English Essay

Advertisement

Introduction

Advertisements are promotional activities adopted by different business organizations or institutions with the main aim of enhancing product and services’ sales and consequently the level of business revenues and profits accrued. Besides this, advertisements are used to achieve brand identity as well as to ensure that customers are informed on any new products that may be introduced in the market. In today’s customer-centric culture, advertising plays a significant role in business communication and therefore it serves as a necessity for funds to be allocated in budgets for the sake of promotional activities. Just like there are several reasons as to why promotional activities are undertaken in businesses, there are also various channels that can be used for advertising. In this discussion, we shall apply the rule of single principle to discuss three types of advertisements, namely print advertising, broadcast advertising and outdoor advertising, whish are common in today’s trade culture.

Print Advertising   

Print advertising involves the relaying of business messages through paper work and for the message to the targeted audience it has to read by the receiver. It is considered as the earliest form of advertising, which is still applied even in today’s business environment. Examples of print media include newspapers, magazines, and business catalogs (fliers). In the case of newspapers, the advertisements are placed in identified newspaper sections and charged according to the area that the advertisement occupies. This area is commonly referred to as the advertisement space, and the charges are levied in accordance to the size of the advertisement. The more the space occupied, the more the charges levied. Other than the advertisement space, the location (front, back or middle pages) on the newspaper in which the advertisement is placed is also considered. Most readers are first attracted to the front page where the headlines and other important information are placed.

The cost therefore of placing an advertisement on the front page would be higher than that of the middle and back pages. Similarly, advertisements placed on the middle pages tend to be more expensive than those placed on the back pages are. The popularity of the newspaper used also determines the cost of advertisement. Newspapers that are more popular tend to have many readers and rationally, the cost of placing an advertisement would be higher than that of using a less popular newspaper. Lastly, the quality of the paper needed for the advertisement is also considered. Advertisements placed on glossy paper are more expensive than those placed on plain papers are. Note that all these reviewed elements are also applicable on magazines advertisements as well as the catalogs.

Broadcast Advertising

Broadcast advertising is also referred to as mass marketing and it employs the use of televisions, radio and the internet for promotional activities. Among the mentioned channels of broadcasting, the television has been used for the longest time. The charges levied on television advertisements first depend on the length that the advertisement takes; the higher the airing time, the more the advertisement will cost. The time in which the advertisement is broadcasted (peak time or off-peak) also influences the charges. During peak hours, many viewers will be reached by the advertisement and so the charges will be higher than those that will be aired during off-peak periods. Additionally, the reputation accorded to the television channel will considerably influence the costs. Famous television channels will charge a higher cost as compared to less famous television channels due to a higher viewer capacity.

Radio advertisements operate under the same elements yet in today’s business culture and the advent of the internet, its usage has reduced. However, advertising on the radio is cheaper than television advertising and so they still hold as the best tool for small-scale business institutions. The internet has gained its popularity over the years as marketing tool especially targeting the young generation who are conversant with online activities. The advent of ecommerce (electronic commerce) is a milestone that has enhanced the practice of online advertisements. The same rules that are applied on the other channels of broadcast advertising still apply to internet advertisements.

Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor advertising is that which is used in open-air marketing. Channels used for this type of advertising include kiosks, tradeshows, posters, billboards, business events and stadium placements. Amongst these channels, kiosks and billboards are the most commonly employed outdoor advertising techniques. Billboards are mostly placed along major highways in order to maximize on the number of travelers or pedestrians that will be reached by the message being communicated. All billboards are huge but they vary in the amount of space that they occupy. The cost of a larger space occupation is higher than that of a smeller space. In addition to this, the roads in which the advertisement is placed are also a facto that is considered. Billboards placed in super highways or those than are busier tend to be higher than those of less busy highways are.

Companies used for outdoor advertising tend to have cost differences in terms of the popularity. The more popular a company, the more charges it levies. Lastly, the extent that the advertisement will be displayed on the billboard also matters; the higher the display time, the higher the cost. Posters may be placed in bus terminals, churches, and notice boards. The largest costs incurred in poster advertisements are the printing costs. However, the other elements do also apply. Kiosks tend to auger well with eating advertisements as trade shows, business events, and stadium placements are other outlets that a company may sue to advertise its products. This may be in events like football tournaments and trade fairs. Note that, these channels of advertising are also affected by the named elements.

Conclusion

The above discussed channels of advertising are beneficial to business institutions. The criterion for choosing the best advertising channel depends on the budget that can be afforded as well as the target audience. Print advertising is best suitable when a wide area is needed for coverage yet its biggest weakness is geographical limitation. Broadcast advertising overcomes this challenge and it is best suited for all audiences. Outdoor advertising just like print media is limited by geographical boundaries.