Category: Advertising

Mobile Advertising practices are increasingly adopted and implemented by emerging as well as established brand owners. SMS Advertising is becoming one of the latest trends of brand promotion for brand owners and advertisers. Affordable and targeted in nature, Mobile SMS Advertising is one of the easiest means of conveying the brand message to target customers. In this article, let us take a look at some reasons why mobile advertising practices are increasingly adopted by brand owners-

Tremendous increase in number of mobile phones- Today, almost everyone has a mobile handset. There are also various individuals who possess more than one handset. The craze for mobile phones as a portable communication device keeps increasing day by day. Brand owners avail of this opportunity by utilising the same mobile phones as advertising mediums for lakhs of customers. Also an affordable practice of brand promotion, advertising through mobile phone effectively communicates the brand message to those targeted customers who can benefit themselves from the brand messages.

Secondly, the launches of smart phones and embedded applications with various mobile phone devices have enhanced the craze of modern customers. A mobile phone is not just a communication device in todays world. Music, games, camera, internet and various applications are some embedded features of modern mobile handsets. Advertisers ensure that their brand messages reach those customers who continuously get themselves attached with their handsets (as their extensions). At one point of time, these customers will go through the brand message. If interested, they will consider of buying the product, if otherwise, a delete button helps them get rid of the unwanted message in their inboxes. The advertiser should hence provide an interesting brand message through the mobile SMS advertising campaigns. The brand message should be influencing enough to motivate those customers who read it through their own handsets. Brand advertising requires some tricks and tactics. Advertisers should therefore keep themselves updated about which trend and tactic of brand promotion can be used to influence customers buying behaviour.

Marketers have opined that mobile advertising provides more ad spaces for CPA Publishers. This again attracts the attention of those publishers who are keen to partner with mobile advertisers for various promotion campaigns. The advertisers also avail of various benefits by partnering with the publishers.

Last but not the least; mobile advertising is considered one of the bespoken modes of communication for various brands. Brand messages through mobile media reach customers right in their palms or pockets thereby providing easy accessibility to the brand ad. Considering all the above mentioned factors, mobile advertising practices are increasingly implemented by various brand owners/advertisers.

To stand firmly in the race of competition, industries are trying to their fullest extent. Because of which the marketing and advertising industries are immensely growing. This growth has made companies to recruit not only experienced professionals but also fresher. Advertising industries always look for those candidates who are creative and generate smart ideas. Jobs for fresher in advertising industries are many because companies are always in search of fresh ideas and those who are having out of the box thinking ability. Not only small industries but big organizations also hire fresher in many departments.
An advertising agency plays a major role of serving their clients to connect with their customers by making use of innovative advertising practices. Radio, television, print, and internet are major sources, used by these agencies. The scope and size of advertising agencies differ as per companies. Big and recognized organizations provide advertising jobs in many fields like market research, video production, copy writing, event management, client servicing, television and film, direct marketing etc.
Fresher job vacancies are mostly in the field of direct marketing. Candidates are hired probably as a junior executive or management trainees for client servicing, market research and media research departments. Their task is to search for new business opening, understand needs and expectations of client, selection and finalization of media for advertising and many more.
Entry level openings are many in client servicing department. The candidates must have good command over communication for working in this department because they will be the link between the agency and customer. They have to understand the needs of client and communicate this to the agency and also idea of agency to the client. A fresher must be able to sell the idea and collect right information from the market and for this command over communication is must.
Creative department is the heart of advertising agencies. Rather than experience, candidates stand out by the quality of ideas in this department. Creative group is the team of creative directors, art directors, photographers, scriptwriter, graphic designers and many more. An advertisement copy is created by this department. Candidates who are graduates and have knowledge of Photoshop, fine arts or coral draw with good communication skills are quickly hired by creative department. The number of fresher jobs available in this department but the candidate must be well equipped with the basic skills like creative mind, writing skills and ability to visualize ideas and put them to live. They should be able to stretch themselves and ready to meet deadlines.
Advertising fields are not only related to one area but today many new areas of digital marketing, image management, event management etc. are associated with these agencies. Internet marketing is another field that has bought lots of career openings for fresher in advertising industry. Many specialized advertising courses are today available to get into advertising industry, to develop a good career.

