Introduction
Increasing customer demand for specific products and services is the ultimate goal of public advertising. In some cases, marketers’ messages may not be sufficiently strong and convincing to ensure sustainable sales. The primary task this paper sets is to optimize the existing slogan of South Piedmont Community College by paying attention to such crucial criteria as advertising appeals and the target audience. The redesign of the college billboard can help attract new students and raise the profile of the institution, which is a valuable contribution to recognition in the target market. The bandwagon, less-than-perfect, and social appeals are relevant concepts to apply to improve the billboard message and ensure more successful recruitment of new students.
New Slogan
For starters, the billboard itself needs to be redesigned to make it more attractive from an advertising perspective. In addition to the college logo, brief statement, and website, there are no additional elements. This is an oversight because the advertisement is intended to unite students as the most active category of the population. More eye-catching billboard elements can help draw attention to advertising, for instance, displaying a photo of the college’s main building and a few students representing the educational establishment. According to Shanmugathas and Shivany (2018), this billboard advertising approach is in line with the entertainment and emotion strategy to reflect the warmth and appeal of the respective offering. Therefore, a more vivid design is an adequate solution to implement.
When changing the slogan, one should pay attention to the advertised service itself. College education is not based on creating a public buzz or humorous context. The belief in the importance of getting an education and the call to join the academic community should be displayed on such a billboard. As a result, the slogan might be as follows: “Still thinking? Become our student and join the ranks of high-class professionals in Anson County.” Such an appeal attracts attention and, at the same time, serves as an incentive to influence the target audience.
Target Audience
Creating an advertising offer largely depends on the target audience to which the corresponding appeal is directed. In the case of South Piedmont Community College, young people who have graduated from high school and do not yet have higher education are the main target audience. From a geographic perspective, Anson County residents are recruited, which narrows the criteria for engagement. Target citizens are active and will definitely pay attention to the proposed call because getting a higher education is, for many, a significant prospect to realize at the current life stage.
Audience targeting is an important marketing task to implement, including in relation to the case of South Piedmont Community College. As Teichert et al. (2017) note, this aspect is directly associated with the type and nature of the message since individual factors are taken into account, for example, such demographic characteristics as age or gender. Creating a value proposition should address the needs of specific customers, and failure to meet this marketing aspect is fraught with a decrease in demand or loss of consumer confidence (Teichert et al., 2017). Moreover, singling out specific clients can help avoid the unnecessary cost of attracting people who are not interested in the relevant promotional offer. Therefore, in the case in question, selecting young people from Anson County is an adequate approach to attracting those citizens who are most interested in college education due to their age and geographic location.
Advertising Appeals
Regarding the slogan on the updated billboard, several specific advertising appeals have been used. In particular, the concepts of bandwagon, less-than-perfect, and social appeals are applied, which, as Bhasin (2021) argues, help convey the appropriate message to the target audience in a concise yet compelling way. The appeal of bandwagon provides an opportunity to convince the public of the need to join the ranks of college students because this is a natural practice and should not be ignored in any way. The less-than-perfect appeal acts on the internal motives of the target audience by stimulating them to progress and achieve the desired level of development along with others who have chosen this college. Finally, the social appeal gives a chance to convey a sense of belonging, in this case, to a community of like-minded people, thereby promoting the value of being part of the college team. All these approaches, implemented in one slogan, are potentially valuable practices to attract future students’ attention. The updated billboard can be effective in recruiting new students due to its colorful design and, at the same time, a strong and compelling message.
Conclusion
Redesigning the South Piedmont Community College billboard by changing the slogan to include the bandwagon, less-than-perfect, and social appeals is a potentially effective promotional move to recruit new students. Targeting is an essential practice for highlighting a value proposition to a specific population and avoiding unnecessary marketing costs. The advertising appeals presented are apt concepts to convey to potential students the importance of entering the community college.
References
Bhasin, H. (2021). Advertising appeals – Definition and 15 types of appeal in advertising. Marketing91. Web.
Shanmugathas, D., & Shivany, M. (2018). Billboard advertisement strategies. International Journal of Application or Innovation in Engineering & Management (IJAIEM), 7(4), 40-49.
Teichert, T., Hardeck, D., Liu, Y., & Trivedi, R. (2017). How to implement informational and emotional appeals in print advertisements: A framework for choosing ad appeals based on advertisers’ objectives and targeted demographics. Journal of Advertising Research, 58(3), 363-379. Web.