Advertising Boosts the Visibility, Appeal and Profit Potential of Companies, Products and Services

April 25, 2002

For better or worse, advertising is an integral part of global cultures. You can find it everywhere—in print and broadcast media, airport terminals and city buses, sporting events, clothing and every aisle of every retail store. It also is becoming ubiquitous on the Internet, with advertisers scrambling to secure real-estate for banner ads on popular websites.

For better or worse, advertising is an integral part of global cultures. You can find it everywhere—in print and broadcast media, airport terminals and city buses, sporting events, clothing and every aisle of every retail store. It also is becoming ubiquitous on the Internet, with advertisers scrambling to secure real-estate for banner ads on popular websites. Regardless of where you find it, advertising is a provocative medium with the power to make a product, service or company highly visible and appealing to consumers and businesses in today’s competitive commercial landscape.

Advertising’s core objective is to pique purchasing interest by enabling prospects to identify strongly with a need, desire, idea or image—advertising communicates a promise that a product or service will fulfill. For example, Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign implied that their sports gear will help individuals achieve their full potential. In tandem, advertising can promote corporate image, educate buyers on product benefits, differentiate offerings from competition and, ultimately, boost profit potential through exposure of offerings via media to target audiences. At its best, advertising is a powerful motivator to potential buyers. For instance, a finely tuned print ad for a new sports car can appeal to a consumer’s self-image. At its worst, advertising can be a turn-off (e.g., the barrage of long-distance phone company ads on television).

For every company, advertising should be part of an overall corporate marketing strategy that includes public relations (PR), a discipline focused on creating a favorable public image of a business entity. While complementary,advertising and PR are not interchangeable. Advertising uses corporate image for promoting goods and services via mass and niche media. PR uses image to manage long-term relationships with an entity’s stakeholders including customers, the media, shareholders, partners and the public. Both advertising and PR are covered in a media plan, which outlines communications goals, target audiences, key messages and media outlets, while detailing deliverables such as ad campaign placement, news release schedules and media events.

To expand their advertising’s reach, many companies are employing alternatives to traditional print, radio and television media including local sports team and event sponsorships, live demos of products and services, e-mail campaigns, web banners and pop-up windows, consumer surveys, wearable ads (e.g., clothing with logos, web addresses or product images), point-of-purchase displays and even sky advertising using blimps and airplanes. The alternatives are limited only by a company’s imagination and budget.

Because managing the strategy, creative and media placement plans for ad campaigns is time-intensive, outsourcing to a reputable ad agency can be the right decision. Agencies have rich experience, offer objectivity and are attuned to current advertising trends including what is working for specific industries and companies. Agencies have talented professionals such as art directors, writers, photographers and media buyers, enabling them to pull together the disparate components of a new ad campaign quickly. They also have strong media ties including relationships with ad reps for leading trade and consumer media and even broadcast producers in specialized areas such as home products or technology. Moreover, agencies have the time and resources to foster these relationships while managing hectic production schedules.

So, if you want to launch your first ad campaign or take your corporate advertising in bold, new directions, apply these suggestions to yield big business rewards.                

About The Author: Walt Denny is the president of Walt Denny, Inc., an advertising/public relations agency that focuses primarily on home products clients such as Amerock Corp., Just Manufacturing, L.E. Johnson Products and Whirlpool Corp. “The Home Products Agency” was est

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