ADVERTISING.

Above-the-line

 

Above-the-line (ATL) is a form of media advertising where a commission or fee is paid to an agency working for its clients. The commission represents a percentage of media investment. ATL campaigns appear in mainstream or mass media. Examples include commercials on television and display ads on billboards. ATL advertising is interruptive.

 

The advertiser briefs the advertising agency on the advertising objectives. Typical objectives for an ATL campaign include making customers aware of a service or building a brand's image. The ad agency's role is to develop an advertising strategy based on the client's advertising brief. The advertising strategy defines advertising messages and the choice of media. Media planners define the media strategy, identifying appropriate channels to reach the target audience. The media plan includes the selection of specific media vehicles and the media schedule. Media buyers negotiate with advertising sales houses to get the best price for the media space selected in the media plan.

 

Below-the-line

 

Below-the-line (BTL) refers to any non-media advertising or promotion. Management 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 spending will continue to grow:

 

• Ad avoidance: consumers actively try not to be exposed to advertising.

• Media fragmentation: audiences are becoming smaller or more fragmented as the choice of media grows.

 

Through-the-line

 

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. It uses multi-channel marketing, using both ATL and BTL communication channels to build brands. TTL can be very effective at drawing attention to our brand.

Media strategy

 

The media strategy is part of the management plan. It recommends delivering brand messages to the consumer in a way that best serves the brand's communication objectives, such as building loyalty, encouraging the purchase, or aiding brand recognition. The media strategy identifies the right target, and the media mix identifies the right target audience and the media mix, which will be used to deliver the messages. The target audience is described in terms of lifestyle and demographics. The media split gives the breakdown of the media budget between different media types.

 

In a media-saturated world, where media is everywhere, it is not easy to stand out from rival advertising or be noticed. Hence, brands need to identify the best core target. Media strategists use media research, based on interviews, surveys, and measurement tools, to get information about the impact of the different media types and get insights into their target audience's media consumption habits.

 

Media planning

 

The media plan recommends 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. Some plans have continuity strategies or drip strategies.

 

The media plan must respect the media budget and the media objectives for the campaign. Media objectives are defined in terms of impressions, reach or coverage, or period and frequency.

 

Media Buying

 

When the client approves the plan, the media buyer makes the media bookings and produces a media schedule. TV media buyers now have software to optimize their plans.

 

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 how an advertiser pays for one thousand impressions. Big clients can organize media audits to benchmark their campaigns' costs and results with their competitors.

Advertising on TV or radio

 

If a University wishes to advertise on TV or radio, the first step is to contact an advertising agency to produce the ad. They will develop a communication strategy; this includes advertising copy for an advert (the text) and perhaps a catchy jingle (memorable music for your ad) or a memorable slogan.

 

A University can choose from different advertising formats:

 

• An advertisement broadcast on TV or radio is called a commercial or an ad.

• A short film with the brand name and logo shown before a program.

• The sponsor or brand finances a sponsored program or AFP (advertiser-funded program).

• Interactive ads are becoming more popular on digital television; in addition to using the remote control to change channels, viewers can press a button and respond to an ad.

 

The audience

 

The second step is to ensure our target audience hears or sees our commercial.

 

Most TV channels are national, and viewers from all over the country can watch the programs. A nonprofit organization can buy regional advertising for some TV channels or national advertising to reach the whole country. Local radio stations attract listeners from only one area.

 

The audience profile gives information about the listeners or viewers, including age, sex, and income. The viewing or listening figures show the broad audience for a particular program, channel, or station. The GRP (gross rating points) shows the percentage of the target audience reached by a television commercial. Ratings differ from audience share, which refers to the rate of the total audience watching TV at any one moment viewing a given channel. The big channels for each country are called mainstream media.

 

Dayparts

 

Dayparts are sections of the day during which programs are broadcast or aired to appeal to the particular demographic group watching or listening. Most people have regular listening or viewing habits and watch the same programs daily or weekly.

 

The press

 

Newspapers

 

Most newspapers are dailies, printed every day. Some are weeklies, published once a week. The regional media is only available in certain parts of a country. The local press is similar to the regional media but for a smaller geographical area.

 

Tabloids are newspapers with a smaller format than broadsheets. Originally, broadsheets carried more economic and political reports and were more serious. Most newspapers today are tabloids. However, tabloid press is still used to refer to less severe newspapers that contain sensational stories, short articles or reports, and many photographs. Some newspapers are not sold but given away for free. The free sheets are funded entirely by the advertising they carry.

 

Magazines

 

Magazines can be weekly, published every week, fortnightly, published every two weeks, or monthly, published every month.

 

Choosing titles

 

The advertising sales department of a newspaper or magazine sells advertising space or advertising positions in their publications. As part of the sales effort, ad salespeople work with the marketing team to prepare media packs, which contain information about:

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• The advertising rates.

• Circulation figures.

• The advertising policy.

• Details and dates about special features.

 

Outdoor advertising

 

Out-of-home advertising formats

 

Outdoor or out-of-home (OOH) advertising can grab our attention or get in our faces. Advertisers have a wide choice of poster sites.

 

• Roadside panels: billboards are large outdoor panels for displaying ads. Giant banners or wall capes are hung on the front of buildings. Outdoor contractors also offer lightboxes and reface billboards.

