My Fair Ads

Modern Day Advertising Is Facing Some Trust Issues.

caadmin — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:33:26 +0000

Ever since the advent of advertising, there is a constant conflict between what an advert is promising to the customers and its real outcome. There is no dearth of consumers having some pathetic experience with some product/service promoted in an ad only to find to their horror that they have been fooled to the core. And what is the worst part? The advertisers and the ad-agencies are working together and spreading such evil in the advertising world so unabashedly.

I am ambiguous as to what is happening to the field of such great personalities like David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, James Walter Thompson, Cyrus H.K. Curtis, Hewitt, Benson, Mather and many other impeccable ad-men that have left such an important legacy for us. They used to think by keeping themselves in the customer’s shoes and then generate an idea that would help grab his attention.

An advertisement becomes great not by the form but by the content it possesses, the message it is trying to convey to the masses. And last but never the least, the promise it is making to the audience about the product/service in question.

I would here, like you to take through a small tour of current trends and perceptions as to why the modern day consumer, irrespective of his geographical location or the financial stature, is wary of the advertising scene. You may beg to differ though, as every individual has the right to have his/her personal and unbiased opinion about any social factor that is connecting us all together as the beads in the thread.

Unmatched promises and delivery : the greatest challenge that advertising is facing world-wide is to reinvent itself and find some credibility with the consumers. They are supposed to be the ultimate keepers and communicators of truth, the factor that customer always looks up to whenever he connects to the brand and becomes its loyal customer. The most important example in case would be the myriad adverts promoting the health and beauty products. They are seeking no limits in offering consumers with efficient results to be followed within weeks or even days of using the beauty product.

The customer’s vulnerability comes into play in this context. A customer with any adequacy like the lack of fairness or the long hair and his desire to overcome the same can easily bait him/her into the trap created by such adverts. The advertisers and the ad-film making ad agencies are incessantly counting on such fake promises because this is the mad human race where only the numbers matters. And if they are getting the expected or the desired sales, they’ll keep on targeting the normal guy’s dream of looking good and be appreciated.

But is it right, is the question that needs to be answered. Will the customer stick to the brand once he discovers that he’s been cheated all the way long.? I don’t think so. It’s high time that the advertisers stop playing with the consumer’s feelings. Instead, should start to deliver what they have promised in the advertisement.

People are in for a brand, not just any product : There is a great deal of social consciousness that goes into the transformation of a product into a brand. The individuals are more likely to go with the brands that are backed up by or promote a positive social cause. These days, the hitherto consumerism has now allowed a feeling of doing some good to the society seep in and take its place, which is to be appreciated. Sole commercial benefit is not something that the brands should be focusing on. An example could be Proctor and Gamble products where they contribute a penny from every sale of their product to limit the ill effects of some social evils like illiteracy, food clothing and shelter deprivation amongst the poor of the society.

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is coming into effect and making its presence felt on the brand-building scene. Having some real purpose and not just targeting the profits is the key proposition that would enhance the image of the respective brands and companies. People are willing to trade of their lifestyle fantasies as a consumer for a better, healthier life of the mother earth. So the companies must pull up their socks and come with some really useful products that can actually bring a change in the lives of the people.

Innovation in the product over the innovation in the ways to sell : The huge number of dollars are put in to make the product attractive on the outside and influence the buyers. The ad agencies would be paid enormous amount of money by the clients just to make their product look different with some unique and creative idea thereby alluring the consumer to buy it. There are almost identical products with no basic change in the actual content that is being showcased as an upgrade to their predecessors with some impeccable advertising. It would be really great if that money is spent on the Research and Development (R&D) and the companies shall come up with some innovative products in the real sense of the word, actually being different form their counterparts out on the shelves in the shopping stores and malls.

Advertising should be interactive in approach. The traditional forms of advertising didn’t really involve the consumers in the initial stages of brand-building or product-development. The consumer used to arrive the scene at the end just receiving what all is being thrown to him without any personal choice and opinion about what the product should contain in it that he actually demands from the same. The product being launched and advertised, then the customer should decide if he’s in or he’s out. But things are changing now. Interactive advertising is coming to the surface where the people’s views are taken into account beforehand, followed by other nuances of the field. Dove’s Real Women campaign is a good is good case in interactive advertising.

