Advertising is one of the oldest forms of public announcement and occupies a vital position in an organization's product mix.
According to the American Marketing Association, Chicago, "Advertising is any paid form of non personal presentation of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor."
To advertise means to inform (seen as the flow of information about a product or service from the seller to the buyer). However, advertising does not end with the flow of information alone. It goes further to influence and persuades people to take a desired action - like placing an order to buy a product.
The consumer market has become highly competitive with a new brand being born almost every day. Irrespective of the kind of product you are looking for, be it consumer durables like refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines or fast moving consumer products (FMCG) the number of brands available is truly mind boggling. Naturally it is the prime concern of every marketer to promote their brand as a shade better than the competitors'. Advertising comes in handy here.
However, simply informing a customer that a brand exists is not enough. Advertising should be targeted towards the prospective audience in such a way that it forms a positive impact on the customer and in the process creates brand recognition.
Marketers generally target advertising campaigns at the groups of customers:
• First Time Users of a product - Customers who don't use that product category at all. The aim is to convince them to try that product.
• First Time Users of a brand - Consumers who don't use a particular brand but might be using a competitor's brand. The aim here is to convince buyers to switch from the competition product to theirs.
• Regular users of the brand - Buyers who are using the brand already. The aim is to serve as a reminder of the brand's benefits and convince them to continue using it.
• Launch a new brand into the market.
Irrespective