Unit 8  Publicity and promotion

 Text 1 Advertising

Advertisingis the nonpersonal communication of information, usually paid for and persuasive in nature, about products (goods and services) or ideas by identified sponsors through various media. Advertising is directed to groups of people, rather than to individuals, and is therefore nonpersonal. The groups, for example, might be teenagers who enjoy rock music or adults who attend cultural events. In either case advertising to these groups is not personal or face-to-face communication. Most advertising is intended to be persuasive – to win converts to a good, service or idea. A company usually sponsors advertising to convince people its product will benefit them. Some ads though, such as legal announcements, are intended merely to inform not to persuade. For a message to be considered an advertisement the sponsor must be identified. Advertising reaches us through various channels of communication referred to as the media.

Above-the-line (ATL)is a form of media advertising where a commissionor fee is paid to an agency working for its clients. The commission represents a percentage of the media investment- that is, how much is spent on media during the advertising campaign.

ATL campaignsappear, or run, in mainstream or mass media.Examples include commercialson television, and display adson billboards. ATL advertising is interruptive.For example, it is broadcast on TV in the advertising break in the middle of a programme and does not form part of the programme itself.

The advertiser(the client) briefs,or informs, the advertising agency (also known as the ad agency) on the advertising objectives. Typical objectives for an ATL campaign include making the customer aware of a product or service, or building the image of a brand. It is the role of the ad agency to develop an advertising strategy based on the client's advertising brief. The advertising strategy defines the advertising messages - what is to be communicated - and the choice of media. Media planners, working in the agency's media planning department or for a specialized media agency, define the media strategy, identifying appropriate channels to reach the target audience. The media plan includes the selection of specific media vehicles (for example, types of press magazines, TV channels, poster networks) and the media schedule (the times and dates when the advertising will appear). Media buyersnegotiate with advertising sales houses or advertising departments to get the best price for the media space selected in the media plan.               Note: Advertisements are more often referred to as adverts or ads.

Below-the-line (BTL)refers to any non-media advertising or promotion. Marketing services agencies are experts in BTL tactics,such as direct mail, exhibitions, point-of-sale, or street marketing. Marketing services agencies point to two trends that indicate that BTL spend will continue to grow:

1 Ad avoidance- consumers actively trying not to be exposed to advertising. Ad avoiders change channels during advertising breaks; this is sometimes known as zapping.

2 Media fragmentation- audiences are becoming smaller, or more fragmented, as the choice of media grows and new forms ofmedia emerge (the internet, interactive TV and virtual worlds).

Some agencies now offer through-the-line (TTL), also known as full services. A full service marketing agency offers both ATL and BTL in blended marketing. TTL is also referred to as holistic marketing or 360 degree branding. It uses multi-channel marketing, using both ATL and BTL communication channels to build brands. TTL can be very effective at drawing attention to your brand - getting people to notice it.

Advertising techniques.Advertising uses different techniques to appeal to consumers. Common techniques that advertisers use to appeal to consumers include:

1) Pester power encourages children to ask their parents to buy a specific brand or product.

2) Beauty appeal or sex appeal suggests that consumers who use the product will be more attractive.

3)Peer approval associates the product with social acceptance by friends or peers.

4) Scientific claim or statistical claim uses research or statistics to convince consumers.

5) Lifestyle advertising suggests that buying the brand will give access to an inspirational or more attractive lifestyle.

6) Rebel advertising goes against social norms and may appeal to teenagers.

7) Escape advertising makes the consumer imagine he or she is living a very different life.

8) Celebrity endorsementuses a famous person, such as a footballer or film star, to recommend the product.

9) Puffinguses a message that is so exaggerated that consumers will not believe it to be true - for example, 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' by BMW, or 'Get your teeth cleaner than clean'.

8.1Make sentences using one part from each column.

8.2 In the description of Ford's promotional strategy, the underlined words and phrases are in the wrong place. Move them to the correct position.                                                                      http://www.thetimes100.co.uk                                                              Ford employs a pan-European advertising (1) attention to draw (2) below-the-line to its products and services. Ford uses (3) strategy promotions such as exhibiting vehicles and direct mailing of customers. For Ford, (4) fragmented strategy is changing. TV advertising used to be the dominant (5) avoid promotional tool. Today this communication channel is becoming increasingly (6) above-the-line. Technology is affecting TV advertising. People can now record programmes for viewing later and (7) media the adverts easily. Ford's Champions League sponsorship is (8) tactics marketing. The campaign contains both (9) blended and (10) adverts components. During broadcasts of football matches, TV (11) BTL for Ford products can be shown. At the stadium as fans arrive for a match, Ford can promote its association using below-the-line (12) ATL.

8.3 Match the two parts of the sentences. Then decide if the sentences are true or false, according to 8.2 above.            

1 Ford is only using interruptive    a marketing.   

2 Ford is using pester                    badverts at football stadiums.           

3 Ford is using multi-channel               с advertising on the TV.

4 Ford has display                         d power, by appealing to  

                                                              children.