There is some absolute fear in the consumer fraternity about advertising where it is perceived to be unethical and full of greed just trying to sell the product even if the consumer doesn’t want it or need it. It is high time that this perception is taken care of. Because the moment the people’s trust and the love for the brand is compromised, they will become skeptical of the brand (and the company) and it will get washed out from the market. Just three simple but most effective words of caution to all the advertisers that can make them sustainable over a good length of time if they are interested – Improve the brand image.

The 7 P Formula of a Marketing strategy

caadmin — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:35:57 +0000

Right marketing is the key to the success of any business and the respective product or a service that the business is trying to sell in the market ( the term ‘market’ in marketing communication means the group of potential buyers or the ‘target audience’ for the product/service in question).

Just as a rainbow comprises of 7 colors and makes it look so pleasing to the eyes, any marketing strategy comprises of the 7 essential components – product, price, promotion, place, packaging, positioning and people which if are taken good care of would make the marketing strategy impeccable and deliver the desired results for any business.

In the past the ‘Marketing mix’ used to comprise of just the 4 Ps (product, price, promotion and place). But today’s marketplace demands some concentrated focus on the rest 3 Ps as well for the businesses to make their presence felt

There is never a time in human history where the man’s needs and tastes have not evolved and changed over a period of time. The changes in the human mindset makethe change in these 7 Ps more inevitable because that would only help the business retain its position in the cut-throat competitive environmentof modern times.

1. Product – Innovate or change it.

Just as the first step towards learning the English language is to know the alphabets, the beginning of every marketing strategy starts with the ‘Product’ that you actually want to market or sell. You have to get your product right in the first place. Rest just follows later. If you have got the appropriate product/service that is in harmony with the market’s demand, is in great need and has a consumer group willing to buy it, you are through with half the cooking.

If your product is not selling, then it’s the time to introspect and find out the reasons for the same. See to it if your product is obsolete and requires a makeover or if it is completely out of the current marketplace scenario. Make the required changes – replace it or improvise upon it, the only ways that will help you sustain in the long run.

For example, you just can’t be producing those traditional roof-top TV antennas today. And in case your product is being used in the market, then be familiar with the current trends and what is your competitor doing that you are lacking. Find some honest answers for these crucial questions before it’s too late.

2. Price – raising it is not always bad and lowering it is not always good

Once you are firm on the product or the service you want to sell to the people, the very next element would be the ‘pricing’. There are 2 simple, straight-forward aspects to price your good – lower it or hike it. Here the great amount of analysis and study of the market comes into play.

Sometimes, hiking the price for your product can bring down the number of your customers. But the rest percentage which are loyal towards your brand and still be buying from you will make up for the lost customer-base in the final profitability count. So you can have confidence in raising the price as well but do take into consideration the basics of pricing strategy.

Lowering the price, on the other hand might increase your potential consumer base but your revenue is not churning according to your desired, expected numbers; what’s the use.

You have to study your ‘target audience’ with utmost focus in this regard – is it the one who would pay the increased price as well for your services and be with you or would switch over to some other producer.

3. Promotion –Adapt and adopt.

The right kind of promotion can make the difference between huge profit and loss margins. It is basically the approach or the medium you apply to get your products in the minds of the people and influencing them to buy it as well.

One great idea from the minds of experienced copywriters from the advertising department can increase the ‘response rate’ for the product or the brand by 500%. Just be aware of the changing markets because your promotion strategy should be responsive to it, else you will lose out on the customers.

4. Place – where your product will really be bought.

“Where you will finally sold the product?” is the question that you must not answer in haste. Do the research, study vigorously and find out where the customer meets the salesperson? You can adopt various techniques like the ‘direct selling’, telemarketing, jointly selling it with other similar products and services or a combination of one or more.

You get the right place for your product, it indeed will be purchased.

