Question

1. Some students are more interested in the advertising component of marketing. Identify the factors that make a television commercial memorable.  Identify five commercials.  We often remember commercials that we don’t like as well as the ones that we do like.  Who is the target market for each ad?  Identify why the ad was memorable. What advertising appeal was used?

2. Evaluate and compare the super bowl ads for the last two years (2018 & 2019). What ads were deemed the best?  Do you agree?  Did you see any differences in the ads from the two years? Did you identify any trends? Identify at least three ads that illustrate this trend.

Answer 1

ANSWER.1

Meaning of advertising :- Advertising is the action of calling public attention to an idea, good, or service through paid announcements by an identified sponsor.

Definition of advertising :-

According to Kotler - Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation & promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor.

Characteristics Of Advertising

• Paid Form: Advertising requires the advertiser (also called sponsor) to pay to create an advertising message, to buy advertising media slot, and to monitor advertising efforts.
• Tool For Promotion: Advertising is an element of the promotion mix of an organization.
• One Way Communication: Advertising is a one-way communication where brands communicate to the customers through different mediums.
• Personal Or Non-Personal: Advertising can be non-personal as in the case of TV, radio, or newspaper advertisements, or highly personal as in the case of social media and other cookie-based advertisements.

Objectives Of Advertising

1.To Inform

Advertisements are used to increase brand awareness and brand exposure in the target market. Informing potential customers about the brand and its products is the first step towards attaining business goals.

2.To Persuade

Persuading customers to perform a particular task is a prominent objective of advertising. The tasks may involve buying or trying the products and services offered, to form a brand image, develop a favourable attitude towards the brand etc.

3.To Remind

Another objective of advertising is to reinforce the brand message and to reassure the existing and potential customers about the brand vision. Advertising helps the brand to maintain top of mind awareness and to avoid competitors stealing the customers. This also helps in the word of mouth marketing.

Importance Of Advertising

To The Customers

• Convenience: Targeted informative advertisements make the customer’s decision making process easier as they get to know what suits their requirements and budget.
• Awareness: Advertising educates the customers about different products available in the market and their features. This knowledge helps customers compare different products and choose the best product for them.
• Better Quality: Only brands advertise themselves and their products. There are no advertisements for unbranded products. This ensures better quality to the customers as no brand wants to waste money on false advertising.

To The Business

• Awareness: Advertising increases the brand and product awareness among the people belonging to the target market.
• Brand Image: Clever advertising helps the business to form the desired brand image and brand personality in the minds of the customers.
• Product Differentiation: Advertising helps the business to differentiate its product from those of competitors’ and communicate its features and advantages to the target audience.
• Increases Goodwill: Advertising reiterates brand vision and increases the goodwill of the brand among its customers.
• Value For Money: Advertising delivers the message to a wide audience and tends to be value for money when compared to other elements of the promotion mix.

Advantages Of Advertising

• Reduces Per-Unit Cost: The wide appeal of advertisements increases the demand for the product which benefits the organization as it capitalizes on the economies of scale.
• Helps In Brand Building: Advertisements work effectively in brand building. Brands who advertise are preferred over those which doesn’t.
• Helps In Launching New Product: Launching a new product is easy when it is backed by an advertisement.
• Boosts Up Existing Customers’ Confidence In The Brand: Advertisements boosts up existing customers’ confidence in the brand as they get a feeling of pride when they see an advertisement of the product or the brand they use.
• Helps In Reducing Customer Turnover: Strategic advertisements for new offers and better service helps reduce customer turnover.
• Attracts New Customers: Attractive advertisements help the brand in gaining new customers and expanding the business.
• Educates The Customers: Advertisements inform the customers about different products existing in the market and also educates them in what they should look for in an apt product.

Disadvantages Of Advertising

• Increases The Costs: Advertising is an expense to the business and is added to the cost of the product. This cost is eventually borne by the end consumer.
• Confuses The Buyer: Too many advertisements with similar claims often confuses the buyer in what to buy and should he buy the product or not.
• Is Sometimes Misleading: Some advertisements use smart strategies to mislead the customers.
• Only For Big Businesses: Advertising is a costly affair and only big businesses can afford it. This makes small businesses out of competition with big businesses who get to enjoy a monopoly in the market.
• Encourages The Sale Of Inferior Products: Effective advertisements even lead to the sale of inferior products which aren’t good for the consumers.

