Addis Ababa

University

Graduate
School of Journalism and Communication

ADVETISING AND BRAND MANAGEMENT

By

Gashaye Belew (PhD)

SESSION I

COLLABORATIVE WORK I

Working in groups, discuss the following issues.

 How may you define advertising?

 What is advertising management?
 How do you develop an effective advertising message?

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 7.11.1. Advertising: Introductory Issues

Definitions: Advertising is a type of marketing

communications that employs an openly sponsored,
non-personal message to sell/ promote a product,
service or idea via diverse media.

It is a non-personal form of communication

usually paid and persuasive.

It is done via different signs, brochures, commercials,

direct mailings, personal contacts, etc.

Sponsors of advertising are typically businesses

wishing to promote their products, services or
ideas.

 Aspects of the advertising:

Paid aspect: reflects the fact that the space or time

for an advertising message is generally bought.

Non-personal Aspect: Indicates that advertising involves

mass media: Radio, Magazines, Newspapers, where a
message can be transmitted to large group of individuals
often at the same point in time.

Non-personal nature of advertising means that there is

generally no opportunity for immediate feedback from
the message recipient except in direct response
advertising. Therefore, before a message is sent, the

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 advertiser must attempt to understand how the audience
will interpret and respond to the message.

It is non-personal, i.e. without personal contact,

It is effective,

It is good as sales tool,

However, it could be misleading.

 Advertising Media: refers to one form of

marketing communications that attempts to sell
products/ services to consumers.

 Types of Advertising Media

Following are the most widely applied types of

advertising media.

Print advertising media

Tv advertising

Digital advertising

Outdoor advertising/Outdoor sinage/

Radio advertising

Video and animation

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 SESSION II

COLLABORATIVE WORK 2.1.

Working in small groups, develop a well thought out

advertising text.

COLLABORATIVE WORK 2.1.

Working in small groups, discuss whether or not the

following tips are worth considering when producing
a text ad successfully.

7.11.2. Producing Advertising Text

 Following are tips for producing a text ad

Identify your consumer,

Conduct marketing research,,

Employ text ad production fundamentals, i.e.

 Simplicity,

 Clarity,

 Concreteness,

 Originality,

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  Consistency,

 Targeting audience,

 Comprehensibility,

 Ethicality,

 Decide on budget,

 Launching your ad

 Track and analyze performance

Make it informative,

Include product/service benefits,

Make sure that you are better than the

competitors,

Think holistically,

Include a call for action

Employ marketing writing process

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7.11.3. Advertising Multimedia Production

 Definition
Multimedia production is any type of production that
comprises of text, audio, video, animation and graphics
to tell a story that may focus on product/ service sale,
narration of events which can be either educational,
artistic.

7.11.4. Basic Stages of Multimedia Project

Development
Project conceptualization,

Planning and costing,

Designing and production,

Evaluation, and

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 Delivery

7.11.5. Developing Advertising Multimedia

Production
You need to consider the following practical issues
to carry out an advertising multimedia production:

Analyze your target audience,

Apply advertising media production process,

Identify and apply the best channel,

Master each component of an advertising

message,

Identify elements of advertising/ slogan, content

and graphics or storytelling,

Analyze the results and act on them,

Evaluate the level of effectiveness of your

advertising media production,

Evaluate the level of appropriateness of your

advertising media production.

 Collaborative Work I
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Work collaboratively and develop an advertising text
that aims at advertising a certain product or service of
XXXX product or service company. Then, engage
yourself in developing advertising media production.

 Collaborative Group Work II

Working in small groups, identify some practical

downsides of Tv advertisers in Ethiopia.

7.12. Types of Advertising

Advertising is so complex. There are eight types of

advertising that literature suggests.

 Brand Advertising

It is a form of advertising used to establish

awareness for a brand, a product or service in order
to strengthen identity and increase customer loyalty,
that can be built and maintained through:

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 Offering discounts,

Rewarding clients,

Promoting rewards programme,

Setting up s subscription service

Soliciting for feedback, etc.

It focuses on the development of a long term brand

identity and image.

 Retail Advertising

Such ads include specific products, their prices,

sales dates, coupons, i.e. a printed paper that
allows one to pay less money than usual for a
product, or get it free, and a call to actions.

It focuses on the store where a variety of products

are available locally.

Stimulates store traffic, and tries to create a

distinctive image for the store.

Political Advertising – it is used by politicians to

persuade people to vote for them.

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Directory Advertising – It is a type of advertising
that appears in a specific directory. For instance,
Yellow pages.

Direct–Response Advertising – it tries to

stimulate sales directly.

Business-to-Business Advertising – it includes

messages directed at retailers, distributors,
wholesalers as well as industrial purchasers.

Institutional Advertising - also known as

corporate advertising, focuses on establishing a
corporate identity or winning the public to the
company point of view.

Public Service Advertising – it communicates a

message on behalf of some good cause such as
stopping drunk driving or preventing child abuse.

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  Advertising can be also classified into three
categories depending on whether the aim is to
inform, persuade or remind.

7.13. Informative Advertising

It focuses heavily on the pioneering stage of a product

category, where the objective is to build primary
demand. It includes:

 Telling the market about a new product,

 Suggesting new uses for product,

 Informing the market of a price change,

 Explaining how the product works,

 Describing available services,

 Correcting false impressions,

 Reducing buyers’ fears,

 Building a company image.

7. 14. Persuasive Advertising

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It is important in the competitive stage, where a
company’s objective is to build selective demand
for a particular brand. For example, Chivas Regal
attempts to persuade consumers that it delivers
more status than any other brand of Scotch whisky.

