I am pretty sure you have all heard of AIDA – the 4 key areas of advertising – but do you know exactly what they stand for and how to encompass them into your advertising strategy?
A – Capture the customer’s attention and make him AWARE of the product/service you are offering
I – Make an IMPACT and stimulate his interest.
D – Persuade him that he is deprived because he does not possess the product/service you are offering and therefore stimulate a DESIRE or demand for it.
A – The actual purchase made or ACTION taken.
There are however, difficulties associated with assessing the effectiveness of your promotional expenditure, mainly because of the possible delays taken to yield a result or action. In the case of advertising, a distinction must be made between what is known as direct response advertising and brand awareness advertising. The former is widely used when selling a product i.e. the retail industry where a sofa is on sale for a limited time. Whereas the latter type of advertising might be used to build awareness in the first instance.
In Bath Marketing Consultancy’s opinion, the objectives of an advertising campaign may need the following –
1. To support a brand by stressing its advantages
2. To attack a competitor (directly or indirectly!) and hence increase market share
3. To increase total sales by aiming to increase market share within the existing market
4. To co-operate with producers of jointly used products = mutual approval
5. To appeal to a new segment or market
6. To convey and image of the firm rather than an actual product/service
7. To support a particular marketing strategy
8. To support a decision to buy after the purchase has actually been made
Most advertising does much more than maintain an existing position, but I feel it should be an essential part of an organizations overall marketing strategy for areas like brand loyalty are very fickle and hence, organizations need to continue to remain “on radar” with their customers and prospects. I am not saying that regular advertising will bring you one step closer to retirement; more that it certainly has a place within your marketing activity so dismiss it at your peril.