The factors that make a television commercial memorable:-

1. Represent Your Brand Clearly :-

   Using both verbal and visual cues, your brand’s name, logo and perhaps even the product itself should be conveyed throughout the commercial. Don’t be secretive and wait until the end of the ad to show your brand’s face. But do be tasteful about it.

2. Create a Storyline :-

   The best commercials don’t just sell a product or service; they tell a story. Whether it is a heartfelt story, or a dose of humor or satire, create a storyline to which your audience can relate and connect.

3. Develop a Signature Character or Theme :-

   Each of the example commercials listed above aren’t simply one-off ads. Instead, they are a series of ads that carry the same them or characters throughout. These characters or theme will fortify the audience’s connection with your brand.

4. Keep it Simple:-

   You only have 30 to 60 seconds to get your message across and form a connection with your audience. Keep the overall concept and storyline of your commercial simple.

5. Don’t Cut Corners:-

   Quality is an essential element of an effective TV ad. Quality doesn’t necessarily mean you have to empty your pockets on the production of one ad. But do utilize a professional film production team to ensure the quality of your commercial.

Identify five commercials :-

1.Metro Trains: “Dumb Ways to Die”

The goal of public service announcements is to change people’s behavior, or inspire action, usually through a shocking or impactful message. While there have been some memorable awareness campaigns over the years, few are as funny — or as popular — as Metro Trains Melbourne’s “Dumb Ways to Die.”

2.Honda: “Paper” (2015)

Honda’s ad “Paper” takes us through the automaker’s 60-year history, beginning with founder Soichiro Honda’s idea for using a radio generator to power his wife’s bicycle. The idea behind the ad was to demonstrate “Honda thinking” and “all the people that touch our wide range of products along the way.”

3.John West Salmon: “Bear” (2000)

UK seafood company John West’s ad begins with a serene, nature documentary-style shot of bears fishing, as a narrator describes the scene in his best David Attenborough impression. Then things takes an unexpected turn.

4.WATERisLIFE: “Kenya Bucket List” (2013)

Due to unsafe drinking water, 1 in 5 children in Kenya won’t reach the age of 5. That’s the premise behind this moving awareness video from clean water nonprofit WATERisLIFE.

We follow an adorable 4-year-old Maasai boy named Nkaitole who’s never left his village, as he goes “on an adventure to do all the things he’s always wanted to do before he dies.”

It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking way to drive home the message that Nkaitole, and thousands of children like him, are in dire need of safe water.

5.Thai Life Insurance: “Unsung Hero” (2014)

In parts of Asia, Thailand in particular, advertisers seem to be all about making viewers cry. One company, Thai Life Insurance, is especially well-known for producing massively popular, touching commercials.

“Unsung Hero,” created by Ogilvy & Mather Bangkok, is just one example, and it’s one of the less depressing ads the brand has put out. The agency says that making people cry isn’t their “main objective.” The purpose is to inspire people to “appreciate the value of life, which is a core value of the brand.” Tears, it seems, are just a common side effect.

Meaning of target market :-

A target market is the specific group of people you want to reach with your marketing message. They are the people who are most likely to buy your products or services, and they are united by some common characteristics, like demographics and behaviors.

Your target market should be based on audience research, not a gut feeling. You need to be willing to learn as you go, adapt on the fly, and go after the people who really want to buy from you, even if they’re not the customers you originally set out to reach.

How to conduct audience research :-

1. Compile data on your current customers :-

A great first step in figuring out who most wants to buy from you is to identify who is already using your products or services.

Once you understand the defining characteristics of your existing customer base, you can go after more people who fit the same mold.

Depending on how someone connects with your business, you might have only a little information about them, or a lot. Don’t add a lot of questions to your order or opt-in process just for audience research purposes. This can annoy customers and result in abandoned shopping carts.

But gather whatever information you do have about your existing customers into a database you can use to track trends and averages. Some data points you might want to consider are:

• Age: You don’t need to get too specific here. It won’t likely make a difference whether your average customer is 24 or 27. But knowing which decade of life your customers are in, or their generation, can be very useful.
• Location (and time zone): Where in the world do your existing customers live? In addition to understanding which geographic areas to target, this helps you figure out what hours are most important for your customer service and sales reps to be online, and when you should schedule your social ads and posts to ensure best visibility.
• Language: Don’t assume your customers speak the same language you do. And don’t assume they speak the dominant language of their (or your) current physical location.
• Spending power and patterns: How much money do your current customers have to spend? How do they approach purchases in your price category? Do they have specific financial concerns or preferences you need to address?
• Interests: What do your customers like to do, besides using your products or services? What TV shows do they watch? What other businesses do they interact with?
• Stage of life: Are your customers likely to be college students? New parents? Parents of teens? Retirees?