Some persuasive advertising has moved into the

category of comparative advertising, which seeks
to establish the superiority of one brand through
specific comparison of one or more attributes with
one or more other brands in the product class.

7.15. Comparative Advertising:

In using comparative advertising, a company

should make sure that it can prove its claim of
superiority and that it cannot be counter attacked
in an area where the other brand is stronger.

Comparative ad works best when it elicits cognitive and

affective motivations simultaneously and includes:

building brand preference,

encouraging switching to the brand,

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 changing buyers’ perception of product attributes

persuading buyers to purchase now

persuading buyers to receive a sales call

14.8.3. Reminder Advertising/Retentive advertising

It aims at reminding a target market that a product is

available as opposed to informing or persuading it.

It is associated with products in the mature stage of

their life scale.

Reminding buyers that the product may be needed

in the near future.

Reminding buyers where to buy it,

Keeping it in buyers’ mind during off seasons,

Maintaining its top of the mind awareness

15.1. Functions of Advertising

 Not all advertising attempt to accomplish the same

objectives. Although each ad or campaign tries to
reach goals unique to its sponsor, there are two
basic functions that advertising performs, along
with several sub functions.

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  Product advertising: aims to inform or
stimulate the market about the sponsor’s
product/s.

 The intent is clearly to sell a particular product,

to the exclusion of competitors’ products.

 Institutional advertising is designed to

create a positive attitude toward the seller. The
intent is to promote the sponsoring
organization rather than the things it sells.

15.2. Direct Action Versus Indirect Action

 Product advertising may be either direct-action or

indirect-action advertising.

 Direct action advertising is intended to produce a

sales response. Ads that include a coupon with an
expiration date or a sale with expiration date are
direct action ads.

 Indirect action advertising is designed to stimulate

demand over a longer period of time.

 These advertisements inform customers that the

product exists, indicate its benefits, state where it

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 can be purchased, remind customers to repurchase,
and reinforce this decision.

15.3. Primary Versus Selective

Product advertising can also be primary or

selective.

Primary advertising aims to promote demand for a

generic product, i.e. a type of consumer product on
the market that lacks a widely recognized name or
logo as is it is not advertised.

Selective advertising attempts to create demand for

a particular brand. It typically follows primary
advertising, which more or less sets the stage for
selection advertising.

15.4. Commercial Versus Non-commercial

Product advertising can serve as either a

commercial or a non-commercial function.

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 Commercial advertising promotes a product with
the intent of making a profit. Most of the
advertising you see in the mass media falls under
this heading.

In contrast, non commercial advertising tends to be

sponsored by charitable or political organization,
civic or religious group.

The goal such ads is to seek money in the hope of

raising funds.

16. Characteristics of Effective Ads

 Popularity and longevity are not reliable measures

of successful advertising.

 Successful ads work on two levels: they engage the

mind of the consumer and at the same time deliver
a selling message.

 Successful ads reflect the target group’s interests

and needs.

 Successful ads employ a variety of techniques that

include:

- celebrities and spokespersons,

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 - fantasy characters,

- music,

- drama,

- significant imagery,

- creative media buying.

 Successful ads campaigns are widely

remembered, not only because they are
entertaining, but also because they involve
viewers and make them wonder what the
campaign’s creators will come up next.

 Characteristics of Successful

A Successful ad is:

Promotional,

Persuasive,

Multidimensional and complex,

An art, science and a craft,

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 Is non-personal that includes newspapers,
magazines, radio, television, billboards,
posters, etc.

part of an overall marketing strategy,

always targeted,

an investment,

identified sponsor,

original,

consistent,

personalized,

ethical.

 Dimensions of Successful Advertising

 Three broad dimensions characterize great

advertising.

Strategy

Creativity and

Execution

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 Strategy

 Every successful ad is strategically sound. In other

words, it is carefully directed to a certain audience,

 It is driven by specific objectives. Its message is

crafted to speak to that audience’s most important
concerns, and

 It is run on media that will most effectively reach an

identified audience.

 The measure of an ad’s success is how well it

achieves its goals, whether they be increased sales,
memorability, attitude change, or brand awareness.

 Creativity

 The creativity concept is a central idea that gets

your attention and sticks in your memory. A concern
for creative thinking drives the entire fields of
advertising.

 Strategy and planning calls for creative problem

solving, i.e. the research efforts are creative; the
buying and placing of ads in the media are creative.

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  Advertising is an exciting field because of the
constant demand for creative solutions to media
and message problems.

 Execution

Finally, every successful ad requires good execution, i.e.

the artistry/craftsmanship/ is impressive.

the details, the techniques, and the production

values have all been fine tuned.

Good advertisers know that how they say it is just as

important as what they say.

What they say it come from strategy, whereas, how

they say it is a product of creativity and execution.

Good advertisers know that their ad is characterized

by ROI, i.e. Relevance, Originality, and
Impactfulness.

 In general, successful ads, then, are ads that:

are strategically sound,

have original creative concept, and

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 use exactly the right execution for the message.

 Strategy, creativity, and execution are the qualities

that turn great ads into classics.

17. Advertising Management Process

 An advertising management programme is the

process of preparing an ad integrating a company’s
advertising efforts with the overall IMC message
that already exists.

 An effective programme consists of four activities

that include the following:

 Reviewing the company’s activities in light of

advertising management ,

 Selecting an in-house or external advertising

agency,

 Developing ad campaign management strategy,

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  Developing ad campaign plan,

 Completing a creative brief.

 Reviewing the Company’s Activities in Advertising

Management

 Successful company leaders make sure that the firm

has a well-thought-out and clearly specified mission
statement.

