ADVERTISING
Advertising is a powerful form of social and commercial communication through any of the established mass media such as press, radio, television and film. It has developed in modern times as a necessary accompaniment to commerce and industry all over the world. In fact, it has become an industry in its own right. Consider the large number of professional advertising agencies and the vast sums of money involved in running them or utilizing their service.
Think of all the space advertisements occupy in the daily newspaper. Look at the regularity, often irritating, with which advertisements appear on the TV screen.
Types of Advertising
How many types of advertisements do you find in newspapers and magazines? Is there any difference between the ones published in newspapers and those published in magazines? As you might have noticed, one obvious difference between that two is that a magazine advertisement is generally in colour and therefore more attractive. Very often it is illustrated also. Since magazine paper is of superior quality, the advertisements appear glossy and bold. Most of these are normally large size ads covering the entire page. The typical newspaper advertisements are the ones which occupy, though it may not always be the case, the second page of the paper (except on Sunday when they run into several pages); they are set in small print and have nothing attractive or aesthetic about them. They are concerned with utilitarian motives such as announcing jobs, houses to let, motor vehicles for sale, poultry and farming, and other mundane areas of our day-to-day life. It is only the highly motivated reader who would go through them with interest and enthusiasm. Their main purpose is to provide information about opportunities available.
The other type of newspaper advertisement is the one which appears in bold letters arranged in a box. It looks much more prominent than anything else on that page, unless of course there are too many boxes of the same size. It also costs much more than the routine 14 word small-type ad on the second page. There are some still bigger than the box item and occupy half a page, even a full page, of the newspaper.
Let us now put advertisements in broad categories according to the messages they convey. The following are a few categories:
i) Classified advertisements:
These are the ‘Want’ ads in newspapers. They are short statements set in very small type. Some of them may be larger than others. They appear dull, but they are the ones most sought after. When you complete your studies, you would also want to look at them regularly in the daily paper. The message of these advertisements is: Get in touch with me for what you want.
ii) Product advertisements:
They are intended to present goods and products, point out their qualities, and promote their sale. The product may be soft drink, soap, or toothpaste. The message is:
Buy our product. It is the best in the market.
iii) Institutional advertisements:
The objective here is not to introduce or sell a particular product but to build up the image of the manufacturing company or firm. The main purpose is to acquaint the public with the name of the institution, and what it is doing, and how its services are better than those of others, thereby stepping up the prestige of the institution or firm. The general message is: Know us and how good and efficient we are.
iv) Non-commercial or ‘Idea’ advertisements:
Government bodies, charitable institutions and other voluntary organizations, etc. often publish advertisements in newspapers and magazines. Their main objective is to acquaint the people with the ‘cause’ or the ‘idea’. They wish to inform and educate the public. Sometimes they wish to raise donations also. To follow traffic rules, to avoid smoking and drinking, to keep your city clean, to improve the quality of life: these are some of the ideas advertised by different agencies. The message of such advertisements is: Accept our idea or help our cause.
Advertising flourishes most in profit-oriented and market free societies (societies where the production and distribution of goods and services is not directly or solely controlled by the state, but is open to private enterprise also). Advertising promotes competition among producers and brings about awareness among consumers. It quickens the pace of distribution and consumption of products and thus helps to raise the general standard of living.
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