Over to you. Think about some advertisements or promotions you have seen recently. Was ATL, BTL or TTL used?

Text 2 Media strategy

The media strategyis part of the marketing plan. It recommends how to deliver brand messages to the consumer in a way that best serves the brand's communication objectives,such as building loyalty, encouraging purchase or aiding brand recognition. The media strategy identifies the right target audience(the people the brand wants to talk to) and the media mix(the combination of media types - press, outdoor or internet) which will be used to deliver the messages. The target audience is described in terms of lifestyle(the way people live) and demographics(their gender, age, ethnicity, education and income). The media splitgives the breakdown of the media budget- the amount of money allocated to the campaign - between different media types - for example, 70% of investment on television and 30% in the press.

In a media-saturated world, where media is everywhere, it is difficult to stand out from rival advertising, or be noticed, so brands need to identify the best touchpoints- places to reach their core target,or main audience. Media strategists use media research,based on interviews, surveys and measurement tools, to get information about the impact of the different media types, and to get insights into,or understanding of, the media consumption habitsof their target audience. Children's food brands often advertise on television because women with children are heavyTV viewers - that is, they watch a lot of television. A cinema campaign may be more efficient to reach light TV viewers as the audience is captive and attentive - they're sitting in the cinema, waiting for the film to start.

The media planrecommends communication channels with the names of specific publications, TV channels or other media vehicles to be used for the campaign. The plan includes a media schedule with the dates and times when the advertising will run in the press or the commercials will be aired on television or radio. The media planner recommends flighting patterns - the periods when the brand is active or communicates in the media. Some plans have continuity strategies or drip strategies. For example, a detergent manufacturer airs commercials on TV every day for several months to keep the brand top of mind - fresh in consumers' memories. Other brands have bursts of heavy media pressure - for example, in the summer holidays or at Christmas.

The media plan must respect the media budget and the media objectives for the campaign. Media objectives are defined in terms of impressions (the number of times an ad is seen), reach or coverage (the percentage of the target audience exposed to an advertisement in a given time period), or time span and frequency (the average number of times a member of the target audience is exposed to an ad in a given time period).

Media buying.When the plan is approved by the client, the media buyer makes the media bookings (reserves space in magazines or airtime on television) and produces a media schedule. TV media buyers now have software to optimize their plans - that is, to make the best choice of channels and commercial breaks.

Media planners and buyers are accountable to their clients. Costs and results of campaigns are measured. Cost per thousand (CPM) is a standard measure of media efficiency; it is the amount an advertiser pays for one thousand impressions. Big clients can organize media audits to benchmark, or compare, the cost and results of their campaigns with those of their competitors.

Medium       Audience

TV               viewers

radio            listeners

outdoor        audience

press            readers

cinema        cinema-goers

internet       users or surfers

Note: The singular noun is medium and the plural is media.

8.4 Complete the notes on a media strategy using words from the box. One word can be used twice.

research      impressions            lifestyle        target

light            demographics         habits         media

objectives   plan                        reach              

Communication (1) ............

• Generate awareness of the brand •Drive trafficto the website (2) …………..     mix

We have selected four types of media: cinema., outdoor, internet andpress.                                                                                                  Who arethe (3)…………audience?

(4) ..................                  

• Men 21-29 years • Urban        • High income

(5) ...............

• Frequent travelers  • Open to new experiences    

Media consumption (6)..........................

Media. (7) …….. gives insights into the target's media consumption:

• Heavy users of internet   • Very (8) …….. TV viewers

Media (9) …….. : selected magazines

Media (10) ……..       

• (11) …….  : 32.%            • (12) ……. : 4,942,OOO

Budget: $542,8OO

8.5 Choose the correct words from the brackets to complete the sentences.

1 We studied the competitors' flighting (patterns / audience / touchpoints) before selecting a drip (pattern / burst / strategy) to give constant media pressure throughout the year.

2 (Reach / Cost / Frequency) per thousand is the amount paid to reach 1,000 people. It can be used to compare the cost effectiveness of different media (planners / pressure / vehicles).

3 A huge media (budget / buyer / mix) is necessary to keep our brand top of (booking /viewers / mind). It is difficult to stand out with so many competitors airing (commercials /benchmarks / touchpoints) on television.

4 We invested in new software to help media buyers (approve / optimize / air) our media plan.

5 The advertiser organized a media (schedule / strategy / audit) to assess the effectiveness of our media buying and planning. Unfortunately, we were less efficient than our competitors.

8.6 Match the two parts of the sentences.

1 The media plan must be approved

2 We use media research to get insights

3 The media buyer is accountable

4 This campaign will run

5 Airtime

a to the client.

b on television can be very expensive.

с by the client before we make any bookings.

d into the viewing habits of our target audience,

e in the national press.