 The overall mission of an organization is a general

outline of the company’s direction and purpose.

 Many times, an IMC programme is based on a

similar statement of an overall objective. From
there, members of the company can:

a. Identify potential customers

b. Build products and services to meet customer needs

c. Match the company’s IMC process with its advertising

management program.

 Choosing an Advertising Agency

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 The first step in developing an ad programme is
choosing between an in-house ad group and an
external ad agency.

 Many larger-size organizations have begun to build

an integrated communications and advertising
programs within internal departments.

 Part of the reasoning is that internal organization

members have a better sense of the company’s
mission and message.

 By hiring a few key marketing and advertising

experts, many firms can develop effective
advertising programs by outsourcing some of the
functions such as writing, filming or recording, and
editing the actual advertisement in addition to
planning and purchasing media time (radio, TV) and
space (in magazines, newspapers, and on
billboards).

 However, the disadvantage to this approach is lack of

expertise to carry out all the necessary functions.

 Steps in Selecting an Ad Agency

After identifying and prioritizing corporate goals, one needs to:

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i. develop agency selection process and criteria

ii. initially screen firms based on credentials, size,

capabilities, relevant experience, and conflict of
interests.

iii. request client references

iv. do background check with other firms and media

agents

v. request written and oral presentation

vi. meet creative, media buyers, account executives, and

other personnels that will work with account.

vii. select and draw up contract

SESSION III

Who is a Competent Advertiser?

Knowledgeable

Skilled,

Motivated,

Eye catching designer,

Producer of the right ad for a company,

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A man of conviction,

Adept in artistry,

Honest,

Influential,

Perceptive/ insightful/, etc.

Well informed,

Organized,

Conviction,

Attentive,

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15.2 THE CREATIVE SIDE OF ADVERTISING

15.2.1 What Makes an Ideal Creative? - ROI

Different agencies approach the cultivation for creativity

in different ways. We will consider the approach used by
DDB Needham Worldwide and then consider the
relationship between creativity and strategy in
advertising. The creative philosophy of DDB Needham is
summarized as ROI: Relevance, Originality, and Impact.
These three characteristics help to describe what makes
ideas creative in advertising.

 Advertising is a disciplined, goal-oriented field that

tries to deliver the right message to the right
person at the right time. The goal is persuasion that
results in either a change of opinion or a sale.

 Ideas have to mean something important to the

audience. In other words, they must have
relevance.

 Advertising is directed at convincing people to do

something. Creativity in advertising requires
empathy, a keen awareness of the audience: how
they think and feel, what they value, and what
makes them take notice. A creative idea has to

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 speak to the right audience with the right sales
message.

 No matter how much the creative people or the

client or the account executive may like an idea, if it
doesn't communicate the right message or the right
product personality to the right audience, then it
won't work.

 An Original advertising idea is creative, novel, fresh,

unexpected, and unusual. Any idea can seem
creative to you if you have never thought of it
before, but the essence of a creative idea is that no
one else has thought of it either. The original ideas
are those that only one person thinks of. An
unexpected idea can be one with a twist, an
unexpected association, or catchy phrasing. A
familiar phrase can become the raw material of a
new idea if it is presented in some unusual or
unexpected situation.

 Unoriginal advertising is not novel or fresh; it is the

common or obvious idea. Look-alike advertising
copies somebody else's great idea. Unfortunately, a
great idea is only great the first time around. When
it gets copied and overused, it becomes a cliché.
Even though professionals continually disparage
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 copycat advertising, it remains a dominant
advertising form.

 To be creative, the idea must also have an impact.

Most advertisements just "wash over" the audience.
A commercial with impact can break through the
screen of indifference and focus the audience's
attention on the message and the product. An ad
with impact has the stopping power that comes
from an intriguing idea-something you have never
thought about before.

15.2.3 Copywriting

 Advertising writing is called copy and the person

who shapes and sculpts or forms the words in an
advertisement is called a copywriter. Copywriters
are preoccupied with language. They listen to how
people talk. They read everything they can get their
hands on, from technical documents to comic books.
They are tuned in to current expressions and fads.

 Versatility is the most common characteristic of

copywriters. They shift their writing style to match
the product and the language of their target.
Copywriters don't have a style of their own because
the style they use has to match the message and

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 the product. There is good writing and there is bad
writing in advertising just as there is in every other
area of expression. Some of the characteristics
discussed here are features of good advertising
writing although all ads are not written this way.

 Advertising has to win its audience, and usually it is

in competition with some other form of
programming or editorial matter. For that reason,
the copy should be as easy to understand as
possible.

 Advertising copy uses short, familiar words and

short sentences. You will probably notice in print
advertising that some of the paragraphs are only
one sentence long. Every attempt is made to
produce copy that looks or sounds easy to
understand. Long blocks of copy in print, which are
too "gray" or intimidating for the average reader,
are broken up into short paragraphs with many
subheads. The equivalent of a long copy block in
television advertising is a long speech by the
announcer.

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 Television monologues can be broken up by visual
changes, such as shots of the product. Sound
effects can also be used to break up the heaviness
of the monologue.

 Advertising copy is very tight. Every word counts

because both space and time are expensive. There
is no time or room for ineffective words.
Copywriters will go over the copy a hundred times
trying to make it as concise as possible. The tighter
the copy is, the easier it is to understand and the
greater its impact will be.

 The more specific the message, the more attention-

getting and memorable it is. The better ads won't
say "cost less" but will spell out exactly how much
less the product costs. There isn't lot of time to
waste on generalities.

 The best advertising copy sounds natural like two

friends talking to one another. It is not forced; it is
not full of generalities and superlatives; it does not
brag or boast. Conversational copy is written the
way people talk. It uses incomplete sentences,
fragments of thoughts, and contractions.

