Main communication objective
Belch and Belch (p. 132) say that communication objectives fall in three major groups that include informing, reminding and persuading. In this case, the main objective for this print advertisement is to inform the public. This is because it involves a product launch i.e. the ipad application made by the Australian newspaper. Also, the advertisement tries to explain to customers how this new product will work and how it will help them in the future. For instance, the company has stated that users need an ipad to access real time news. In doing so, buyers just need to touch the screen upon reaching the Australian website so that they can go through different parts of the newspaper. Without this information, consumers may have a hard time knowing about the actual existence or how to use this new product from the newspaper.
Techniques used for communicating the message
The print advertisement under analysis has employed several advertising techniques. One striking technique is the suggestion made to consumers that using their new product (the Newspaperâs ipad) will place them ahead of others or will make them up to date. A classic example of this technique in the ad is use of the phrase âif you thought there was only one way to read the news, think againâ. This statement is likely to make consumers feel as though they have been left behind and that they need to embrace the Australian iPad so as to make them well-suited with the times.
The company has employed another technique in which positive meanings have been suggested without making guarantees. For instance, they have asserted that consumers can get access to âan exciting new technologyâ or they will tap into the ârespected team of journalistsâ (print ad). These are all assurances that are aimed at causing consumers to embrace the new product with the hope of accessing such benefits although no guarantee has been made.
Lastly the advertisement has employed the use of simple solutions as another technique. Here, the company has attacked a major problem â which is accessing news and information at any time of the day or night and has offered a simple way of solving the problem through the use of the ipad from the Australian. In these instances, the audience need not be attacked with too many figures or facts. This is an effective technique of getting oneâs message across especially in these times of quick and fast paced lives (Belch and Belch, p. 315).
Intended target audience
Any good advertisement must put in mind its target audience and then position themselves before this audience. It is likely that users of ipad and latest technologies will be the main audience. In this regard, the target audience can be understood in terms of their tastes or likes and dislikes where technologically oriented consumers are likely to be more responsive to the advert. Also news readers will also be interested as well. Age is another demographic trait that can be used to analyse this target audience. Since the advert talks about technology, persons between the ages of 21-35 are likely to be most likely to read it and hence form the target audience. However, since the technology is aimed at improving services offered by a newspaper, then traditional newspaper readers will also be targeted; this reduces the age group of the target audience to people between 25 and 35. Geographical location is also another part of the target audience. The advertisement is aimed at people in Australia or in the Diaspora but with an Australian background because the company comes from this country. The geography part of the target audience is the whole nation.
Works Cited
Belch, George. & Belch, Michael. Advertising and promotion: an integrated marketing communications perspective. NY: Mc Grawhill, 2009