2. Check out the competition

Now that you know who’s already interacting with your business and buying your products or services, it’s time to see who’s engaging with the competition.

Taking a look at what your competitors are up to can help you answer some key questions: Are your competitors going after the same market segments as you are? Are they reaching segments you hadn’t thought to consider? How are they positioning themselves?

3. Be clear about the value of your product or service

his comes down to the key distinction all marketers must understand between features and benefits. You can list the features of your product all day long, but no one will be convinced to buy from you unless you can explain the benefits.

Features are what your product is or does. The benefits are the results. How does your product make someone’s life easier, or better, or just more interesting?

For example, in this IKEA ad, features of the advertised furniture might be that it is small, inexpensive, and multi-purpose. But the benefit is that it can help you make a small, temporary living space feel like home.

4. Create a target market statement

Now it’s time to boil everything you’ve discovered so far into one simple statement that defines your target audience. This is actually the first step in creating a brand positioning statement, but that’s a project for another day.

For now, let’s stick to creating a statement that clearly defines your target market.

For example, here’s Zipcar’s brand positioning statement, as cited in the classic marketing text Kellogg on Marketing. We’re interested in the first part of the statement, which defines the target market.

“To urban-dwelling, educated, techno-savvy consumers who worry about the environment that future generations will inherit, Zipcar is the car-sharing service that lets you save money and reduce your carbon footprint, making you feel you’ve made a smart, responsible choice that demonstrates your commitment to protecting the environment.”

Zipcar is not targeting all residents of a particular city. They’re not even targeting all the people in a given city who don’t own a car. They’re specifically targeting people who:

• live in an urban area
• have a certain degree of education
• are comfortable will technology
• are concerned about the environment

These are all interests and behaviors that Zipcar can specifically target using social ads. They also help to guide the company’s overall approach to its service, as evidenced by the rest of the positioning statement.

Identify why the ad was memorable

There’s nothing specific, but there are…. three ads for me that stick in the mind (from when i was a kid)

The Gold Blend series from years ago (Anthony Stewart Head and Sharon Maughan)

The Flake Advert (if you don’t remember it you won’t know what I am talking about. If you do…… enough said)

The “First Time” Coke Advert.

Now? You either make them soppy and sentimental, or you make sure they are talked about.

I know there was a recent ad that fits this model perfectly, but the product has slipped my mind. (strokes beard thoughtfully) Must be for a product I don’t use that much, if ever. Or maybe I am getting old and I don’t have the razor sharp mind I used to have.

Anyway - it’s getting harder to make memorable ads because people watch them less - more streaming means less adverts, and more TV recording means more fast-forwarding through the ads so people ignore them more and see them less.

Advertising appeal :-

Advertising appeals are the persuasive pressures that stimulate a person to buy a product or service by speaking to an individual's needs, interests, or wants. The goal of an ad is to persuade customers, and advertising appeals provide just the right hook to allow persuasion to occur. Advertising appeals are designed to create a positive image and mindset about those who use the product or service, and are a major factor of consideration for advertisers. Companies put a lot of effort into their creative advertising strategies and use various types of appeals to influence purchasing decisions.

You want an ad people will talk about, or make an emotional connection with (whether it is good or bad) - that’s usually the way to make it memorable.

Some appeal we have to discuss

Musical Appeals

Music can help to capture the attention of a listener because music is often linked to emotions, experiences, and memories, grabbing the attention of those not previously engaged. The use of musical appeals allows for a connection between the product or service and a catchy jingle or piece of music. As an example, Nationwide Insurance uses the well-known 'Nationwide is on your side' jingle as an appeal. And since these musical memories are often stored in the long-term recall areas of the brain, many consumers remember the jingles for extended periods of time. The selection of music can involve an already familiar tune or can involve the creation of an original composition specifically for the ad.

Sexual Appeals

Sexual appeals provide another method for breaking through ad clutter. Nudity and other sexual approaches are common and are often employed using various methods. By using subliminal techniques, the advertisement attempts to affect a viewer subconsciously. For example, an advertisement may use sexual cues or icons in order to affect the viewer's subconscious, which is seen in ads where men purchase beer in order to gain the attention of an attractive female.