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 In order to get the right tone of voice, copywriters
usually move away from the target audience
description and concentrate on the typical user. If
they know someone who fits that description, then
they write to that person. If they don't, then they
may go through a photo file, select a picture of the
person they think fits the description, and develop a
profile of that personality.

 They may even hang that picture above their desk

while they write the copy.

 One way that advertising copy differs from other

writing is in the use of direct address. It is perfectly
acceptable in copywriting to use "you" in direct
address. In fact, a conscious attempt to use "you"
will force copywriters to be more natural and less
affected in their writing. It also forces them to think
about the product in terms of the prospect and
benefits.

 "We" copy is advertising that is written from the

company's point of view. It tends to be more
formal, even pompous. It is also called brag-and-
boast copy. Research has consistently found that
this is the weakest form of ad writing. "I" copy is
used occasionally in testimonials or in dramas such
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 as slice of life where a leading character speaks
about a personal experience.

 It is a form of formula writing, called adese, that

violates all the preceding guidelines. Adese is full of
cliches, superlatives, stock phrases, and vague
generalities. For example, imagine saying things
like this to a friend:

 "Now we offer the quality that you've been waiting

for at a price you can afford." "Buy now and save."

 The problem with adese is that it looks and sounds

like what everyone thinks advertising should look
and sound like. Because people are so conditioned
to screen out advertising, messages that use this
predictable style are the ones that are the easiest to
notice and avoid.

15.2.4 The Creative Process

There is a tendency to think of a creative person as

someone who sits around waiting for an idea to strike.
In comic books that is the point where the light bulb
comes on above the character's head. In reality, most
people who are good at thinking up new ideas will tell
you that it is hard work. They read, they study, they

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analyze, they test and retest, they sweat, worry, and
sometimes they give up. Major breakthroughs in science
or medicine may take years, decades, even generations.
The unusual, unexpected, novel idea doesn't come
easily.

Certainly, any individual is capable of coming up with an

idea or two, but in reality, as Osterman, Adweek editor,
pointed out, many of those ideas are either lacking in
potential, impractical to produce, or outside the
product's strategy. This is especially true of the ideas
that arise without the aid of disciplined procedures.
Random ideas come mainly by chance but in a
disciplined systematic approach, such as that
diagrammed in Young’s model of the creative process
contains five steps or stages that include:

(1) Immersion: Gathering raw material and information

through background research and

immersing yourself in the problem.

(2) Digestion: Taking the information, working it over,

and wrestling with it in the mind.

(3) Incubation: Putting the problems out of your

conscious mind and turning the information over to the
subconscious and letting it do the work.
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(4) Illumination: The appearance or birth of an idea –
the” Eureka! I have it!” phenomenon.

(5) Reality or verification: Looking back at the idea to

see if it still looks good or solves the problem, then
shaping and developing the idea to practical usefulness.
Despite differences in terms and emphasis, there is a
great deal of agreement among the different
descriptions of the creative process. The creative
process is usually portrayed as following sequential
steps.

As long ago as 1926 an English sociologist named

Graham Wallas first put names to the steps in the
creative process. Young’s process of creativity is very
similar to an approach outlined much earlier by English
sociologist Graham Walla’s who suggested that creative
thought involved four stages:

1. Preparation- Gathering background information

needed to solve the problem through research and
study.

2. Incubation- getting away and letting ideas develop.

3. Illumination- seeing the light or solution.

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4. Verification- Refining and polishing the idea and
seeing if it is an appropriate solution.

A more comprehensive process is suggested by Alex

Osborn, former head of the BBDD agency,

who established the Creative Education Foundation in

upstate New York, which runs workshops and publishes
a journal on creativity:

1. Orientation: pointing up the problem

2. Preparation: gathering pertinent data

3. Analysis: breaking down the relevant material

4. Ideation: piling up alternative ideas

5. Incubation: letting up, inviting illumination

6. Synthesis: Putting the pieces together

7. Evaluation: judging the resulting ideas

Next comes ideation, a time of playing with the material,

of turning the problem over and locking at it from every
angle. This is also a period of teasing out ideas and
bringing them to the surface. Most creative people
develop a physical technique for generating ideas, such
as doodling or drawing, taking a walk, jogging, riding up

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and down on the elevator, going to a movie, or eating
certain foods. It is a highly personal technique used to
"get in the mood," to start the wheels turning. The
objective of this stage is to generate as many
alternatives as possible.

The more ideas that are generated, the better the final
concepts will be. The processes of analysis,
juxtaposition, and association are mentally fatiguing for
most people. You may hit a blank wall and find yourself
giving up. This is the point that James Webb Young
describes as "brainfag." It is a necessary part of the
process.

Incubation is the most interesting part of the process.

This is the point where you put your conscious mind to
rest and let your subconscious take over the problem-
solving effort. In other words, when you find yourself
frustrated and exasperated because the ideas just won't
come, try getting away from the problem. Go for a walk,
go to a movie, do anything that lets you put the problem
"out of your mind" because that is when the
subconscious will take over.

Illumination is that unexpected moment when the idea

comes. Typically, the solution to the problem appears at
the least expected time: not when you are sitting at the
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desk straining your brain, but later that evening just
before you drop off to sleep or in the morning when you
wake up. At an unexpected moment, the pieces fit
together, the pattern is obvious, and the solution jumps
out at you.