5. Packaging – the outside look matters.

You must have a great look at every visual element of the packaging of your product and service. The first impression is always through the eyes. If we find the packaging very pleasing to the eyes, we are often tempted to buy it. Performance or the taste comes later.

Always remember the rule – people form their first impression about your product within the first 30 seconds of seeing it. Catch the eyeballs and the sales will come in for sure.

6. Positioning – an image in the hearts and minds of people.

The image the people have about your product/service, what they think of it, what they talk about your product, what it means for them in their personal daily routine of life is the key ingredient to perfect marketing.

Coca Cola is something that ‘opens happiness’ for the masses. Nike instills the ‘just do it’ attitude in them, BMW is the ‘ultimate driving machine, et cetera.

You got to find your place into the customer’s heart and minds and be there permanently. They should have certain fixed thought/feel when your product comes in front of them

7. People–the real brand ambassadors of your business.

The ‘people’ here are not the customers or the common masses but the people inside your business who are running it and are directly responsible for every element of your sales and marketing strategy and activities.

Paying little attention to this element of the ‘marketing mix’ and focusing on all the other Ps is not a great strategy to go with. First of all, get the right people on your bus and wrong people off your bus and then focus on other elements of the journey. Because efficient and effective workforce will only make your journey fruitful, else the charm will only be temporary and you will not be noticed in future.

One term related here is the ‘Physical evidence’ which means elements within the store – the store front, the uniforms employees wear, signboards, etc. It has a straight impact on the customer’s image of the company, the brand.

Getting the 7-P-formula right in place should be your primary focus. The increased sales, revenues and profits are like a rainbow that comes at the end.

The changing Face of Advertising – Creativity comes at a price.

caadmin — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:20:22 +0000

The attention span of the people these days has become alarmingly shorter and has raised the eyebrows of the advertisers and the ad agencies all across the globe. Breaking the clutter that every individual is banged with all across the globe and making him notice your piece of advertisement is no longer a child’s play. The adverting idea must find a unique balance between creativity, uniqueness and the mass appeal. For any idea that does not catch the consumer’s attention and induces him to buy the product or understand the importance of the cause (in case of a social message advert, the creativity used is of no great use. As it is most often said in the world of advertising, if it doesn’t sell it isn’t creative.

Change in the Technology

The consumer as well as the industry is facing new challenges in this sphere. Traditionally, it was the print that ruled the charts followed by radio. Nice and catchy jingles made the consumers associate well with the brands. An efficient body copy of a print ad used to make the difference. The technology has changed over the last 2-3 decades and so has the medium/modes of advertising. The invention of colored TV made a huge drastic change in the industry. Television commercials (TVCs) topped the list of the modes and have continued to keep the first slot till date. And then there is a great profusion of Out-of the-Home (OOH) and Ambient advertisements showcasing humungous billboards on the road sides and using every possible object in the outdoor to grab a passerby’s attention. The digital is now catching up these traditional mediums. Though it will take some time to surpass them all but it definitely has the potential to do so.

Creativity is the need of the hour.

Today, the people are bored of usual, traditional ad content that was plain informative with the element of creativity nowhere in the question. The ads, irrespective of the type (print, TVC, radio, outdoor, ambient, et al) and the creativity quotient are coherent in nature. The outstanding and transcending Ad-gurus like David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, John Walter Thompson; all have emphasized upon the importance of creativity in any advertisement.

The customer is there out for new ideas and concepts that would drive him to the product or the brand. An example in case would be the famous Sony Bravia commercial for its LCD and 3LCD range featuring colored bouncing balls (real time) bouncing down the streets of Russian Hill in San Francisco. The message that was meant to be conveyed was that the color we’ll see on these screens will be ‘like no other’. And this particular ad actually induced people to change their brand and switch over to Sony. Creativity was at its best in this mind-boggling short film.

Creativity is good only if it sells.

