Reading Practice 48

[1] Communication, in its simplest form, consists of four things: a sender, a message, a channel, and a receiver. Once the message has been transmitted and received, it can be said that the communication has been completed. In the same way, marketing for the purpose of communication in business also follows this simple structure. When marketing communication is used by a business to send a message to persuade and influence the behavior of an audience, this activity is known as advertising. The word “advertising” comes from the Latin word ‘ad vertere’ which means “to turn toward.” The purpose of advertising is essential to manipulate and drive action towards a desired goal. For a business, the desired goal may include increased consumption of a certain product, public awareness of the company’s goals, or a positive promotion of a company’s image. Indirectly, advertising also gives assurance to employees and stakeholders that a company is viable and successful. Advertising is not only a business activity; groups and individuals with an interest in promoting ideology or agenda also engage in advertising in order to influence their target audience to adhere or convert to their beliefs or rally support for their causes.

 

[2] A company that is recognizable and familiar to an audience benefits from strong, loyal patronage. Name recognition is one of the methods in which the goals of advertising are achieved. The mental association that is formed linking certain desirable qualities with a specific product name or image is called “branding.” When a brand is associated with positive qualities, consumers are more likely to buy its products over other choices that are available on the market. It is this association in the consumer’s mind that makes him believe and trust in the quality of a brand-name product, among other similarly available options.

 

[3] Modern advertising was said to have emerged in the 1920s. Innovative techniques were used in tobacco advertising, with new campaigns heralding a new style of impact advertising. Edward Bernays, the brains behind the roaring ’20s tobacco ads, is often considered the founder of modern, Madison Avenue advertising. In the past, the channels for advertising were limited to what is now anachronistically termed “traditional” media. This would include television, radio, and newspapers. While advertisements on traditional media are still effective to a certain degree, advertisements have evolved in order to accommodate the societal shift of attention toward newer technologies. The shift of consumer usage to things like mobile phones and digital video recordings has displaced certain aspects of traditional media that techniques in advertising had depended on to reach their audiences. The most obvious shift, however, is the one being made to advertise on the World Wide Web. Advertising methods on the web include an online display, email, and social networking.

 

[4] Social network advertising takes advantage of popular social media platforms to promote products and services online. This is a promising new area for advertisers as they are able to take advantage of relevant user information provided to the social networking site by consumers and use this data to pinpoint user preferences and more effectively target their consumer base. Sales promotions that were used in traditional advertising are now being tailored to encourage online audience participation with the ultimate goal of stimulating potential customers to action. Sales promotions include contests and games, product giveaways, loyalty programs, and discounts.

 

[5] As the business of advertising moves into the future, advertisers are looking for new ways to reach their audiences. Predictions as to where consumer usage demands might shift next are in the hands of the technological innovators, and this next shift could create a new channel for communication that advertising can exploit. In the meantime, suggestions for new advertising campaigns include getting ad space in outer space with the placement of messages and corporate logos on booster rockets and the International Space Station. As science propels man further and further into the depths of the universe, what was formerly inconceivable is now within the realm of possibility. Perhaps it will not be too long before a corporate logo is visible on the moon. Perhaps then, advertising will be reaching an audience even beyond the traditional human consumer.