ADVERTISING, COPY CREATION, FEEDBACK

ON THE NET

Objective of the Script- This discussion is aimed at

introducing the students to the world of advertising, its
handling in different medium and very importantly, to
understand the concepts of advertising. The students will
understand different types of advertising and role of
advertising agency. Students will have an opportunity to
explore various creative fields involved in making different
types of advertisements.

The discussion goes step by step learning the concept of

advertising, Different elements of advertisements, creation
of copy of the advertisement and feedback on the net.

• To help in providing in-depth information about

advertisement.

• Students will have an opportunity to explore various

innovative and creative aspects of advertising.

• Students will be given basic grounding through

discussion about creation of online ad as well and the
feedback on net.

Brief introduction of the Subject expert

Today the topic of discussion is Advertising, Copy creation

and feedback on the net.

Defining Advertising

So let’s define advertising first , what is Advertising? In

layman’s language Advertising is one of the most visible
elements in providing information about products, service &
idea.

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When we go the buy a product in the market, we decide
upon the Branding, Quality & the Product features. Here,
Advertising plays a vital role to sell a product. If product is
advertised properly it helps a lot to the target audience for
brand awareness and finally to take the purchase decision.

ADVERTER – “TO TURN THE MIND TOWARDS” OR “TO

DRAW ATTENTION TO”

The most basic, simplest & the broadest way to define it can
be found in its Latin origin, ad verter which means ‘to turn
the minds towards’ or ‘to draw attention to’. Simply put
something that is done purposefully to attract or catch
attention.

So, have you got the basic understanding of advertising?

Let’s make it simpler.

“BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF ADVERTISING”

Advertising is a form of mass communication and expected

to create a brand image & build brands.

It is tool of marketing. To reach the masses, advertising has

to buy space & time in one or more media of mass
communication such as television, newspapers , magazines,
outdoor and web. Lets Define Advertising in one line.

“Defining advertising in one line”

• It is a form of mass communication.

• It is powerful marketing tool.

• It is component of economic system.

• It is source of revenue generation.

• It is social responsibility.

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 • It is an art form.

• It is an instrument of business management.

• It is a field of employment.

• It is a profession.

• It is a paid public announcement.

• It is a form of persuasive communication.

Above all it is multidimensional & big business.

Definition given by American marketing association in

typed form.

According to American marketing association advertising is –

“Any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion
of idea goods & services by an identified sponsor”. This
definition is the most accepted definition of advertising.

Benefits of Advertising

Advertising has a number of benefits for the advertiser. The

advertiser has control over the message. The advert and its
message, to an extent, would be designed to the
specifications of the advertiser. So the advertiser can focus
its message at a huge number of potential consumers in a
single hit, at a relatively low cost per head.

Defining ATL and BTL

(Above the line Media and Below the line Media)

There are two key categories of advertising, namely 'above-

the-line' and 'below-the-line.' The definitions owe a lot to
the historical development of advertising agencies and how
they charge for their services.

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In a nutshell, 'above-the-line' is any work done involving
media where a commission is taken by an advertising
agency, and 'below-the-line' is work done for a client
where a standard charge replaces commission. So TV
advertising is 'above-the-line' since an agency would book
commercial time on behalf of a client, but placing an advert
in a series of local newspapers is 'below-the-line,' because
newspapers tend to apply their own costing approach where
no commission is taken by the agency i.e. instead the
agency charges the client a transparent fee.

Concept of Advertising

We are exposed to a variety of advertisements day in and

day out. We see advertisements in newspapers, in
hoardings, listen to radio advertisements and also watch a
host of advertisements in the television. There is also a
variety of advertisements in the World Wide Web.

Here, we will discuss the concept, objectives and functions

of advertising.

Advertising is thus, a mass communication tool, which is

essentially in paid form by a firm or an individual and the
ultimate purpose of which is to give information, develop
attitudes & induce action, which are useful to the advertiser.

Advertising

Advertising is accepted as an important part of our social

system & a large majority of the population feels that it
creates better products & services for the society.
Advertising message continuously surrounds us, our value
structure, attitude, basic needs affect how one perceives
these messages.

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Advertising takes time. Remember, you are developing a
relationship with the customer. Friendships and relationships
take time to develop.

But the trends in advertising are changing over time. The

competition is going tough day by day. Thus, marketers are
trying to find out more effective ways to reach the target
audience through different medium. But these changes have
not occurred suddenly. There is a continuous growth in
advertising trends with the passing time. While some old
trends have been modified some new trends have evolved.