The media and the advertising world is simply going mad over this roaring lion called the ‘Creativity’. But what matters most to the advertisers in not the creativity quotient in their ads promoting their products but the actual rise in the sales for the same. The client often doesn’t give a damn about the ad-person’s basic instinct of being creative and coming up with a new, out-of-the box idea but will always give importance to the actual effect of the ad on the mind of potential targeted consumer. If the consumer is impressed and goes onto buy a product/service, the creativity gets the boost from the client and if it goes haywire bringing the drop in the company’s turnover, it will be criticized and gets the treatment as one would probably get in the hell. At last, that is the rule of the game. Be creative but do sell.

Fine Balance between Creativity and product-sales.

The experts from the industry advocate a fine balance between the ad person’s quest of being creative and the advertiser’s sole necessity of increasing the sales of the product. They both can co-exist if worked upon. Every ad that is made to promote the brand can’t be eyeing on the prestigious awards, the likes of Cannes Lions and other international awards that honor the excellent work in the industry. The jury people at such awards tend to have a different perception than a normal potential consumer that you want to target at the end of the day. The jury is not there to consume your good, but general masses. So, there is a great responsibility that an ad-maker has to shoulder daily while at work – making to the nominations in such awards, winning it and getting an international level acclaim coupled with the rise in the sales of the product and retaining the confidence of the advertising client. Because an ad-man would require both in order to sustain and grow in this extremely competitive industry. The client is not paying the ad-agency for bagging these ad awards but only for making a mark in the minds of the consumers, luring it to eventually buy the product.

A long term approach at the advertiser’s side is the key.

The advertisers on the other hand should also be sometimes supportive of the ad-person’s creativity instinct. Because this is only responsible to get the brand cut through the huge amount of advertising clutter that is bombarded towards the masses every day and be noticeable. If the individual is inclined towards the new concept that the advertisement is showcasing by being creative, personally relates to the idea and becomes the customer is what was expected of an advertisement in the first place. The clients, therefore, needs to give some free space to the ad-agency they are working with and be more open to the creativity in the ads showcasing promoting their product/service. The sales should be perceived as the rainbow that comes at the end of the rainfall.

The modern markets demands that the traditional, rigid ways of advertising give way to some fresh, impeccable creative ideas and create a lasting impression on the minds of the consumer.

Digital menus in restaurants Uses and Scope

Admin — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 04:27:01 +0000

There was a time when restaurants used the old and traditional menu boards and cards in their restaurant to notify their customers about the food deals that they are dealing in. These menu cards / boards only look good when they are new, as with the passage of time when the need for change in price and the need of inclusion or exclusion of dishes arises, all such things become quite messy to manage, as a great number of amendments are made in that previous menu cards.
A restaurant cannot change the menu card every time a change arises, due to the fact that such change in prices and dishes comes on monthly basis, so it becomes difficult and costly for a restaurant owner to replace all the menu cards and boards therefore he overwrites or amends the existing menu card / board.
However with the change of time the technology has also changed to masses, as all such menu boards and table menu cards are replaced with digital menus in restaurants and hand held digital menu. These digital menus in restaurants have brought a great ease and convenience to such restaurant owners, as these owners don’t need to replace or make amendment in those previous menu cards, all they need to do is to change the content of such digital menus and hand held digital menu with the help of a computer system that is connected with the specific digital menu board.
These digital menu boards are easy to operate and one can make changes in such digital menus within few minutes and without making any kind of mess! Such digital menu boards add an extra attraction to anyone’s restaurant allowing their restaurant to look great! Therefore if you own a restaurant and till now you are still using those traditional manual menus then it’s surely a great time for job. They will cost you a little more but will do their job with perfection!