For communicating a marketing or advertising message to the masses two major events have to occur – message creation and message dissemination. Media planning companies are concerned with message dissemination. The main aim of the media planning companies is to devise strategies which will make the advertising or marketing message reach to a very pin-pointed segment of consumers. A media planning company has to establish how much of each media category has to be used in dissemination of message.

Media options available

* T.V., Radio
* Digital media
* Social media
* Print media
* Mobile phones
* Outdoor advertising

Media planning decisions

* Which media to use
* When and where to use
* What duration to use
* How often to use

This means that the task of Media planning companies is to strategically use available platforms or channels of media like T.V., Radio, Social media or Newspapers and banners etc and tactically decide the timing of the advertising or marketing campaign as well as how much space it will use in each of the chosen media platforms. Normally the desired duration of a media campaign is communicated by the client to the media planning companies, otherwise it can be suggested by media planning companies also. Last step of media planning involves deciding the frequency with which the media message will be repeated in various media so that the campaigns impact and message retention by consumers can be maximized.

Media planning components

* Target Audience
* Communication goals
* Communication strategies
* Media mix
* Media tactics

Target audience

The Media planning companies start off the media planning process by establishing who the target audience is or can be. It means they have to evolve strategies which not only target the known target audience but also create new potential consumers. The target audience is categorized on the basis of variables like:

* Demographics
* Psychographics
* Generational cohort
* Product or brand usage
* Primary and secondary audience

Demographics Demographics means detailed information about a persons social standing. It includes gender, age, education levels, employment categories, income level, marital status, residence details etc. Social Media Marketing Companies use this information to ascertain the propensity or inclination of demography towards a particular media usage and based upon that try to categorize them into target audience or non-target audience.

Psychographics Psychographics refers to behavioral traits of target demography. It includes their personality, attitudes and beliefs, opinions and personal interests and most importantly their buying decision making tendencies. The Media planning companies try to sub-categorize the target audience on the basis of their psychographics so that media planning strategies can be downloaded with more effectiveness. Media planning companies refer to psychographics as VALS which stands for Values and Lifestyles.

Generational Cohort This categorization of target audience is on the belief that the new generation will be influenced by the choices of previous generations of the household because they were exposed to these choices in their early formative years.

Product or brand users Media planning companies identify the target audience by observing the historical product category or brand consumption levels of a given demography.

Primary and secondary consumers Sometimes the primary target audience do not actually make the buying activity but they influence the secondary target consumer to take the buying decision. For example parents buying toys for children or a big wall TV for old parents room.

Communication goals & strategies

Once the primary task of identifying target audience has been completed, the Media planning companies set their communication goals. This goal tries to quantify the degree of advertising message exposure within the target audience. For example the communication goal for a media plan can be exposing 60% of target audience at least once in a day to the advertisement message, be it on any media platform. Similarly another communication goal can be that the new brand will attain 30% of the market share within 3 months dislodging the present brands. The communication goal is achieved by careful strategizing of:-

* Reach
* Frequency
* Media mix
* Media scheduling

Reach Reach is the exposure of target audience to the advertisement message. Reach can be expressed as a percentage of population. For example, 60% of married women between the age group of 18 and 40. It can also be calculated as accumulation of target audience over a period of time. For example a communication goal can be to increase target audience from 30% to 60% or more. Lastly the reach is expressed as Gross rating point or GRP for the TV media. GRP is the viewership of a TV program expressed in percentage. A GRP of 35 means 35% of target audience with TV are presently watching a particular broadcast.