The old advertising trends indicate a very simple equation

i.e. more people=more sale. In the previous years the
marketers were concerned about reaching more target
audience. There are several reasons for advertising some of
which are as follows:

• Increasing the sales of the product/service.

• Creating and maintaining a brand identity or brand

image.

• Communicating a change in the existing product line.

• Introduction of a new product or service.

• Increasing the buzz-value of the brand or the company.

Thus, several reasons for advertising and similarly there

exist various media which can be effectively used for
advertising. Based on these criteria there can be several
branches of advertising. Mentioned below are the various
categories or types of advertising according to the media
used to advertise a product.

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 Advertising Through Media
Outdoor New Media – Internet –

(Posters or Transport) Mobile Devices Websites and Search Engines

Newspapers
Television Magazines
(Local and National)
Radio Cinema ATM Centres
Print Advertising – Newspapers, Magazines,
Brochures, and Fliers

The print media have always been a popular advertising

medium. Advertising products via newspapers or magazines
is a common practice. In addition to this, the print media
also offers options like promotional brochures and fliers for
advertising purposes. Often the newspapers and the
magazines sell the advertising space according to the area
occupied by the advertisement, the position of the
advertisement (front page/middle page), as well as the
readership of the publications.

For instance an advertisement in a relatively new and less

popular newspaper would cost far less than placing an
advertisement in a popular newspaper with a high
readership.

The price of print ads also depend on the supplement in

which they appear, for example an advertisement in the
glossy supplement costs way higher than that in the
newspaper supplement which uses a mediocre quality paper.

Outdoor advertising is also a very popular form of

advertising, which makes use of several tools and
techniques to attract the customers outdoors.

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The most common examples of outdoor advertising are
billboards, kiosks, and also several events and tradeshows
organized by the company. The billboard advertising is very
popular however has to be really terse and catchy in order
to grab the attention of the passers by. The kiosks not only
provide an easy outlet for the company products but also
make for an effective advertising tool to promote the
company’s products.

Online Advertising –

The internet has become very popular and has encompassed

all our lives. Advertisers use this fact to their advantage.
They put up ads on web pages. Nowadays whenever one
opens a web page, it is cluttered with advertisements.
Online advertising is done by keeping two factors in
consideration. a) Users b) Demographic information and
online behavior. This is studied by understanding the users’
gender, age, location, income bracket, browsing history etc.
With the changing trends, the online preferences of users go
through varying degrees of change. Companies these days
provide ads through internet in various forms like pop up
ads which opens up while we go to a particular website or
background ads, Background Advertising, often referred to
as Background Skins or Wallpaper Advertising is a very
effective tool for branding campaigns when gaining user
attention and engagement is paramount. Delivered across
multiple sites concurrently, Background Advertising
provides a wide reaching media buy with similar metrics to
those of a TV media buy. Apart from simple static
backgrounds, we can develop Background Skins which
feature Flash elements including video. This is great for
running promotions like Movie Trailers, TV Shows (such as

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cooking shows) or new product launches. The ideas for
background advertising campaigns are endless.

Copy of an Ad and its Creation

To understand the copy creation, first off all it is very

important to understand various elements of an ad, what
copy of an ad are and how to create copy of an ad.

The very first element of a print ad is headline of the Ad. A

headline should always be able to grab initial attention,
should have a stopping power, and the capacity to carry you
over the entire ad – to other element.

Direct headline (straight forward, informative, highlights

benefit, or the promise of selling e.g. – Exchange Offer) v/s
Indirect headline.

(generally dwells on the soft sell aspect, they generate

curiosity, puzzles the audience e.g.- Don’t read this).

This is the main theme or appeal, it should be a powerful

selling message. It performs the task of attracting the
attention and should tell the whole story. It is preferable to
include the brand name as 80% of readers read no further
than the headline.

If headline fails to attract attention of target audience then

nobody will read the ad further .Visuals attract attention, but
the headline is the main component, so it must be powerful.

Sub-headline is the second most important component,

which should be in continuation of the headline. There
should be some relation with the headline. Sub-headline is
not always necessary to be in the advertisement. Whenever
the headline is longer it’s divided into 2 parts the second one
is subhead. Placement is just under the headline is a smaller

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font may be a different color. It helps in explaining the main
idea of the headline.

