ADVERTISING

Advertising is the art of arresting the

human intelligence just long enough to
get money from it.

I . Work with a partner and discuss the following questions:

1. What makes a good commercial?
2. What are some of the best TV commercials you can remember? Why do you like them?
3. What are some of the worst ads you can remember?
4. When is an ad effective?
5. Is a commercial that you like effective even if you don't remember what it is advertising?
6. How influenced are you by advertising?
7.Do you watch the TV commercials during the TV programs breaks or do you switch
channels? Why do you do it?
8. Check the items of features that you think make commercials effective:
( ) Beautiful people
( ) Music
( ) Humor
( ) Real comments made by consumers
( ) Slogans
( ) Famous people
( ) Scientific facts about the product
( ) Animals
( ) Sad stories
( ) Happy families
( ) Ugly people
II. In pairs, decide if you agree or disagree with these statements and why.
1. Advertising needs to be relevant to the consumer’s needs, wants, and values.
2. It is getting harder and harder to get a consumer’s attention these days.
3. Consumer’s tend to block out advertisements, so you need to try and find a unique way of
getting them to pay attention.
4. Advertising should be truthful.
5. Being honest is not only ethical, it is also the intelligent way of doing business. No one
likes being deceived, and if deception occurs, the consumer will have a negative view of the
company.
6. Sometimes advertisement creators get so caught up in designing a creative, cool
advertisement that they fail to effectively deliver a message that will facilitate the success of
their marketing communications strategy.

IIII. Watch the segment of the movie The Truman Show and discuss the questions:

1. Describe the scene.

2. What product(s) is (are) being advertised?

3. How is it (are they) being advertised?

4. How effective are the ads? Why?

5. Would you buy any of the products? Why?

6. What could be done to improve the quality of the ads?

IV. Now watch the segment of the movie The Invention of Lying and discuss the questions:

1. Describe the scene.

2. What product(s) is (are) being advertised?

3. How is it (are they) being advertised?

4. How effective are the ads? Why?

5. Would you buy any of the products? Why?

6. What could be done to improve the quality of the ads?

 Five Characteristics of Effective Advertising

1. Advertising must be an extension of a good marketing communication strategy. If it differs from

the other components of the strategy, then is not (1) ______ the goals of the strategy and perhaps
creating unintended results or messages. Therefore, when you create advertisements you should try
to (2) ________ the message consistent with the message of the marcom strategy.

2. Advertising needs to be relevant to the consumer’s needs, wants, and values. Marketers often
create advertising that is stated in a way that relates to the marketer’s needs, wants and values, (3)
______ of the consumers. It is essential to (4) ______ what the consumer needs and then to direct
your advertising messages to those needs.

3. It is (5) ______ harder and harder to get a consumer’s attention these days, therefore, you should
design your advertisements in such a way that it cuts through all the other things that are trying to
get the consumer’s attention as well. Consumers tend to (6) ______ out advertisements, so you
need to try and find a unique way of getting them to (7) ______ attention. There are many ways of
doing this. You can use humor, sound, lack of sound and many more. I plan (8) ______ doing some
blog entries on getting consumer’s attention in the future, so check back for those.

4. Advertising should be truthful. If your advertisement says your car can go 0 to 60 in 1 second, then
your product better be able to (9) ______ that promise. Being honest is not only ethical, it is also the
intelligent way of doing business. No one likes being deceived, and if (10) ______ occurs, the
consumer will have a negative view of the company. Your business will make it a lot further with
positive attitudes towards your company then with negative ones.

5. Sometimes advertisement creators get so (11) ______ up in designing a creative, cool

advertisement that they fail to effectively (12) ______ a message that will facilitate the success of
their marketing communications strategy. The final outcome of your advertising efforts should be to
sell your products, not to have advertisements that look amazing and win all kinds of awards. The
awards for your creativity won’t sell your innovations.