One of the most important steps is the verification or

evaluation stage, where you step back and look at the
great idea objectively. Is it really all that creative? Is it
understandable? Most of all, does it accomplish the
strategy? Most people working on the creative side of
advertising will admit that many of their best creative
ideas just didn't work. They may have been great ideas,
but they didn't solve the problem or accomplish the right
objective. Copywriters will also admit that sometimes
the idea they initially thought was wonderful does not
project any excitement a day or week later. Part of
evaluation involves the personal go on decision which
every creative person has to be able to make.

Ideation

Ideation is the process used to come up with an original

or creative idea. Ideation sessions are used for new-
product development and naming, positioning, strategic
planning, cost cutting, and reengineering, as well as the
development of advertising big ideas. William Miller,
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president of Global Creativity, says everybody falls into
one of four innovation styles:

1. Envision: Those who envision focus on the end result

and work toward a vision of what they want to create.

2. Modify: Those who modify prefer to take things one

step at a time, examine components of problems, and
build on what they already know.

3. Experiment: People who experiment like to

troubleshoot, test, and answer questions about their
products or target markets.

4. Explore: People who explore thrive on the unknown

and have a sense of adventure.

Brainstorming is an ideation technique developed in the

early 1950s by Alex Osborn of BBDO. Brainstorming uses
associative thinking in a group context. Osborn would
get a group of six to ten people together in his agency
and ask them to come up with ideas. One person's ideas
would stimulate someone else, and the combined power
of the group associations stimulated far more ideas than
any one person could think of alone. The secret to
brainstorming is to remain positive.

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The rule is to defer judgment. Negative thinking during a
brainstorming session can destroy the informal
atmosphere necessary to achieve a novel idea.

Another type of divergent thinking uses such

comparisons as analogies and metaphors. Young's
definition of an idea also called for the ability to see new
patterns or relationships. This is what happens when
you think in analogies. You are saying that one pattern
is like or similar to another totally unrelated pattern.
William J.J Gordon, a researcher in the area of creative
thinking, discovered in his research that new ideas were
often expressed as analogies. He has developed a
program called ‘Synectics’ that trains people to
approach problem solving by applying analogies.

15.2.5 Creative Strategy

There are two dimensions to the creative side of an

advertisement: the creative concept and its execution.
Creative strategy determines what the message says
and the execution details how it is said. Creative
strategy, however, is based on the overall advertising
strategy.

What is said in an advertisement is determined by a

strategic platform called a creative brief, work plan, or

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blueprint. This document presents and explains the logic
behind:

the ad message

the creative concept and

the executional details that bring the idea to life.

Since effective advertising is built on strategy, it is

important to understand how different strategies affect
the creative options and how the creative idea mirrors
the strategy. It is also important to understand how
strategy can get in the way of creative thinking. There is
a real danger in focusing too heavily on the marketing
objectives and ignoring the need for original, novel
ideas.

5.6.4 Type of Messages (Message Design Decisions)

Different types of strategies take different types of

message design-figuring out what to say and how to say
it. The strategy is first of all a reflection of the product
and its product category.

Some kinds of products such as clothes, jewelry, and

cosmetics are fashion items, and their advertising often
makes its own fashion statement. Some products are

40
just naturally difficult to advertise such as hemorrhoid
treatments and feminine hygiene products.

1. Packaged-Goods Advertising

Other kinds of advertising are for products used in the

home (cleansers, light bulbs), for personal care
(toothpaste, toilet paper and tissue, laxatives, cold
remedies), or for sustenance (food of all kinds including
snacks and soft drinks). In Europe these are described
as fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) and in the
United States they are called packaged goods.
Advertising for these products can range from the basic
problem solution to fun.

2. Public Service Advertising

Public service advertising and pro bono ads involve a

different, more emotional or punchier style. Pro bono
ads are done for free or for a very small fee for nonprofit
groups and firms too small to have much of an
advertising budget.

3. Hard and Soft Sell

In addition to the product category, there are other

message design decisions that affect how the execution
is shaped. Advertisements are designed to touch either

41
the head or the heart. These two approaches are also
called bard sell and soft sell. A hard sell approach is
direct and emphasizes tangible product features and
benefits. Hard-sell messages try to convince the
consumer to buy because the product is very good,
better, or best. Soft sell uses an emotional message and
is designed around an image intended to touch the heart
and create a response based

on feelings and attitudes.

15.6.7 Advertising Execution

Once the specific advertising appeal that will be used as

the basis for the advertising message has been
determined, the creative specialist or team must then
turn its attention to its execution.

Creative Execution refers to the way in which an

advertising appeal is carried out or presented. While it is
obviously important for an advertisement to have a
meaningful appeal or message to communicate to the
consumer, the manner in which the ad has been
executed is also important.

Advertising Formats

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There are numerous ways that an advertising message
or appeal can be presented. We will now turn our
attention to a closer examination of some of these
techniques and considerations involved in their use.

1. Straight-Sell or Factual Message: one of the most

basic types of creative executions is the straight-sell or
factual message. This type of ad relies on a
straightforward presentation of information concerning
the product or service.

This type of execution is often used with

informational/rational appeals where the focus of the
message is the product or service and its specific
attributes and/or benefits.

2. Scientific/Technical Evidence: A variation of the

straight-sell or announcement execution is where
scientific or technical evidence or information is
presented in the advertisement. Advertisers will often
cite technical information in their ads, results of
scientific or laboratory studies, or endorsements by
scientific bodies or agencies as supportive evidence for
their advertising clams.

3. Demonstration: Demonstration advertising is

designed to illustrate the key advantages or benefits of

43
the products/service by showing it in actual use or in
some contrived or staged situation. Demonstration
executions can be very effective for convincing
consumers of a product's utility or quality and for
convincing them of the value or advantages of owning or
using the brand.