Body Copy

The body copy reinforces the headline and delivers the

selling message. News copy must be straightforward while
implied suggestions can draw conclusions from the facts. Try
not to use humorous copy as it does not always sell. Avoid
answering competitive questions rather promote your own
positives. Slogans if used should be associated with a
positive outlook.

If you are doing a direct mail shot don't scrimp on copy,

write as much as you want, but create it so that it is user
friendly when read and in logical order.

Previously the written words in any printed ad or verbal

words spoken by anchor or model were considered as copy
of any ad but now the concepts have changed. Every
element which is included in the advertisement is considered
as copy of an ad. Either it is headline, sub-headline, body-
copy, visuals, illustration, logo, product display, model or
visualization. Everything comes under the copy of an ad.

Anything written or spoken in an advertisement is a copy.

An ad can be a print ad, an audio ad or a audio-visual Ad.

Print ads Could be placed in a magazine, newspaper, in/or

buses, trains etc; a static ad on a website, on a hording,
hanging in a mall, or on a standee. A print ad has two basic
elements – art and copy.

Main Illustration is another element of an ad, Subsidiary

illustration is also element of an ad then, Body text, Picture,
caption.

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Taglines & Slogans –

It’s a catch phrase in the ad that is easily remembered. It is

generated as a part of an ad campaign, which may or may
not be carried in another campaign. Raymond - Complete
man; feels like heaven; Tagline may remain same for an Ad.

Trademark, Logos of the company, White spaces are other

elements.

Borders –

In a print ad you will find a thin border that surrounds the

ad and lends it a proper definition. If the border is absent
then the ad seems to continue over the edge of the page,
such ad is called as a bleed Ad.

Process of Copy Creation

A creative team is made up of several key members,

starting with a creative director, and including copywriters,
editors, graphic designers and artists, and web developers.

In short, it's the group of people that comes up with the

advertising ideas and brings those ideas into being. Titles
may vary among different organizations. In some agencies,
the lines defining the creative team blur, and the account
managers or executives who serve as a liaison between the
client companies and the agency, also get into the creative
act.

Smaller agencies often have fewer members on their

creative teams than larger agencies, and the duties overlap.

For example, an advertising manager may also be the

creative director and a graphic designer. The creative
director coordinates the creative team, and liaises with the

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account executives. Copywriters do the actual writing.
Editors help ensure the accuracy of advertisements. Artists
or graphic designers create the artwork, illustrations and
other visual aspects of the advertisements. Web developers
upload creative pieces to the Internet.

Objective of Copy Creation

The primary objective of the creative team is to create a

desire among the public for the products/services through
this copy.

There is usually a positive correlation between the amount

of advertising a company or organization runs and its
influence on consumers, according to Stanford University.

Moreover, higher amounts of advertising usually lead to

higher sales or revenue.

Other objectives is building brand awareness and image.

Brand awareness is the percentage of people who are aware
of a particular brand. Image pertains to how the company
wants to be perceived by consumers. For example, a small
electronics company may want to be known in its industry
for its high quality products.

Creative teams usually follow a specific process when

completing their work. An advertising agency, if one is used,
usually creates a proposal for a client, outlining the key
tasks and associated costs. Work commences when the
client approves the proposal. Advertising production usually
follows, whether it's conducted by an agency or company
itself.

The first step in the production process is creating a

concept. This is a formulation of the general theme or idea

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of the advertising. Copywriters then compose the script or
copy for the advertisements, and the artists and graphic
designers create any necessary artwork. Subsequently, an
editor proofreads the advertisement for errors and submits
the final ad copy. And an advertising manager, in turn,
ensures that the message and content of the advertising is
commensurate with the overall marketing strategy.

Considerations

Members of the creative team often test their

advertisements before running them on a wide-scale basis.
The tests help small companies ensure that their advertising
is effective. For example, a small regional company may run
ads in two of their 10 markets. They may track the number
of leads and sales generated by the ads. The company may
also test certain components of the ad, including ad and
slogan recall. Ad recall determines whether consumers
remember the ads. Slogan recall measures the percentage
of people who recall words or phrases from a particular
slogan. The creative team may conduct focus groups or
phone surveys to obtain consumer feedback for its
advertising test. Focus groups are often conducted behind
one-way mirrors, as managers listen to feedback from
consumers.