Frequency Frequency is the measure of repletion of Advertising or marketing message for the target audience over a period of time. Therefore it can also be called ratio of GRP over the reach. Mathematically it is expressed as Frequency = GRP/Reach. If Double GRP is 55 and reach is 35 then frequency will be 1.57. The media planning companies gauge their success by effective frequency criteria. Effective frequency is the minimum number of media exposure for a given media plan. It means how many people saw the Ad once, twice, thrice or n number of times.

Media Mix – Media objectives, budget and properties of media vehicles are the three deciding factors of a media mix strategy by the Media planning companies. The aim is to find the cheapest possible media vehicle to attain the objectives of media plan. The media planning companies may use any of these two media-mix strategies; media concentration or media dispersion. Media Concentration aims at exploiting fewer number of media vehicles whereas the media dispersion strategy tries to use a greater number of media vehicles.

Media scheduling Media planning companies schedule the media campaign in three basic scheduling strategies.

* Continuous scheduling Equal media spendings across media campaign duration
* Flight scheduling Variation scheduling, higher at one time and zero at another.
* Pulse scheduling Combination of upper points. Low and high variations.

Media Tactics Media tactics are employed to optimize reach and effective frequency. For example a high level of reach requirement would mean using more media vehicles. It may mean placing Advertisement in all major newspapers in a week or Advertising on all major TV channels during same time slot of the day or placing online Ad on all pages of a web service like Yahoo for a week. By tactically increasing the frequency, more number of audiences can be exposed using lesser media vehicles. For example media planning companies may decide to bombard only newspapers of a region with daily Ads in prominently visible space with the idea that over a period of time all target audience will be surely expose to it. Same may be the tactic for TV media or online media.

Media planning is the best Advertising tool

The scientific application of media planning is the best Advertising tool a business can have. Even the most creative of advertisement campaign can fall flat on its face if not handled by expert media planning companies. Its a science of consumer behavior and the arithmetic of probabilities, ratio proportions and law of averages. Best part is it works like magic every time !

Dubai with its ancient commercial and seafaring traditions has long been recognized as the Middle East regions leading trading hub and has emerged as its key re-export centre. The advantages of the Dubai city rank it as the Arabian Gulfs leading multipurpose business centre. The place today stands at forefront of the worlds dynamic and emerging market economies. It is therefore, no wonder that in such a prosperous local economy having trading links with more than 1.6 billion people all across the globe, Dubai is a regional hub for the advertising agencies too. It is said that marketing, product promotion and advertising, all go hand in hand and this perhaps is more obvious in Dubai than elsewhere.

Now, advertising has become a prestigious and serious business in Dubai. With a booming market scenario and consumer spending going up, the advertising agencies too have proportionately seen an exponential growth. The remarkable aspect about this vast industry of advertising agencies in Dubai is that it is an active part of the global business with many agencies having worldwide operations and actively catering to foreign clientele in their own language, customs and cultures.

The advancement in technology has affected the role of advertising agencies everywhere, including Dubai. With a choice of several media and communication devices from newspapers and magazines to television, the various radio channels, the internet, mobile phones everyone is now spoilt with unlimited choice. This has opened an array of avenues for the advertising companies.

Dynamic Action, Dedicated Service
Unlike earlier times, the advertising agencies have now expanded their many functions to different departments, all creations of recent years. Most agencies are now equipped with full-fledged sections such as the creative department, media planning, business development, direct marketing, DTP/ computer section, public relations and customer care and feedback.

What is remarkable is that all reputed and established advertising agencies in Dubai now operate according to the 360-degrees branding. The services of these agencies largely include print advertisements, TV advertisements, radio jingles, creating websites, web banners, direct marketing, e-mail marketing, telemarketing, designing packaging, outdoor promotion, and public relations.

Dubais economy has been kept open and free to attract investors and business. Government control and regulation of private sector activities are very few. Therefore in recent years Dubai has become a major area for a number of growing and profitable business and commercial activities. Accordingly the advertising agencies are much sought after for their expertise in various activities involving exhibitions, conferences and meetings; tourism and hospitality sector; banking, finance and insurance; business and industrial consulting; information and communication technology and, small and medium manufacturing.

