Reflection Statement #10
Promoting a product is the last of the
4P’s and to be effective the marketer must begin with the goal in mind. These
goals can vary and must be in accord with the company’s short and long-term
goals. However, narrowing the goal can help simplify the ad, which increases
the likeliness of its effectiveness. Also, knowing the goal and how to measure
success can help the marketer determine if the ad has been successful.
Beginning with the end in mind the
marketer must return to basics and define advertising and its importance.
Advertising is the means by which a company interacts with the marketplace by
raising awareness of its products, brands and position. In order to effectively
do this a marketer must hold a potential clients attention, grab their
interest, stir their desire and motivate them to action.
There are several models that describe the
flow from attention to action but they all basically fall into one of three
broad categories. The first attempts to appeal to a potential customer’s
cognitive faculties by increasing brand awareness and knowledge. The second,
called affect, tries to increase positive attitudes and associations toward the
brand. And finally, the final model seeks to drive behavior and encourage a
purchase of a particular brand. Each of the categories corresponds to where a
product resides in the product life-cycle. Cognition appears early in the
brand’s life and as awareness grows the marketer seeks to use affect to cement
customer attitudes. Finally, as the brand matures a marketer seeks to remind
customers to purchase the product. However, integrating all the elements is the
most effective strategy of all.
Filling in the models above we can point
out that cognitive ads, which appeal to the intellect, make two kinds of
arguments. The first is the one-sided arguments which focuses on a product’s
benefits while the two-sided argument, though mentioning the benefits, also
acknowledges limitations. If the product is deficient or if a competitor simply
makes a higher quality product, both limitations are addressed and the unique
qualities of one’s own product are emphasized.
Emotional ads have the goal of generating
buzz. Most are humorous, though these are not as effective due to the fact that
while people remember the joke, they often forget the brand. Fear is also used
but viewers may choose to forget the ad if the message or graphics are too
unpleasant. Closely related are ads that induce guilt. As a general rule it is
best to avoid them. However, an emotional appeal can be used to convey the
image a company wants to convey to customers. But, these must be well placed
and the message is as important as the medium. Both cognitive and emotional
ads, of course, ultimately seek to drive behavior.
However, one of the most difficult challenges
facing marketers is deciding how to measure the effectiveness of an ad. There
are several ways in which this can be done. DAR or day-after -recall tests can
be conducted the day after an ad is played to see how impressionable the ad was
and these hard numbers can convince others in management that the expense was
worth it.
But, a competent marketer should know
something of the final result beforehand. An ad should ideally be created using
a two-step process where the concept for the ad is first tested on a series of
focus groups and then the flow of the ad is studied. A marketer, by being aware
of his company’s goals, needs to have a basic threshold to score against to gainsay
an advertisement.
This threshold or measure of evaluation
should measure a customer’s attitude toward the both the ad and the brand. It
is important that the targeted segments do not overlap and that each ad that is
designed for a targeted segment not overlap with another.
Two tools can be used to measure the
effectiveness of an ad and its associations. The first is the cognitive network
which graphically depicts all of the associations with a certain product. The
second is a marketing diagnostics table that uses percentages gained from customer
surveys to measure all the way from awareness of a brand through purchase. This
table can show the marketer probabilities of customer action, check for
weaknesses, and help him decide what course of action should be undertaken to improve
recognition and sales.
We can extend on these ideas by spending
some time on the concept of subliminal advertising. We have mentioned above
that retailors will create ambience in stores and usually do this with music.
This is also done explicitly with image branding. But, to appeal directly to
the subconscious mind (it is at least debatable if such a thing really exists)
is supposedly against the law and a violation of marketing ethics. However, not
many people know this (if true) and a large urban myth has built up around this
idea which persists in popular culture. This myth appeals to those who feel
that marketing is little more than a method of manipulation and psychological
knowledge, which is at best designed to help people, is being used to control
them.
In the movie “Fight Club” the character
played by Brad Pitt works in a movie theatre and decides to turn the tables on
corporations by inserting photos of the male anatomy into the movie where
before they had been subliminally been inducing customers to buy popcorn and
soft drinks. Indeed, the movie ends with the credit bureaus and major banks
being blown-up in order to set things at par and start the world over on even
ground. We can hear some of these echoes today in the Wall Street protests. It
is clearly in the interest of corporations to emphasize basics.
One way marketers could do this is with an
ad campaign similar to the ones put out by the Beef, Egg and, Dairy Associations.
These ads are simply designed to raise awareness of the product and the
industry. Occasionally, the oil companies will remind people that they are
really in the business of selling energy and it is implied that oil is simply
the energy they sell. The Marketing Association of America has two articles
(one is really a comment) that mention this type of advertising and the latest
one from 2009 affirms the myth of the “sex” in ice ad from the 1970’s and goes
on to say that this type of advertising works, though interestingly, sex itself
does not sell.* A comment left by a reader assert that we are in a situation
now where people are turning away from conspicuous consumption which is
reminiscent of the end hopes depicted in
“Fight Club”. At any rate, the
American Marketing Association would be wise to codify their ethics, punish
violators, and run ads such as other associations now do. This is needed more
than ever.
In my own life I have encountered this
“myth” several times. Evidently, this concept is more widespread than many
would like to acknowledge. Friends, who know that I have an interest, indeed a
passion, for marketing have regaled me from time to time with examples they
have heard of that may or may not be true. Not only is the “sex” in ice myth
(if it is a myth) popular, but supposedly liquor companies have shaped their
labels like tombs in order to appeal to alcoholics and even cigarette labels
are thought to have the same appeal. Honestly, I do not know what other shapes
bottle or cigarette labels could take, but the interest lies in the widespread
idea that clinical psychological knowledge is abused for the benefit of
corporations seeking profits.
Everyone hopes to catch the magician
performing the illusion, but it takes two to make a magic show. My friends told
me these anecdotes because they were concerned I would do the same to them.
But, every salesman will tell you that what closes a deal and keeps a customer
is honesty and genuine concern. Marketing is as honest as the one who perceives
it.
*Retrieved from
http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/SearchResults.aspx?fb=q
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