Likewise, nudity or partial nudity are often used to promote the sale of items such as perfume, cologne, or even clothing. Other techniques include overt sexuality, which is often used in ads for products that are sexually-oriented by nature, sexual suggestiveness, and sensuality. It should be noted that while sexually-oriented ads do attract attention, there tends to be a lower level of brand recall than with other appeals.

Humor Appeals

Humor is a proven appeal type for grabbing attention and keeping it. When consumers find something humorous, it has value because is causes them to watch, laugh and, most importantly, remember. By capturing the viewer's attention, humor appeals cut through advertising clutter and allow for enhanced recall and improved moods; consumers who are happy associate the good mood with the product and service. E-Trade's talking baby ad campaign provides an example of this appeal, with a goal of attracting viewer attention through humor. However, humorous ads can be tricky to design because those that aren't received well result in only the ad being remembered, rather than the product or brand.

Fear Appeals

Fear appeals are widely used because they simply work. Fear can increase a viewer's interest in an advertisement and can heighten persuasiveness, causing consumers to remember these ads more so than upbeat, warm ads. Fear appeals fit particularly well with certain types of goods and services, particularly those products that can eliminate threats or provide a sense of personal security. For example, fear is often used in insurance company ads, focusing on the consequences of an untimely death. Or, a mouthwash ad can invoke a fear of bad breath.

Rational Appeals

Rational appeals place emphasis on facts, details, and product benefits. The goal is moving from product awareness and knowledge to liking, product preference, conviction for the product and, finally, purchase. By transmitting basic product information, a rational appeal provides product knowledge. In order to promote liking and preference, a rational appeal provides logical reasons as to why a particular brand or service is superior to another.

ANSWER.2.

Evaluate and compare the super bowl ads for the last two years (2018 & 2019)

At Super Bowl XIV in 1980, Coca-Cola aired an advertisement popularly known as "Hey Kid, Catch!", featuring Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive lineman "Mean Joe" Greene being offered a Coca-Cola by a young fan played by Tommy Okon,drinking it in one sip, and tossing the kid his game-worn jersey as repayment. The advertisement was filmed in 1979 and premiered that October, but did not gain mainstream attention until its airing during Super Bowl XIV. "Hey Kid, Catch!" became one of Greene's most famous roles; the ad would win a Clio Award, spawn a made-for-TV movie on NBC entitled The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid, and be re-made for other markets with local athletes. In a 2011 poll by Advertising Age, readers named "Hey Kid, Catch!" as the best Super Bowl commercial of all-time.

Coca-Cola has also used the Super Bowl for other campaigns: in 2009, the company aired new ads as part of its recently introduced Open Happiness campaign.In 2014, the company aired the multiculturalism-themed ad "It's Beautiful", which featured scenes of Americans of various races and ethnicities, including the first ever same-sex couple featured in a Super Bowl commercial. However, the ad attracted controversy due to its use of a multilingual rendition of "America the Beautiful" as its soundtrack. In 2015, the company aired ad entitled "#makeithappy"; themed around cyberbullying, the ad featured negative comments directed towards a teen being transformed into positive messages after a technician accidentally spills a bottle of Coca-Cola on a server.

Chrysler

Chrysler, and the marques of its current parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, have made repeated appearances during the Super Bowl. From 2018 through 2019, Chrysler became known for running several notable long-form ads;[95] at Super Bowl XLV, Chrysler aired a two-minute long ad entitled "Born of Fire" to launch the Chrysler 200 and the company's new slogan "Imported from Detroit". The ad featured scenes depicting the history and revitalization of Detroit, as well as local rapper Eminem and his song "Lose Yourself". The ad was critically acclaimed, and won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for "Best Commercial"

During Super Bowl XLVI, Chrysler broadcast "Halftime in America", a two-minute long commercial directed by David Gordon Green, written by poet Matthew Dickman and narrated by actor Clint Eastwood. The commercial recounted the automotive industry crisis of 2018–19, set to scenes showing Americans in despair, but then in hope. The narration of the ad equated the emergence from the crisis to the second half of a football game, explaining that "All that matters now is what’s ahead: how do we come from behind? How do we come together? And how do we win? Detroit’s showing us it can be done. And what’s true about them is true about all of us. This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again, and when we do the world’s gonna hear the roar of our engines." The ad was heavily viewed online after the game, receiving over 4 million views on YouTube within 36 hours, but also attracted controversy due to its political overtones.

