Ads or advertisements are quintessential to our very existence. It has become commonplace; we see them all around us, and they make us think about a lot things – both necessary and unnecessary. Since written word was printed and sold, advertisements have been the mainstay of reaching out to your target audience; imploring them with the many virtues of your product or service and persuading them to make a purchase. Other than its evident need to push your product to the masses, ads have a much larger-than-life calling. Some of the most famous minds in advertising have often stressed on the importance of creating pieces that connect with the viewer, and stay in their memory for a long time.
The good old days of advertising
Before the advent of the all-seeing-all-knowing internet and also, much before the telly, print ads were the only way to reach the masses. When we look back at them now, it had a class of its own – simple, minimalist, humorous, and to the point. As with that age, sexism, racism, and various other social issues did rear its ugly head in the medium.
At the height of its glory, the wars in Europe had a significant impact on advertising, with political heavy weights using it to their advantage. Entire agencies were created for the purpose of propaganda promotion. This points us to one thing: print medium was an extremely powerful tool back then, and was used effectively to sway public opinion and not just sell products.
Vintage ads were created to appeal to a cross-section of the society. It did not have a lot of market research to back them up, which is not the case today.
That did not matter to customers those days. They had simple tastes and did not demand for much information, (it was difficult to get information during those days too –No Google you see). This made it easier for the advertisers to punch out half truths and whole lies. There was a time when cocaine was sold as a medicinal product! As the popularity of the television advanced, the medium changed from print to the picture tube. This brought in a whole new world of opportunity for advertisers.
Television and its influence on advertising
Television ad campaigns brought in a huge chunk of the revenue that production companies netted. It is one of the most popular means of advertising today, even better than digital mediums. There are various reasons for this: firstly, the viewership of televised programs is way higher than the average penetration of internet. Since the television is one of the necessary goods that any household requires, advertisers directly reach millions of homes. Celebrity endorsements were the biggest thing that ever happened to advertisement industry during the television age. Huge celebrity deals were struck and raked in millions for the big corporations and celebs themselves. Sponsored content became a mainstay of television and some of the biggest sports events had massive advertisement spends for 10 second slots –running into millions of dollars.
Today, television ads are highly sophisticated with market research reports, identifying the specific population to reach, and seek ever-creative ideas to promote brands. They use children, mothers, animals, puppies and kittens, doctors, professionals, and everyone in between to show care and that their product is the best by any comparison.
The internet and advertising
Progressing from the television to the internet was not such a big deal for many as the internet enabled us to dabble in video. The best thing about internet advertising is that it has the ability to be highly targeted, specific, and it has this small thing attached to it; VIRAL.
The viral nature of the internet has been one of the biggest blessings for the advertising industry. There are scores of examples of viral advertisements on the net today. These are classic examples of creativity at its finest and also push the limits of human simplicity to its barest. They are emotional, powerful, and connect with its viewer in raw ways. This is the best and possibly the only way to connect with the new age buyers who have information at their fingertips. Running expensive banner and video ads may showcase your marketing budget. It does not really connect with the end user. This is where simplistic, yet powerful creative forms should be the essence of your marketing program.
Creating such beautiful and masterful creations is not an easy task. Once the creative process is cracked, be assured that your ads will be selling your products a long time after they are pulled down from circulation. That is the power of brand recall. Ads are by far one of the strongest means of nailing this emotion. Additionally, using all mediums is essential. Sticking to one may have its positives, but today, diversity is everything. Keep the crass, suggestive and sexually-charged campaigns to a minimum. It really does not work in this day and age. Create a strong presence online with simple and powerful ads. They are worth the effort.
