DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES

SUBJECT
INTRODUCTION TO ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
BS 5th Semester

Topic: ADVERTISING; LEVELS AND TYPES

According to Bovee (1992), Advertising is the paid form of non-personal communication

information usually persuasive in nature about product, services, or idea by identified sponsors
through the various media.

Key Factors
1. Non Personal: Seller is approached through medium i.e. advertising.
2. Communication: Means through which one person can pass information, ideas, or feeling
to another in the form of speech, pictures, sounds etc.
3. Information: Information is knowledge, fact or news.
4. Paid Form: In an advertisement is created, placed in the media so the cost to create and
time or space in the media must be paid for.
5. Persuasive: Purpose of advertisement is to identify and differentiate one product from
another and to persuade the customer for preferring one over another.
6. Product: Services, ideas, things which advertiser wants consumers to buy.
7. Identified Sponsors: Telling audience about the sponsors.
8. Various Media: Like Newspapers, Magazines, Radio, Television or Billboards.

Levels of Advertising
Advertising has following four levels: -
1. Retail Level. Emphasise the specific retail outlet as the place to buy a specific range
of brand. It can be local store advertising.
2. Local Level. Any advertising placed by a company, organization, or individual
operating in a limited geographical area such as a city.
3. National Level. Geographically speaking national advertising’s range is extended to
the territorial limits of the country. The advertiser uses the national media to inform
the consumer about the product. The advertisers use the national local or regional
language but prefer the national language.
4. International Level. Advertising a product or service in a country other than where
it originates.

Types of Advertising

1. Print Advertising (Newspapers, Magazines, Brochures, Flyers)

The print media have always been a popular advertising medium. Advertising products via
newspapers or magazines is a common practice

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 2. Out-Door Advertising
Bill-board and message painted on the side of buildings are common forms of out-door
advertising, which is often used when quick and simple ideas are being promoted.

3. Broadcast Advertising (television, radio and internet)

Broadcast advertising is a very popular advertising medium that constitutes of several branches
like television, radio, internet or television. Advertisements have been very popular ever since
they have been introduced. The cost of television advertising often depends on the duration of
the advertisement, the time of broadcast (prime time / peak time), and of course the popularity of
the television channel on which the advertisement is going to be broadcasted.

4. Covert Advertising (in movies)

Covert advertising is a unique kind of advertising in which a product or a particular brand is
incorporated in some entertainment and media channels like movies, television shows or even
sports.

5. Surrogate Advertising (indirect advertising)

Surrogate advertising is prominently seen in cases where advertising a particular product is
banned by law. Advertisement for products like cigarettes or alcohol which are injurious to
health are prohibited by law in several countries and hence these companies have to come up
with several other products that might have the same brand name and indirectly remind people of
the cigarettes or beer bottles of the same brand.

6. Public Service Advertising (advertising for social causes)

The same advertisement techniques use to promote commercial goods and services can be used
to inform, educate and motivate the public about non-commercial issues such as Education, Polio
Vaccine, HIV / AIDS, child labour, bird-flu etc.

7. Celebrity Advertising
This type of advertising focuses upon using celebrity power, fame, money, popularity to gain
recognition for their product and promote specific stores or products.

8. Infomercial Advertising
An infomercial is a long formal television commercial, typically five minutes longer. The word
“infomercial” is a combination of two words that is “information and commercial”. The main
objective in an infomercial is to create an impulse purchase, so that the consumer sees the
presentation and immediately buys through the advertised tool-free telephone numbers or
website.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS: Q. Define advertising and its types.

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