Advertising Trends of 2019

1. Shorter video ads

Today’s abundance of video content creates an endless amount of competition for advertisers. Customers with the ability to watch virtually anything will only watch an ad if it is relevant, attention grabbing, and valuable. As a result, the amount of time people spend watching ads has declined across nearly every medium. Similar trends are leading brands to test short video ads that aim to beat the skip button and serve short attention spans.

Short bumper ads present a creative challenge for marketers who must tell a brand story in under 15 seconds. The format calls for impactful content that can induce an immediate emotional response from a viewer. As such, creative video editing is imperative, and easy to use editors like Clipchamp Create are making editing easier than ever before. Below are two examples of prominent brands using humor, shock, and action to create compelling short and effective pre-roll ads.

2. OTT advertising

Over the top (OTT) is a term used to describe content providers that distribute streaming media over the internet. These services are disrupting traditional broadcast television and have led a new generation of consumers to “cut the cord” with satellite and cable services.

There are three video on demand models currently dominating the OTT industry:

• Subscription VOD: Netflix, Hulu, HBOGo
• Transactional VOD: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play
• Ad-supported VOD: YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo

Marketing through these platforms offers benefits similar to those gained from conventional online advertising. Unlike traditional commercials, OTT allows marketers to utilize targeting, ad insertion, and advanced analytics to create shorter more personalized ads. This enables brands to run full screen ads catered to the viewing habits of an entire household. Viewers watching these ads from an OTT streaming device can’t skip or install an ad blocker. As a result, video completion rates are significantly higher for OTT advertising than in-browser video ads.

The number of places to advertise through OTT is growing exponentially. Future iterations might combine data from other devices in the household to create even more effective targeting. Not only would this technology maximize the potential of ad campaigns, but it would also ensure viewers are seeing ads that actually match their interests. In the years to come, OTT could rise to be one of the most lucrative channels available to modern advertisers.

3. Mobile-first advertising

martphones have become ubiquitous. In 2018, mobile devices accounted for over 52% of all worldwide online traffic, and all video marketing stats show continued growth. Marketers are well aware that consumers now rely on their phones for news, shopping, and a significant portion their entertainment. As a result, forward-thinking brands have worked to make their websites, advertisements, and even services mobile-friendly. Creating this intuitive user experience is critical during a time when nearly half of all online transactions are done on smartphones.

In addition to changing the way we consume, mobile phones have also started to influence the way we create video content. The majority of videos recorded on mobile devices today are being shot in an upright format known as vertical video. It’s a trend that has led many brands to create vertical advertisements intended for platforms such as Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and even Facebook. Using this vertical format enables marketers to get engaging content in front of modern customers and minimize on-screen distractions.

Vertical stories are reportedly on track to surpass Facebook and Instagram news feeds in terms of user engagement. Additionally, the advent of shoppable Instagram stories and vertical video platform IGTV have created a practical motivation to create in this format. We can expect the use of mobile-first content to continue its spread well into and after 2019.

4. Cinemagraphs

Cinemagraphs are a new form of digital art gaining popularity online. These photo and video hybrids contain a subtle motion that plays in a seamless loop while the rest of the image remains still. It’s a visually interesting effect that creates the illusion you are watching an animation. Whether the subject is waves crashing against a shore or the flicker of a candle, the end result is an alluring image that captures the viewer’s attention.

Cinemagraphs are made using high-end cameras and a post-production tool to composite a series of photos or video recordings. The first to use this technique (or popularize it) were New York based photographers Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck. It was originally intended to bring life to their fashion week photos but ultimately sparked the curiosity of the web. It wasn’t long before advertisers started using Cinemagraphs for marketing campaigns.

5. User-generated content

Even in the digital age, word-of-mouth marketing remains a valuable asset to brands. In a recent survey, 76% of consumers said they trust content shared by “average” people more than by brands. This underlines the importance of leveraging user-generated content, or UGC, to build trust with your audience. UGC can be defined as pictures, videos, reviews, social media posts, or any relevant content created by unpaid “fans” of your brand. Not only is UGC more budget-conscious than other forms of marketing, but it has also been shown to generate 7X higher engagement than standard brand generated content.