Comparing advertisements

When creating and developing advertisements there are three important categories to consider.  This includes: message/purpose, intended audience, and conventions.

How and why are all three categories important when creating an advertisement?

• Purpose/Message: to inform, persuade and remind the audience of something
• Intended Audience: who the product/service is designed for
• Conventions: the images, colours, fonts, sound effects, voice, keywords, and phrasing being using in the advertisement

Explore two examples of radio or print advertisements.

For each advertisement identify:

• What product or service is being sold?
• For whom is the product being promoted?
• What kind of language is being used?

Next, compare their:

• Intended Audience
• Purpose/Message
• Use of Conventions (colour, images, fonts, sound effects, voice, quality, etc.).

How are they similar? Different?

Who is the target audience, and how do you know?

Record your thoughts using a format of your choice.

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Five advertising techniques

In order to reach their target audience and markets, vendors need to consider the market trends and how to attract their specific target audience. Advertisers, who work for companies large and small, try to focus on the importance of carefully selecting messages and various conventions for their ads after much careful market research. They try to focus on what their consumers want to know about the product. Advertising techniques are very useful and effective practices, and are beneficial to all companies.

Bandwagon advertising

This technique, achieved by using catchy words and images, suggests that 'if everybody is doing it, why aren’t you?' Whether it’s a print ad of a shampoo, or a restaurant commercial for television, the message is essentially clear that you need to 'jump on the bandwagon' to taste fun, and excitement. If four out of five consumers are doing it, why aren't you?

Promotions and rewards

Free! 2 for 1! Buy one, get one for free! 50% off! Did this get your attention? Everybody wants a deal!  This advertising technique uses rewards or promotions to grab your attention and try out a new product—but always read the fine print and understand the deal being offered. This technique might include coupons, discounts, reward points for free products, etc. 

Endorsements

With dozens of brands dealing in athletic sportswear, consumers have a variety of choices. In order to set themselves apart, some companies hire celebrities to wear their products, appear in commercials and post about the products.

Endorsements are not only done by celebrities alone. Professionals also appear in the ads to promote a brand: A doctor might endorse "Z vitamin." A plumber announcing a new product that unclogs drains fast and now plans to market it.

Statistics and data

9 in 10 people prefer the taste of Ace Cola to the leading brand!

94% of respondents said their teeth were whiter after using Ace toothpaste!

89% of gamers prefer Doom Attack to Gloom Day

This advertising technique is all about using data.  Facts and statistics focus on logic and percentages, or probability. For example: 9 out of 10 is a lot! But how many people were actually interviewed? How big was that sample? Were they paid for their participation? Were they asked a leading question (e.g., You prefer Ace Cola, right?). Statistics and facts can be very helpful when selling a product, but it is important to consider how the data was gathered, and if the data is accurate or not.

Review activity

Select one of the advertising techniques discussed and find an advertisement which uses that technique.

• What is the message of the advertisement? 
• Explain why advertisers might have used this advertising technique?
• How might this ad be changed to appeal to a different intended audience?
• Is the advertisement effective?
• How would you change this advertisement to make it more effective?

Record your ideas using a method of your choice. 

Cooperative review

Select an advertising technique for an everyday product (e.g., shoes, shampoo, athletic wear). Create an advertising pitch for a print ad, radio ad, a YouTube ad, or a commercial. Decide on the target audience, and develop a short script or sentences for your ad.

Include:

• The name of the product
• A description of the product
• An advertising technique
• Additional information about the product

Record your advertising pitch using a method of your choice.

Are you the target audience?

Find an advertisement for which you are the target. As an audio note, or in written paragraph form, describe:

1. the ad
2. the message/purpose
3. the technique used
4. Rate the effectiveness of the advertisement. Which advertising technique would you have used to make this advertisement more persuasive?

Record your ideas using a method of your choice.

Reflection

As you read the following descriptions, select the one that best describes your current understanding of the learning in this activity. Press the corresponding button once you have made your choice.

Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.