Television is a particularly well-situated medium for

demonstration executions since the benefits or
advantages the product can be shown or performed
fright on the screen for the viewer to see.

4. Comparison: The comparison execution approach has

become increasingly popular in recent years among
advertisers since it offers a direct way of communicating
a particular advantage a brand may have over its
competitors or positioning a new or lesser-known brand
with the industry leaders.

5. Slice of Life: A widely used advertising format,

particularly for package-goods products is what is
known as the slice-to-life execution which is generally
based on a problem/solution type approach. This type of
advertisement attempts to portray a real life situation
involving a problem or conflict that consumers might
face in their daily lives. The ad then focuses on showing
how the advertiser's product or service can be used as a
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way of resolving the problem. Slice -of-life executions
are often criticized for being unrealistic and irritating to
watch. This stems from the fact that this technique is
often used to remind consumers of problems of a more
personal nature such as dandruff, bad breath, body
odor, and laundry problems.

6. Testimonials: many advertisers prefer to have their

messages presented by way of testimonial whereby a
person speaks on behalf of the product or service based
on his or her personal use of and/or experiences with it.
Testimonial executions can involve ordinary people such
as satisfied customers discussing their own experience
with the brand and the benefits of using it. This
approach can be very effective when the spoke person
delivering the testimonials someone with whom the
target audience can identify or the person has a
particularly interesting experience or story to tell.

7. Animation: An advertising execution approach that

has increased in popularity recent years is that of using
animation. With this technique, animated scenes are
derived by artists or created on the computer, and
cartoon, puppet, or some other type of fractional
character may be used in the advertisement. The use of

45
cartoon animation is particularly popular execution
technique for creating commercials targeted at children.

8. Personality symbol: Another type of advertising

executing that many companies have found successful is
that of developing a central character or personality
symbol to deliver the advertising message and with
which the product or service can be identified. 9.
Fantasy: An execution technique that is very popular for
an emotional type of appeals such as image advertising
is that of fantasy. Fantasies executions are particularly
well-situated for television, as the commercial can
became a second escape for the view into another realm
or lifestyle. When fantasy executions are used, the
product or service becomes a central part of the
situation created by the advertiser. Cosmetics ads often
use fantasy appeals to create images and symbolism
that become associated with the brand.

10. Dramatization: Another Execution technique that is

particularly well suited to television is that of
dramatization where the focus is on telling a short story
with the product or service about the star or a hero.
Dramatization is somewhat akin to the slice of-life
execution technique in that it often relies on the
problem/solution approach. However, rather than just

46
using a typical situation or vignette as the setting for the
ad, the drama technique uses more excitement or
suspense in telling the story.

11. Humor: Like comparisons, humor has been discussed

as a type of advertising appeal, but this technique can
also be used as a way of presenting other advertising
appeals. Humorous executions are particularly well
suited to television or radio, although some print ads
attempt to use this execution style.

12. Combinations: It should be noted that many of the

execution techniques discussed above could be
combined in order to present the advertising message.
For example, animation is often used to create
personality symbols or to present a fantasy execution.
Slice -of-life ads often are used to make a demonstration
of a product or service, whereas comparisons are
sometimes made using a humorous approach. It is the
responsibility of the creative specialist(s) to determine
whether

more than one execution style can or should be used in

creating the advertisement.

15.6.8 Effective Creativity

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 The McCollum Spielman research firm has
determined the characteristics of effective creative
messages based on 25 years of research.

Guidelines for creative advertising

1. Brand rewards/benefits are highly visible through

demonstration, dramatization, lifestyle, feelings, or
analogy

2. The brand is the major player in the experience (the

brand makes the good times better).

3. The linkage between brand and execution is clear

(scenario revolves around and highlights the brand).

4. The execution has a focus (there’s a limit to how

many images and vignettes the consumer can process).

5. Feelings (emotional connectives) are enhanced to the

needs and aspirations of the targeted consumer.

6. Striking, dramatic imagery is characteristic of many

successful executions, enhancing their ability to break
out of clutter.

7. An original, creative signature or mystique exists in

many of the best

48
 commercials, to bond the consumer to the brand and
give it a unique

personality.

8. In food and beverage advertising, high taste appeal is

almost always essential.

9. The best creative ideas for mature brands frequently

employ fresh new ways of revitalizing the message.

10. Music (memorable, bonded tunes and lyrics) is often

integral to successful executions for many brands.

11. When humor is used, it is relevant, with clear

product purpose.

12. When celebrities are employed, they are well

matched to brands, have credibility as
users/endorsers and their delivery is believably
enthusiastic.

RECAP

The big idea is the creative concept around which the

entire advertising campaign revolves and behind the
creative concept is the execution of the idea, which also
has to be handled creatively.

A creative concept must have relevance, originality and

impact. The two basic sales approaches used in
advertising are hard sell and soft sell. The two basic

49
literary techniques used in advertisements are lectures
and dramas. Some ads use a combination of the two.

Common advertising formats include humor, problem

solution, slice of life, spokesperson, straight forward
factual, and comparisons and demonstrations. Effective
copywriting is informal, personal, conversational, and
concise. Forced, unnatural writing is referred to as
adese.

Advertising has to be effective. That means creativity is

used to enhance the strategy of the message.

1. While it is a big idea that makes the message

distinctive, attention-getting, and memorable, is
dramatizes the strategy behind the message, captures
attention, and makes the advertisement memorable.

2. What makes an ad idea creative according to the

creative philosophy of DDB Needham?

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 SESSION III

14.8.10 Advertising Campaign Management

 Managing an advertising campaign is the process of

preparing and integrating a specific advertising
programme in conjunction with the overall IMC message.