The New Innovation in the Advertisement

Admin — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:03:27 +0000

Digital menus and digital menu boards are the emerging technologies of digital signage software especially designed for digital menus applications.
These digital menu boards allow the manager to change the menu at different time of the day, which enables them to distinguish between the menus of breakfast, lunch and dinner in their restaurant or hotel. This technology provides materialistic content for the people who are waiting to get served. Most of these types of businesses have seen a growth over the years after utilizing these digital signage tools.
These boards can also combine with the displays of static backlight for a different experience, thus making the experience of the customers more memorable. These boards are utilized in different restaurants who work on the policy of quick services. Such type of restaurants include: Bars, doughnut parlor and coffee place etc.
Since menu represent the offerings of different beverages, so it should be used in more general sense. Therefore, this digital signage tool provides a complete solution for menus to be displayed in more advanced form. These tools are able to set up with more than one display screens and these screens can be easily operated by remote control. The main software utilized for setting up the display is basically web-based which enables everyone to overview the menu and services provided by these restaurants through the digital content, and the best thing is that it can be overviewed from any part of the world.
This is termed as cloud-based approach which helps a person to educate people about the description of particular thing and hence making it in a more effective and efficient manner. These tools are scalable, which means a person can easily control numerous displays from his desktop, and all menus in these display boards will change instantly without taking any extra load time. These boards can be easily run by any operating system; it means a person can use them with any of the systems including: Windows, Linux and Mac operating system.

Digital menus Compete with Trending Advertisement

Admin — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:59:13 +0000

Nowadays those old fashioned cardboard or wooden menu boards are widely replaced with digital menus or digital menu boards, due to the fact that they are easy to use, handle and even modify! All you need to do is to replace the content of that menu board digitally not with the help of any kind of marker or pen as such things makes the menus or menu boards messy!
Till date almost every wooden board or menu pamphlet has been widely replaced with digital menus as the shop owners find it much convenient to use such type of digital menu boards as compared to the old manual ones.
Such digital boards are quite expensive as compared to those classical menus or menu boards but the best thing is that it is only a onetime expense, just buy such boards once and you will be free from every kind of mess that a manual menu board or menu pamphlet makes. This mess includes cutting and editing which makes such boards dirty as well as filthy! Even sometimes they become so messed up that the owner needs to replace it with the new one which becomes another big money and time consuming task.
Such digital boards are found in almost every small and big shop as the shop keepers are aware of its benefits and moreover it looks much better and professional as compared to the old manual menu boards and gives a great attraction in their shop. The best thing about such menu boards is that they rarely need service of any kind, once a year is quite enough for its proper functionality.
So if you are a shop or any restaurant owner and you still use those filthy old menu boards to describe about your items then its surely a right time to switch to such digital boards, as it not only enhances the look of your shop but it also helps to increase your customers.

DIGITAL MENU BOARDS: Try for Your New Advertisement Campaign

Admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:54:56 +0000

Due to emerging of new technology, the traditional way of displaying menu has been transformed into digital menu in different restaurants, hotels, shops and wherever there is a need of displaying menu.
The display of digital menu has not only developed the beauty of the place, but it has also attracted a great number of customers. Still today a great number of restaurants and hotels display their menus in the traditional way, which makes a customer to think that how any particular cuisine would look and taste like. But displaying any cuisine in digital way allows a customer to select any particular dish easily because it shows the video, pictures and ratings of that particular cuisine.
There are some other approaches of displaying menu but this digital signage tool has established popularity because it can work to show the glimpse of a particular cuisine on the menu. Under the application of digital signage tool, menu can also be shown in the form of digital menu board, which enables the displaying of menu to show the video of cuisine along with the text of that cuisine. It also shows some patrons of potential offering, the special cuisine which is above the normal.
This digital menu board may also come up with certain sections that can easily display the line-ups of different section and sometimes with the comprehensive clip of the preparation of food. These digital signage tools can be set to update the list of cuisine on day to day basis. But the list of cuisines can also be updated on time to time basis like changing it from morning for breakfast and to afternoon for lunch. These tools also enables a manager to display the special offer of the day in more effective manner and attracting different customer for the promotion of that offer. Hence, it makes the revenue of the business to grow more quickly as compared to the display of menu in traditional way.

