In order to secure customers, it is important to convince them of the quality of one\’s products or services. The main means of achieving this is advertising. The most effective of these is advertising on television. However, such advertising involves relatively large costs, whether for the actual filming or the purchase of airtime. Therefore, to ensure that advertising is as effective as expected, companies implement several strategies to ensure that the money is not wasted.
The first and perhaps most important of these is targeting specific groups of potential customers. The type of target group is determined by the type of product as well as by the market research the firm commissions. The target group then determines the airtime of the ad as well as how the ad will look.
Another way to entice customers is to show how the product is beneficial. This is seen primarily in pet food advertisements. There is a simple reason for this. For most pet owners, their pets are members of the family, often replacing their children in the case of older people. And owners want only the best for their pets. Companies take advantage of this to try to convince people that their food will keep their dogs and cats healthy into old age.
Another method is to create the feeling that the product is absolutely necessary. This method is used primarily in advertisements for various disinfectants. The advertisements show that scary-looking germs are lurking everywhere, and that if they are not removed immediately, they will make you sick. Of course, the reality is a little different. Certainly hygiene is important, but exposure to a certain amount of germs builds immunity. For example, how many times have young children stuck their little hands in their mouths with sand or mud? And how many times have they gotten sick from it?
The final trick that TV ads use to influence us, presented here, is to show how the product is better than its competitors. While competitors cannot be named directly in the ad, companies often use very explicit descriptions (e.g., “the second best-selling product on the market”). This is used primarily for detergents and dish detergents.
Now that you have an idea of how advertising works and how it allows for a return on advertising investment. However, it is best not to put too much emphasis on advertising, but to use common sense and experience to consider whether this particular product is best for us.
