Advertising is considered to be the communication form being directed at its audience persuading taking some actions. It is necessary to stress the idea that advertising in modern period is the business mover and stimulator of mass production. The significant role of advertising has been especially stressed over the last two centuries; it has become the method for commercial competitions of huge and small brands impacting the choice of the mass.
The advertising is a powerful tool manipulating the opinion and interests of the community in goods and choice selection balancing business and commercial operations on the market. It is an open secret that advertising can really make the mass buy anything; the representatives of marketing and PR spheres work on the analysis of advertising force and its contribution to service and goods promotion.
The analysis of the advertising role and force is to be concentrated on its key function to reassure and predispose the target audience. The investigation of this aspect should be regarded through advertising main functions:
- Catch the target market attention;
- Perform credible communication;
- Provide and promote meaningful proposition.
The basic answer to be given is based on the issue, whether the advertising really works and how it can manipulate the mass. Advertising takes a central role in society and economy through its persuasive value. (Jefkins, and Yadin, 49)
According to Gerard Tellis, ‘advertisers bombard consumers with appeals or reminders from the moment they wake up till the moment they fall asleep’. (Tellis, 3) advertising takes place on all the news programs watched by the consumers, web sites browsed by the major part of modern population, entertainment and billboards. It is necessary to underline the idea that ad messages reached by the consumers every day vary from 100 to 1000. The analysis of advertising force effectiveness underlined the fact that it affects the consumers’ awareness, attitudes to the reality, thoughts, decisions and feelings.
There is a tendency to believe that advertising is referred to the free economy accident; the companies promote their products through advertising for the purpose of fast buck making. Nevertheless, this opinion is a myth for a reason that advertising is really a vital force. And this statement can be proved through the following factors listed below.
First of all, the advertising is considered to be the method of companies’ competition. Lower prices and better qualities of goods and services are the companies’ means of competing with each other expressed through the effective advertising campaign development. It is necessary to stress that in such cases advertisements are used as means of communication to the consumers stressing the significance and individuality of this or that brand. (Cherington, 111)
The second factor is based on the informative function of the advertising communicating the audience about innovations and improvement on the market. It is necessary to underline the idea that the last century demonstrated rapid changes in the spheres of industrial and technological development; advertising occurred as the basic method for informing the mass about economical challenges and business innovations.
Thirdly, modern advertising is the strong support for the international media development. This method subsidizes the information flow to the consumers, as well as entertainment.
And finally, it is necessary to stress that advertising is referred to one of the huge international industries. According to the marketing report based on the analytical analysis of business operations between the industries, advertising appeared to be included in the ten top industries according to profitability. From the beginning of the 21st century advertising industry employment has increased by 32%. (Dunn, S. and Barban, 202)
All the world brands known to modern society today got their recognition only due to effective advertising campaign. People do not like constant ads inserted in favorite TV shows and movies, but despite this fact, such ads impact people indirectly forming some visual objects and privileges in goods and services. (Plummer, and Rappaport, 147)
The mystery of advertising force cannot be distinctly explained, but it is an international manipulator controlling the balance of supply and demand at the market. Companies use advertising for addressing societal challenges. In 2009, the British government spent the greatest sum of money on advertising, taking the second place in the world. (Dornan, 91)
The UK consumers of Procter and Gamble’s Ariel had an opportunity to reduce the usage of energy by 41% resulting from Ariel Cool Clean Campaign; this advertising encouraged consumers washing without loss resulting in the CO2 savings released in the atmosphere annually. (Pitts, 2007)
Some people say, that to stop investing in advertising for saving money, means to close the business for time economizing. This statement really makes sense. It is necessary to stress, that the quality of products and service promotion and perception by the consumers is dependent on the effectiveness of developed advertising campaign watched by the population. (Jefkins, and Yadin, 102)
Nevertheless, there exists the contrary opinion as to the effective force of the advertising. Advertising is considered to be market operations stimulator and the creator of consumers’ needs by mistake, concentrating on occasional brand campaigns.
For example, the success of Windows, Marlboro, DeBeers, and Intel inside are only rare example getting recognition through the advertisements. Besides, there is a tendency to believe, that in case the advertisement does not affect the consumers not, its repetition will lead to benefits for the company in future. It is connected with the consumers’ need to see the ads for several times for perception. Nevertheless, it is a myth and the advertisement is proved to affect the audience on the first exposure of the product advertising. Some analysts believe that firms stick to subliminal advertising for the goods and service promotion. It means that ads are developed without the audience’s explicit perception. (Balmer, 65)
Through research on the advertising effects produced on market development gave an opportunity to develop the following ideas concerning the role of ads. It is necessary to stress, that advertising is considered to be vitally important for markets, though its discovery is usually fragile. Despite the fact, that advertising effects are short-lived, repetition really makes sense. The analysis of scientific principles can become the indicator of advertising work; the companies’ ignorance of advertising research conducting can result in its ineffectiveness and uselessness. The analysis disclosed that one of the most effective appeals is advertising by emotion; it affects the consumers’ thoughts and decisions. (MacRury, 109)
We live in the period of advertising industry prosperity. Nowadays, this sphere is characterized as art and profitable business controlling the opinions of the mass. Its effectiveness can bring the brand international prosperity and high profits, while its ignorance can lead the company to the bankruptcy under the pressure of high competition. The developers of the products and services can easily make you buy any product they want indirectly affecting human mind and controlling thoughts. It is necessary to stress that advertising take a significant part of our present life, depicted in media, entertainment, business, education and politics. (Pitts, 2007)
The paper investigated the principle reasons for firms’ advertising persuading consumers as to products merits. Some cases, when the firms compulsory use advertising, are the following: supply is higher than demand; there is necessity to get more information about the product or supplier; to increase the confidence in product quality; and in case demand in higher than supply. (Cook, 47)
The research of advertising role in the society and modern economy has proved this area to be the mover of the progress shaping general idea and privileges. The companies’ attempts to develop creative ads are connected with their desire to affect mass thoughts and perception by individuality, beauty and uniqueness of the style. We live in the atmosphere of advertising industry development facing it everywhere, through television and radio, walking in the streets and reading magazines. The advertisers are aware of the effectiveness and importance of this industry, as it is a unique method of controlling general opinion in economy, politics and social sphere.
References
Balmer, E. The science of advertising: the force of advertising as a business influence, its place in the national development, and the public result of its practical operation. The Wallace Press, 2008.
Cherington, P. Advertising as a Business Force. Wildside Press LLC, 2008.
Cook, G. The discourse of advertising. Routledge, 2001.
Dornan, E. Four in One: Thinking, Reading, Writing, Researching. Prentice Hall, 2003.
Dunn, S. and Barban, A. Advertising: its role in modern marketing. Dryden Press, 2001.
Jefkins, F. and Yadin, D. Advertising. Pearson Education, 2000.
MacRury, I. Advertising. Routledge, 2009.
Pitts, R. The Role of Advertising. 2007. Web.
Plummer, J. and Rappaport, S. The online advertising playbook: proven strategies and tested tactics from the Advertising Research Foundation. John Wiley and Sons, 2007.
Tellis, G. Effective advertising: understanding when, how, and why advertising works. SAGE, 2004.