Marketing is an integral part of life in the modern world. Numerous products are advertised to potential customers daily through various means, from billboards and magazines to online pop-ups and interstitial ads. The insistent prevalence of ads may point to the conclusion that their sheer number is indicative of their ineffectiveness as people are acutely aware of their purpose and are somewhat resistant to it. It can be argued that depending upon the producer and the receiver, advertising can wield a lot of power and influence in society.
Advertisement is exceptionally potent as it is more subtle than consumers realize. Contrary to popular belief, effective marketing rarely inspires immediate action (Hollis). Instead, it suggests purchasing a product by fostering positive emotions in the customers through a carefully designed campaign. Such adverts may, for example, include catchphrases devised to remind viewers of a commodity and how it makes them feel (Hollis). The association between the clients’ own pleasant memories and the product triggered by the advert they see or hear leads to actual acquisition (Hollis). Thus, efficient marketing promotes a connection with the product, resulting in multiple purchases.
The subtlety of advertisement can be seen in how marketing campaigns create connections with existing and potential consumers. For example, music can be utilized to create the needed association with the product or service (Maheshwari). Soothing or energetic tunes can remind clients of the merchandise and prompt them to learn more about it or to acquire it again. Moreover, a song or a jingle can become so emblematic of the company people will always think of it when they hear it. Hearing a McDonald’s tune can lead to a person thinking of the restaurant, the last time they had a burger there, and the desire to revisit the establishment. Overall, subtle reminders of the product are more potent than the open call for purchase.
Efficient marketing campaigns tend to be memorable in order to stand out and attract new clients. Although creating positive associations can lead to the existing customers staying loyal to a company, this approach does not always work with people who are unfamiliar with the product or services offered. As there are many competitors on the market, an effective advertisement should be both unusual and singular to distinguish itself from others. For example, a couple sitting in two different bathtubs is a unique image from a Cialis commercial and will always be associated with the company by those who saw it (Hollis). Bizarre adverts can construct an impression and create an association with a brand based on their unusual marketing approach.
Furthermore, visually stunning images are likely to leave an impression on the viewers. According to Sapna Maheshwari, carefully conceived commercials with a compelling story and a suitable video sequence can be memorable and translate into purchases. The selection of colors used in advertisements, for example, a woman with red nail polish and lipstick driving a red car, can lead to a formation of a specific association with the brand (Maheshwari). The effort put into the marketing campaigns to make them more memorable illustrates how powerful advertising can be.
The influence of advertisement can be seen in how it is targeted at different customers. Maheshwari discusses Toyota’s marketing campaign for its new car as an example of one product being successfully promoted for diverse groups of clients. The campaign included a variety of commercials with actors of different ethnicities employed to endorse the vehicle (Maheshwari). As people are more likely to relate to a product advertised by a person of the same race or minority group, Toyota utilized this tendency to appeal to different customers.
New technology plays a substantial role in how advertisements are targeted at different people. In the example above, Toyota used the viewers’ programming preferences to determine what version of the commercial to air (Maheshwari). Today, online search histories allow companies to decide what product, company, or service should be shown to the users. According to Martijn, a substantial portion of the earnings of such search engines as Google comes from advertisements. There are numerous protocols and algorithms put in place to suggest a purchase to a potential buyer (Martijn). Overall, marketing is constantly developing and employs new technologies to appeal to customers.
Advertising can drive people’s decisions and lead to a company either being successful or not being able to surpass its competitors. Effective campaigns are targeted, create positive associations, and leave a memorable impression to create a lasting relationship between the brand and the customer and distinguish themselves from others. This versatility and ability to adapt to a variety of clients make advertisement one of the most powerful forces in society.
Works Cited
Hollis, Nigel. “Why Good Advertising Works (Even When You Think It Doesn’t).” The Atlantic, 2011, Web.
Maheshwari, Sapna. “Different Ads, Different Ethnicities, Same Car.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, Web.
Martijn, Maurits. “The New Dot Com Bubble is Here: It’s Called Online Advertising.” The Correspondent, 2019, Web.