• Street furniture.

• Transit advertising: taxis, trams, and trains can be wrapped in vinyl, showing a company's adverts. Ads can also be positioned inside or on the side or rear of a vehicle.

• Ambient media: adverts can be displayed on non-traditional media, such as the back of a receipt from a shop or a travel ticket. Floor graphics are used every day in supermarkets and shopping centers.

• Digital outdoor advertising: LED screens are used in similar sites to traditional billboards. Digital video billboards show short advertising spots. Consumers can interact directly with some interactive advertising.

 

Effectiveness of OOH

 

Advertisers can buy a network of sites to target their consumers or reach people in their geographical area or catchment zone. Eye-catching ads such as sonic posters and smelly posters are very memorable.

 

Outdoor campaigns can be measured by opportunities to see (OTS) or coverage. The term approach specifies the distance between the point where the advertisement first becomes visible to the point where it is no longer readable because it has passed out of sight.

 

The Internet

 

Internet advertising

 

The most common Internet advertising formats are banners, buttons, and skyscrapers. Other formats include:

 

• Pop-ups: new windows on our screen as we surf the web.

• Microsites: small websites (which may be part of a big website) dedicated to promoting a specific service or event. A microsite has its address or URL.

• Rich media formats: animated, highly interactive advertisements.

 

The effectiveness of an online ad unit or online advertising vehicle is measured on impressions, the number of times the ad is shown to an online audience. A good campaign will use contextual technology to deliver ads to web pages relevant to the target audience.

 

Search engines

 

A search engine, such as Google or Yahoo!, allows users to look for specific information on the web. Search engines list relevant websites or return search listings in response to a user query, a keyword, or a search term typed into the search box.

 

Search engines are attractive to marketers as they provide targeted traffic.

 

Search engine marketing

 

Search engine marketing (SEM) includes:

 

• Paid search: Besides organic or unpaid search listings, brands can pay search engines to display advertising in sponsored links or paid search listings.

• Search engine optimization (SEO) increases the number of visitors, or traffic, by improving the website's ranking. It means getting a search engine to rank the website high on the search engine results page (SERP).

 

SEO techniques are classified as a white hat if search engines recommend them as part of a good web page design and a black hat if search engines disapprove of them. Keyword stuffing is an example of a black hat technique: a web page is loaded with keywords to mislead the search engine about the website's content or interest.

 

Buzz

 

Buzz uses existing networks, often social networks, to increase brand awareness. Social networking relies on the idea that people will pass along and share excellent and entertaining content. Buzz marketing is generated by the brand, looking to build service awareness. A buzz marketing campaign hopes that the message will spread quickly, thanks to buzz agents, people who pass along messages.

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Electronic buzz

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An electronic buzz campaign is also known as a viral commercial. The commercials could be funny video clips, images, or any content people would share with others.

 

At the end of a viral commercial, there is usually a clickable link to "tell a friend" or "email this page". An electronic campaign's success can be measured by the number of emails opened, the click-through rate, and the number of pass-along events.

Design

 

A graphic studio usually prepares printed documents. Graphic designers design the page or layout and prepare a dummy or a mock-up, which shows how the finished job will look. They work on explicit guidelines to ensure all marketing collateral has the same look.

 

The copy is written directly by the marketing team or specialized copywriters working for a communications agency. This process is known as copywriting. The copy is proofread to find and correct mistakes.

 

Preparing to print

 

The graphic chain refers to printing documents, or the print job, from the initial contact with the printers to the final run when the finished material is printed. The process starts with establishing an estimate, the price for the print job. The print run must also be decided. A long run prints many documents. Some printers accept short runs of only ten papers. It is important to fix or set deadlines for job completion. It is also essential to respect deadlines to complete each job stage on time.

 

The print job

 

There are four stages to a print job:

 

• Prepress covers all the work before printing happens.

• Final proofing involves checking the print job.

• Printing involves transferring ink to a material such as paper, plastic, or metal.

• Finishing may include perfect binding, folding, or perforating.

 

There are several techniques and color options:

 

• Silkscreen: used to produce multicolored designs for flat surfaces.

• Lithographic: used for large quantities of printed material such as brochures.

• Hot stamping: a more expensive technique used to print in gold, silver, or other foils and metallic papers.

• Embossing: creating a raised mark on the material.

• Digital printing: specifically dedicated to short runs; data and images are printed directly from a computer file/

• Full color: the four-color process can achieve full color or CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and essential/black). The six-color process, or Hexachrome, uses CMYKOG; orange and green are added to make more vibrant colors.

• The four-color process cannot reproduce spot colors exclusively made of inks.

• Black and white (b/w) printing: mono or one color; printing sometimes uses black ink.

 

Branded content

 

Types of branded content.

 

• Advertiser-funded programs.

• Off-air events.

• Digital media networks.

• Online.

• Mobile.

• Contract publishing.

• Films.

• Integration.

 

Efficiency

 

Managers need to ensure that branded content serves the broadcaster's communications objectives and editorial needs. Branded content can generate huge media exposure and achieve a media standout. Some advertisers assess media efficiency by calculating the cost of buying equivalent airtime.