Creative Ideas and Techniques

Advertising is an integral part of marketing. The aim of an

ad campaign is to reach the masses in order to increase the
demand for the products being promoted. A major flaw in
advertising is that instantaneous customer response to the
product can never be gauged. This is because
advertisements are not interactive since communication is
one way. The advertiser outlines the quality and nature of

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the product, and expects to capture the attention of the
potential clients.

Customers on the other hand view the advertisement

through an impersonal medium like the television,
newspaper or computer. Unless the advertisement is
designed to jolt the customer from his repose, it is unlikely
that he will remember the ad or the product it was meant to
market. This is why creative advertising techniques have
assumed a great deal of significance.

What makes the best advertising ideas?

Are they creative thoughts or just a chance of luck? Well,

the answer might be undiscovered or unknown as we never
know what may hit the headlines or copy of the Ad.

Some of the famous unforgettable creative advertising

ideas were created with minimum budget and never
expected to be so famous. The brilliant advertising ideas are
the ones having great visual concept and tremendous art of
illusion that engulfs people in its analogy. The best creative
advertising ideas are a fascinating mix of entertainments
and something to take inspiration from. It is the job best
described for art lovers, designers, copywriters who can
make a good living by creating copyrighted ideas.

Now let’s have some discussion on Online advertising as the

topic of discussion contains feedback on net. We have
already introduced online advertising while discussing types
of advertisement based on medium. So, here we need some
more basic understanding of online ads then we’ll discuss
about the feedback.

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How ad networks operate, especially with regard to how
they use user information to target users. This is also true
that different classes of online advertising — search,
Online advertising supports many Internet services, such as
search, email, and social networks. At the same time, there
are widespread concerns about the privacy loss associated
with user targeting. Yet, very little is publicly known about
contextual, and social networks, use user profile information
today. Let’s discuss about contextual advertising first.

Contextual advertising or context match (CM) refers to

placement of commercial textual advertisement within the
content of generic WebPages that is targeted to the specific
individual who is visiting the web site.

A contextual ad system scans the text of a web site for

keywords and returns ads to the web page based on what
the user is viewing, either through ads placed on the page or
pop-up ads.

For example, if the user is viewing a site about sports, and

the site uses contextual advertising, the user might see ads
for sports-related companies, such as memorabilia dealers
or ticket sellers.

Contextual advertising also is used by search

engines(sponsored search) consist of placing ads on result
pages from the web search engine with ads driven by
originating query , display ads on their search results pages
based on what words the users has searched for.

Previously online advertising was not very popular among

the consumers and considered as a disturbance while doing
work but the scenario has changed. The advertisers are

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getting good response from their customer and getting good
feedback from them.

Contextual advertising programs such as Google Ad sense is

a huge success. Google places advertisements in web pages,
after analysing their content.

This way, a website about trekking will show ads for outdoor
gear, and a website about dogs shows ads for dog food. This
kind of relevant advertising is perceived as far less
interrupting, and more informative.

Ad sense advertisements are typically just short text

messages, clearly indicated as being advertisements. Google
Ad sense is clearly a result of micro targets and micro
media.

Remember that by advertising on websites, we are no longer

talking about websites as we know them. These are not the
typical online presence of companies, nor are they the e-
business websites of which we have seen many rise and fall.

These are blogs, individual or commercial, and online RSS

readers that receive content from many sources.

There is maximum possibility to get feedback through online

medium. Through their blogs consumers give their opinion
on different products and their ads. Through social
networking websites there is possibility to get feedback.

Summary of the Topic

So, in this discussion we learnt about the basics of

advertising, Defining advertising in the simplest way as the
most visible element for providing information about a
product, service or idea. We discussed various definition
simplest one line definition as well as definition given by

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American marketing association as Advertising is a paid form
of non personal presentation of idea, goods or services by an
identified sponsor. In this discussion, we talked about
Benefits of advertising, Purpose of advertising, above the
line media and below the line media (ATL & BTL),
advertising through media, types of advertisements based
on various medium like Newspaper advertisement, TV
advertisement, Radio advertisement, Cinema advertisement,
Outdoor advertisement and online advertisement. The
discussion continued towards creation of copy of an ad .For
creation of copy of an ad it is very important to understand
the elements of an ad first. The elements of an ad contain -
Headline, sub-headline, body copy, visuals, logo, product
display, illustration, visualization. We discussed each
elements of an ad then the team members of creative,
objective of copy creation, the process of copy creation. We
also discussed about creative ideas and techniques of copy
creation and considerations.

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