations alone; all of us indulge in some form of PR on a social or professional basis. How many times during a crisis or a problem period, have you resorted to a box of chocolates, a bunch of flowers, taking somebody out for lunch or dinner or giving a gist in order to obtain a favourable response? Thus, words, actions or gifts are used when you want people to think of you in a certain way, do something for you or sustain your relationship through an apology when you have offended.

A definition of public relations in the business context will give you an idea of the width and breadth of its applications:

The planned actions designed to gain and keep the goodwill of every section of the public with which the company comes into contact.

The term “public” has enormous significance because it can include:

a) the company customers

b) shareholders, financiers or bankers

c) employees or potential employees

d) suppliers and distributors

e) other companies on the same industry

f) members of the community within which the company operates

g) members of the general public.

The scope of PR in the business world is far greater than when used by an individual but the ultimate objective remains the same: improve the relationships of an organization or individual with relevant members of the public. Like all other elements of marketing PR has had its time as a luxury or a novelty marketing tool and must be taken seriously, recognized as a distinct are of expertise, and treated with the same caution with which we treat advertising, pricing or selling. It must also be considered as a vital management function within the organization. The Institute of Public Relations presents PR as being:

The deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its public. The words “planned and sustained” effort should encourage all people involved in PR to proceed with caution, plan carefully, select the most appropriate techniques and use PR as a means of achieving well-defined objectives.

1. What is the definition of PR in the business context? (give your own comment)

2. What is the definition of PR of the Institute of Public Relations?

3. Is this area of communication related only to business organization?

4. Can you give your own examples when we indulge in some form of PR?

5. Whom does the term “public” include and why?

6. What do you know about PR as a novelty marketing tool?

7. According to the text PR must be treated with the same caution with which we treat advertising, pricing and selling”. Why? Give your arguments.

Text 6

Read the following text, find the key words and use them while speaking on the issues touched up.

Publicity

Publicity must not be confused with public relations: publicity usually represents a reward for effective PR. Publicity can be defined as news carried in the mass media about an organization - its products, policies, personnel, or actions - at no charge to the organization for media time and space. Of course, the marketer must bear the costs of preparing such items as news releases and inducing media editors to print or broadcast them. In other words, publicity is not “free advertising”.

Publicity offers several advantages as a promotion tool. First, it may reach people who ordinarily do not pay attention to advertising, sales promotion, and salespeople. Second, it has greater credibility than advertising. Third, it is relatively inexpensive and provides coverage that would cost many advertising dollars.

On the other hand, marketers have to recognize publicity’s limitations. The marketer has very little control over what media editors do with the publicity materials that marketers prepare. Media people routinely disregard materials that they do not consider newsworthy - subject matter that is untimely, uninteresting, and inaccurate. Even if the materials are judged newsworthy, the marketer has no control over how media people edit the content, schedule its appearance in the media, and so on.

Publicity tools. Marketers try to influence the media by providing publicity materials for submission, but media personnel reject a considerable amount of this publicity material. Great care is needed in preparing publicity materials to help ensure that they will be used be the media.

A news release, usually one typewritten page, contains information that the organization wants disseminated, along with the name, address, and phone number of the person whom media personnel should contact. Feature articles are longer and are prepared for specific publications. Media representatives are invited to the press conferences to hear about an upcoming major event that marketer hopes will be considered newsworthy. Letters to the editor are sent to newspapers and magazines in response to articles that appeared in those media. Radio and TV stations are given tapes and films for broadcasting.

Language

1. Practise reading the following word combinations. If necessary, use a dictionary.

To persuade; town crier; events; commercial; advertisement; to permeate; facets of life; society; controversial; prospective customer; ultimate consumer; convenience goods; medium/media; coverage; target audience; expenditure; viewer; catalogue; brochure; to ignore; per cent; outdoor sign; bulletin; publicity; corporate image; frequency; spontaneous; to publicize; to succeed; merchandising orientation; promotion; entertainment; behavioural orientation.

2. Complete the sentences below with a suitable word from the list

below.

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