HOW ADVERTISINC WORKS
Do you know how many advertisements you are exposed to in your daily life? Every day, we pass by advertisements on buses and billboards, on trains and in train stations, in shop windows, outside restaurants and on public notice boards. At home, we see advertisements in magazines and newspapers and in the middle of our favourite television programmes. We hear advertisements on the radio and come across them on the Internet. Even some of the casual garments we wear have brand names attached to them which turn us into walking advertisements. With so many messages from advertisers filling our daily lives, it is important to understand how advertisements work. Then we can avoid being controlled by them.
What is an advertisement?
An advertisement is a message or announcement that informs or influences people. It can use words, pictures, music or film to communicate its message. Adverts are not only made and paid for by business, but also by individuals, organizations and associations that wish to inform or educate the public.
How do advertisers make effective advertisements?
Identify your target
Advertisers must pay the media for displaying their ads. Their money would be wasted if the message didn't reach its target audience, in other words the people the advertisement intends to persuade. For example, adolescent boys are more likely to buy computer games than any other group, so it makes sense to make computer game ads that appeal to this group. Having identified the target group, researchers find out as much as possible about those in the target group, such as their likes and dislikes, and how the product would fit into their lives. This information then forms the basis for decisions about what type of advertising techniques to use with this group.
Appeal to your target
In order to persuade people to do something, advertisements often appeal to our hopes and dreams or our emotions. For example, the one on the right, which advertises sports shoes, shows young people doing exciting things. The colours and the flames also suggest excitement. The message it is sending is: "Buy our shoes and you'll live an exciting life in the 'fast lane'." The ad above, with the star in it, is for a new radio station. It appeals to people's desire to "fit in" and be part of the group. The message is: "Everyone else is listening and if you want to be part of the group, you'd better listen too."
Some advertisements appeal to people's desire to save money. Others are more likely to be noticed if they are funny. Ads that feature rich and famous people will grab the attention of those who admire people like that. Some adverts, like the environmental protection advertisement below, appeal to our conscience or our desire to be worthy citizens.