 An effective programme consists of five steps.

 The steps of advertising campaign management include

the following:

51
 Reviewing the communication market analysis.

 Establishing communication objectives consistent

with those developed in a promotion opportunity
analysis program.

 Reviewing the communications budget.

 Selecting the media in conjunction with the

advertising agency.

 Reviewing the information with the advertising in

the creative brief.

 Communication Market Analysis

 In the first phase of planning, the account executive

studies what the company’s communication market
analysis reveals? The competitive analysis identifies
the firm’s major competitors. The opportunity
analysis revels where the firm can best focus its
advertising and promotional efforts by discovering
company strengths along with opportunities
present the market place. The target market
analysis identifies key target markets. The customer
52
 analysis suggests how the firm’s previous
marketing communications efforts have been
received by the public as well as by other
businesses and potential customers.

 A positioning analysis explains how the firm and its

product s are perceived relative to the competition.
The value of reviewing the communication market
analysis is in focusing the account executive, the
creative, and the company itself on key markets and
customer, while helping them understand how the
firm currently competes in the marketplace. Then
the team is better to establish and pursue specific
advertising objectives.

For the purpose of advertising, two important items

are outlined as part of the communication market
analysis.

a) The media usage habit of the target market

b) The media utilized by the competition

 When analyzing customers, knowing which media

they use is vitally important. For example,
teenagers watch many hours of TV and listen to the

53
 radio rather than reading newspapers and
magazines. Males watch more sports programs than
females and so forth. In the business to business
market, knowing which trade journals or business
publications the various members of the buying
center most likely read is essential for the
development of a print ad campaign.

 Further, studying the competition reveals how other

firms attempt to reach customers. Knowing how
other firms contact consumers is as important as
knowing what they say.

 An effective communication market analysis reveals

this information, so that more effective messages
and advertising campaigns can be designed.

15. Communication and Advertising Objectives

 Several advertising goals are central to the IMC

process. Some of these goals are to:

a. build brand image

b. inform

c. persuade

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 d. support other marketing efforts

e. To encourage action

15.1 The Communications Budget

Once the company, account manager, and creative agree

upon the major goals of the advertising campaign, a
review of the communications budget is in order. The
following are some of the methods for establishing
budgets.

a) Percentage of sales

b) Meet the competition

c) “what we can afford”

d) Objective and task method

 Media Selection

The next step of advertising management is to develop

strategies and tactics associated with media selection,
refining intent of the message, and development of the
actual campaign with specific ads. It is crucial to
develop consistent messages that match with various
media. Media buys are guided by the advertising agency

55
or media agency, the company, and creative. When
media selection is performed carefully, and messages
are designed to fit with those choices, the chances for
success greatly increase.

 The Creative Brief or Creative Strategy

In preparing advertisements, creatives work is

developed with a document called a creative strategy or
creative brief. The components of a creative brief
address the following information.

a) The objective

b) The target audience

c) The message theme

d) The support

e) The constraints

Using this instrument, the creative takes the information

provided by the account executive and is expected to
produce an advertisement that conveys the desired
message in a manner that will positively impact
potential customers. Details about each element of the
creative brief are provided next.

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a. The Objectives

The first step in preparing the creative strategy is to

identify the objective of the advertisement. Possible
objectives include:

 Increase brand awareness,

 Build brand image,

 Increase customer traffic,

 Increase retailer or wholesaler orders,

 Increase inquiries from end users and channel

members,

 Provide information,

b. The Target Audience

A creative should know the target audience. The more

detailed that is known about the target audience, the
easier it is for a creative to design an effective
advertisement. Target market profiles that are too
general are not very helpful. Rather than specifying
males, ages 20 to 35, more specific information is
needed (e.g., males, 20 to 35, college educated,
professionals). Other information such as hobbies,

57
interests, opinions, and lifestyles makes targeting an
advertisement even more precise.

c. The Message Theme

 The message theme is an outline of key idea(s) that

the advertising program is supposed to convey. The
message theme is the benefit or promise the
advertiser wants to use to reach consumers or
businesses. The promise or unique selling point
should describe the major benefit the product or
service offers customers. For example, the message
theme for an automobile could be oriented toward
luxury, safety, fun, fuel efficiency, or driving
excitement. The message should match the medium
selected, the target market, and the primary IMC
message to be effective.

 Message themes can be oriented toward either

rational or emotional processes. A “left-brain” ad is
oriented toward the logical, rational side, which
manages information such as numbers, letters,
words, and concepts left-brain advertising is logical
and factual and the appeals are rational. For
example, there are logical features which are part
of the decision to buy a car (size, price, special
features). At the same time, many cars are
58
 purchased for emotional reasons. The right side of
the brain deals with the emotions. It works with
abstract ideas, images, and feelings. A car may be
chosen for its color, sportiness, or other less
rational reasons.

 Most advertising is either right-brained or left

brained. Effective advertising is produced when
there is a balance between the two sides. Rational,
economic beings have difficulty defending on the
purchase of an expensive sports car. Many product
and service purchases are based on how a person
feels about the product or service combined with
rational information.

d. The Support

The fourth component of the creative strategy is the

support. Support takes the form of the facts that
substantiate the message theme. The creative
needs supporting facts to design effective
advertisement.

e. The Constraint

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The final step in the development of a creative
strategy is identification of any constraints which are
legal and mandatory restrictions placed on
advertisements. They include legal protection for
trademarks, logos, and copy registrations. They also
include disclaimers about warranties, offers, and
claims. For warranties, a disclaimer specifies the
conditions under which they will be honored.

After these steps have been reviewed, the creative

brief is complete. From this point forward, the
message and the media match, and the actual
advertisement can be produced.