Digital menu boards for restaurants – table menu:

Admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:40:44 +0000

It is a known fact that people love to eat outside or restaurant food. The people planning to eat restaurant food normally have two options, whether they go for dine in or just take away their food deals. In both situations one thing remains same i.e. the price of that particular food or deal, which they can overview through menu boards that are hung at such restaurants or hotels.
Few years back there was a time when these restaurant’s owners place the manual menu boards at their restaurants from which the customer orders his / her respective meal. Sometimes it becomes problematic for a customer to know the right price of a specific food as most of the time such restaurant owners over write the prices of their goods when they plan to change the price of a specific goods, hence it becomes difficult for the customer to understand the right price of the meal as over writing on the deal price makes it much confusing. Moreover continuous over writing and sticking paper on the previous price of the deal makes the restaurant board extremely dirty and messy. Not only menu boards most of the time table menus have also become a great mess due to continuous amendments, however these table menus are quite cheaper to replace as compare to these large restaurant boards.
However the time has changed, as these restaurant owners can find digital menu boards for restaurants. These digital menu boards for restaurants are especially designed for restaurants to fill its day to day needs when it comes to prices or the inclusion or exclusion of any specific meal or drink. Such menu boards have digitized the restaurant world as its quite cleaner and easier way to change the prices of a product on such boards. These digital boards are a little expensive but are surely worth to buy if a restaurant owner wants a cleaner restaurant menu board.

Digital Menu – Digital Menu Board:

Admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:34:18 +0000

Ten years ago there was a time when almost all the coffee shops, food courts etc used to display their menu through pamphlets, brochures, or through white boards and people used to order their respective meal or drink by over viewing throughout the board. This thing didn’t trouble any customer as they were used to see such type of boards or pamphlets since a long time, but it becomes hectic for the shop owner when he plans to change the prices or want to introduce some new product on the display.
When it comes to change in prices, most of the middle budget shop owners go with overwriting the old prices with the new one or place a sticky paper over the old prices and mark them with the new ones.
The real problem for the shop owner / keeper occurs when he needs to add an extra item in the menu or to place some extra discount on any specific product. For this purpose most of the time the menu board becomes messy or the shop keeper uses an advertising stand to take over this problem which definitely cost him an extra amount, and it is a known fact that no boy wants to spend extra bucks over a thing from which he can get benefited in an easy and a cost effective way.
With the change in technology these wooden or cardboard menu boards are dynamically replaced with digital menu as well as digital menu boards. These digital menu boards have dynamically removed the complications that were often raised regarding to change in menu boards. A digital menu allows a shop keeper to change the menu with all the ease possible and according to his will; he can do it even thousand times in a single day according to his will and requirement and without any kind of complications or hassle. He can do it just in a few minutes at his finger tips! Hence saving his time as well as money!

Top 10 One Liners of All Times in Advertisements

mandelasanjay — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:31:57 +0000

In the quest to catch the viewer’s attention various companies have time and again come out with great ideas full of creativity, however nothing works better than a great slogan. What adds to the credibility of a slogan is that it is simple and if good it is easily remembered and can work wonders for the image of the company. This could, with time even become a synonym for your brand.

Now let’s have a look at some of the great slogans which have made up for really interesting advertisements in the past.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

A slogan you must have heard a thousand times in your lifetime, was created 100 years back and ever since has been quite a household one.

Melts in Your Mouth Not in Your Hands!

The one liner was born in 1954, though the company (M&M) was launched internationally in 1980. However it made the candies quite popular.

Diamonds are forever

It is a creation of DeBeers and definitely needs no explanation. Even today it is a popular quote.

Let your fingers do the walking

A wonderful advertisement by yellow pages.

Just do it

A Nike product that makes you get up and get these shoes to conquer the world.

Reach out and touch someone.

It is the creation of Marshall McLuhan for AT&T’s. The reason behind this concept was simple to make AT&T an indispensable part of the American life.

Think different

Apple’s creation is like a synonym now. Definitely worked wonders, and one of my personal favourites.

The pause that refreshes

This one came out from the kitty of Coca Cola and makes you buy one no matter how busy you are.

You deserve a break today

Created by McDonald’s which is a favourite among youngsters or anyone who is a little tired.

An idea can change your world

Quite a popular one liner in India by telecom giant Idea.