Excellence in advertisements
Not only is a good advertisement appealing to the masses, it certainly does connect with its target audience. It is simple, direct and hard hitting. For this it has to be memorable and easy to recall. A good advertisement also provides the core information quickly and makes an impact on the potential buyers mind. And most important of all it calls to viewers to make more enquiries on the product, either through internet search or by approaching the vendor or retailer. The quality of a good ad is thus reflected in its ability to convince, persuade and accept the product or the brand, resulting in its actual purchase. This talent of creating excellent ads is now seen in most reputed advertising agencies in Dubai.

The print ad
A good print ad has certain unique features; one, the image whether actual or photograph, or graphic or illustration should be provocative; second, the headline should be worded strongly and thirdly, it must contain a well written copy, not more than ten to fifteen sentences, well typo-graphed and attractively displayed. Effective print advertisement never bombards the reader with too much information. The companys logo along with the contact addresses should be displayed towards the end of the advertisement.

The outdoor ad
The outdoor billboard ad should have a minimum number of words, five to six at the most and one clearly defined image of the product. A logo of the company or the brand should be displayed prominently in an outdoor advertisement.

Conveying the message within the timeline
In TV advertisement, the speed and quickness to make a lasting impression on the viewers mind is most crucial. For radio jingles and TV commercials the timeline is usually around half-a-minute. In case of print advertisements, the timeframe to make a mark on the reader is much lesser, usually five to ten seconds only. Therefore the power of the advertisement lies in arousing the viewers mind within this short span of time.

The importance of advertising in todays world cannot be underestimated. It is one dynamic way to send across the product or service information to the large number of potential customers. Good advertising always leads to a sale which translates into profit for the exporter or company.

Regardless of the promotion package, Internet ad media plays an important role in determining the success of your product or service awareness on-line.

What are their advantages over other established media such as selling TV ads?

Advantages

1: Low-Cost

Even if the Internet ad can be displayed as very comprehensive compared to other media, it is definitely much cheaper than most. Internet Ad Packages are offered as low as $ 10.00 for a period of one month, or by a set amount of “hits”, depending on the advertiser you go with.

2: The presentation to the market

If your product / service is aimed at the younger generation or the corporate world, Internet advertisements would be best because they are already hooked into the net, surfing websites. A few of these pages that you have your ad on, could give you a link to your own website as well. Result, a greater number of “hits” on your website!

3: Relatively trouble-free

Everything you really need is a PC, some knowledge and ideas for designing your site, then search for the best Internet ad package for your advertising needs and budgets, choose from a variety of advertisement ways like Banner Ads, text ads; whether you want to work with pop-ups or pop-unders, etc. All from the comfort of your home!

4: Update ads

Unlike TV commercials, which must be periodically updated, your Internet ads could go for some time without change. If they need updating, the amendment of the site or your ad is usually a very simple matter that can be done quickly and easily.

Disadvantages

1: Scope

It is a “limited” market that can be conquered, if you only use the Internet for advertising display. While more and more people every day are now into the use of technology and surfing the World Wide Web there are quite a few of the average consumers out there that are still on the older forms of advertising as a means to gather information on certain products and services. Fortunately for us Internet

advertisers, that is changing quickly in our favor, and this will soon no longer be an issue.

2: Additional costs

If you decide to rent the help of a professional, a freelancer or a company for the production of your site and /or advertising for your product or service, of course it costs more than if you did it yourself. While the costs can advance an initial disadvantage, the results in the long term may in fact be very beneficial if you have the right people to work with.

Conclusion:

The goal of Internet advertising is to offer the widest maximum exposure of your brand/product with the lowest possible cost. Given the list of advantages and disadvantages to using low-cost Internet advertising displays, an entrepreneur can now assess its applicability to his/her product or service.

In the final analysis, if you have an Internet presence and you are not using Internet advertising, then you are clearly missing out on a huge market. There is a lot of money to be made from the Internet, so go out there and snap up your share!