Effective creative briefs focus everyone involved on

both the IMC message and the current intent of an
advertising campaign. This, in turn, gives companies
better chances of reaching customers with messages
that return measurable results and helps guarantee
the success of both the company and the ad agency.

RECAP

 Classic ads that have stood the test of time work on

two levels:

60
 they engage the mind of the consumer and at
the same time deliver a selling message.

A great ad is strategically sound in that it is:

 directed at a certain audience, driven by

specific objectives,

 its message is crafted to speak to that

audience’s most important concerns, and

 it is placed in media that will most effectively

reach that audience.

A great ad has a creative concept that gets

the audience’s attention and is remembered.
A great ad also employs the right execution
for the message and the audience.

 Advertising has six elements,i.e.

(1) it is paid communication,

(2) it is non-person,

(3) it requires an identified sponsor,

(4) it employs mass media,

61
 (5) it is meant to persuade or to

(6) influence.

 The eight types of advertising are each appropriate

for distinct strategies:

 brand advertising,

 retail advertising,

 political advertising,

 directory advertising,

 direct-response advertising,

 business-to-business advertising,

 institutional advertising, and public service

advertising.

 Advertising has three basic functions:

(1) advertising may be either direct-action or

indirect action advertising,

(2) advertising can be primary or secondary,

(3) advertising can serve a commercial or non-

commercial function.

62
 Effective advertising is more likely to occur when
the firm has a well-defined mission statement and
targets its energies in the direction of creating
goods or services to meet the needs of a target
market. Then an integrated marketing
communications program can build on the central
theme pursued by those in the firm.

 Advertising management begins with deciding whether an

in-house department or group should develop
advertisements or retain an external ad agency.

 When choosing an external agency, the company’s leaders

establish clear steps to lead to the best chance that the
optimal agency will be selected. The steps include:

 spelling out and prioritizing organizational goals,

 carefully establishing quality selection criteria,

 screening firms based on those criteria,

 requesting references from firms that are finalists,

 performing background checks,

63
  requesting a written and oral presentation from the
finalist agencies,

 making an on-site visit to get to know those in the

agency, and

 offering and finalizing a contract.

 Creative ads are prepared and guided by the

creative brief, i.e. a document used to outline the
strategy of a creative project.

 It contains project details, including: project

purpose, objectives, etc.

 It is used by creative professionals

 This document spells out: (1) the objective of

the promotional campaign, (2) the target
audience, (3) the message theme, (4) the
support, and (5) the constraints.

 The message theme is an outline of the key

idea(s) that the program is supposed to convey.

 The constraints are any warranties, disclaimers,

or legal statements that are part of various
advertisements.

64
 How do we develop a creative brief: To write a
creative brief one needs to consider the following
essentials:

Company profile,

Project overview,

Goals and objectives,

Target audience,

Design requirement,

Budget and schedule.

 The creative account executive, and company

should agree about which media to use in a
campaign.

 Media are selected based on costs, types of

messages, target market characteristics, and
other criteria. The creative then completes the
final elements of the ad, and the campaign is
then prepared and implemented.

 Advertising management is an important

ingredient in the success of an integrated
marketing communications program.

65
 Quality ads that garner the attention of the
target audience, make a key memorable point
and move the buyer to action are difficult to
prepare. At the same time company officials
and market account executives know that
designing effective ads with tangible results is
a challenging but necessary activity. It is
important to go through every step of the
process carefully, to help the company achieve
its marketing goals in both the short and long
term.

SESSION IV

BRAND MANAGEMENT

Collaborative In-class group Discussion

Sit in small groups and discuss the following issues:

 How may we define brand management?

66
 Can you make a mention about some importance of
brand management in marketing?

 What are the purposes of Brand?

 Definitions:

 Brand management is a function of marketing

that employs techniques to increase the
perceived value of a product line or brand

over time.

 Purposes of Brand:

 Brand purpose is the main reason for a

brand’s existence.

 Influencing people,

 Creating distinctive identity and

 Building loyalty over time

 Brand Management Important Issues

67
 Brand management enables:

 the price of products to go up and to

 build loyal customers through positive

brand associations and images or a strong
awareness of the brand.

 A brand manager ensures the innovation of

a product or brand awareness via the use
of prices, packing, logo, associated colours,
and lettering format.

 Brand equity refers to the company gains

from its name recognition, enabling it to
be the popular choice among consumers
even when compared to a generic brand
with a lower price point.

 The Importance of Brand in Marketing:

 Brand creates loyal customers,

 It also creates loyal employees,

 Helps employees to understand the purpose of

the organization they work for.

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  Enhances trust which is the pillar of customer
loyality,

 Ensures customer recognition,

 Ensures enhanced credibility and ease of

purchase,

 Ensures competitive edge in the market,

 Less expensive to introduce new

products.

 Developing Brand Strategy

References

69
1) David Pickton and Amanda Broderick; Integrated
Marketing Communications, second edition; Pearson
Education Limited 2005.

2) George E. Belch and Michael E. Belch; Advertising

and promotion, sixth edition; The McGraw Hill
Companies, 2003.

3) Larry Percy; Strategic Integrated Marketing

Communication: Theory and practice; Elsevier Inc.
2008.

4) Norman Hart; Implementing an Integrated Marketing

Communication Strategy; Thoroughgood limited,
1999.

5) Philip J Kitchen and Patrick De Pelsmacker;

Integrated Marketing Communications: A Primer;
Routledge, 2004.

6) Terence A.Shimp; Advertising, Promotion, and Other

Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communication;
South-Western, Cengage Learning, 2010.

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