DIRECT ADVERTISING Specialty Advertising and Pointof Purchase Advertising

DIRECT ADVERTISING Specialty Advertising, and Point-of. Purchase Advertising

When choosing and an advertising medium – it must be selected in terms of the needs of the situation in which it is to be used. Neither network television nor a multi-million circulation magazine can substitute for some of the less glamorous but highly effective media available to advertisers involved in the intense competition that characterizes marketing today. These forms of advertising are often called Collateral Advertising. Although they are usually employed as supplementary buys to other media in the overall mix, to some advertisers they represent the most important media in their campaigns Unlike the media discussed earlier, most of which are measurable in terms of money, those we now consider do not lend themselves easily to accurate record keeping in this regard.

DIRECT ADVERTISING The term “direct advertising, ” “direct-mail-advertising, ” and “direct marketing, ” or “mail-order- advertising” are frequently confused. Direct advertising includes all forms of printed advertising delivered directly to the prospective customer, instead of indirectly through a newspaper or magazine. It may be handed over the counter of a retail store, distributed from door to door, delivered by messengers, passed out on the street, or sent through the mail. If it reaches the consumer by mail, it is direct-mail advertising.

On the other hand, direct marketing, or mail-order advertising, refers to a method of product distribution. When a sale is made without the aid of middlemen or without personal, face to face selling, it is direct marketing. And if orders are secured by mail, we have mail-order advertising – although orders may also be taken by telephone and soon thorough computerized television systems. The Newspaper Advertising Bureau predicts that by 1990, half of all consumer buying will be accomplished thorough nonstore means. Note that any ad or commercial may ask its audience to “order today by writing to…” Thus a mail-order advertising message is not restricted to the medium of direct mail.

It may reach prospects through the channel of direct advertising (mail or other), or it may appear in publications, on radio or TV, or in any other mass communication medium. A huge number of companies currently use mail-order advertising. Even though media costs are rising rapidly, it is probable therefore, that advertising will continue to run mail-order adds for everything from cosmetics to insurance. In the early 1980 s, it cost an advertiser $250, 000 to place a mail-order response card in the centrefold of one issue of TV guide; yet this advertising vehicle is remains extremely popular.

THE SELECTIVITY OF DIRECT ADVERTISING The almost universal use of direct advertising or direct – mail advertising, reflects its ability to deliver messages to selected prospects who are difficult to reach economically through other media. For example a service station operator may send messages to only to car owners who live in the immediate neighbourhood. The Ford Motor Company, through its advertising company, J. Walter Thompson, once created a special direct mail campaign addressed only to women owners of Plymouth and Chevrolet cars. No other major medium can offer advertiser this degree of both geographic and qualitative selectivity. The most popular items purchased by direct response are magazines, followed by products such as books and records, clothing housewares and food.

THE FLEXIBILITY OF DIRECT ADVERTISING Another important advantage of direct advertising is its flexibility – in format, in size, in colour and in cost. Direct advertising maybe as simple in form as a leaflet or postcard, or as impressive and comprehensive as a Biotique or Oriflame catalog. Letters are the most widely used form because they can personalize every message. Postcards are less expensive and are well suited to short, direct messages such as a retail store’s announcement of a sale to its charge customers. Other commonly used forms of Direct Advertising are leaflets, broadsides, booklets, brochures, and house organs or company publications.

A leaflet is a short simple folder, whereas a broadside is a giant one sent as a self mailer or enclosed in an envelope, and used primarily when the dramatic impact of size seems needed. Booklets have pages bound together rather than folded; they carry longer messages than folders and broadsides and are use for reference as catalogs, technical manuals, and price lists. A brochure is an elaborate booklet, planned to impress readers with the importance and prestige of an advertiser and the sales story. House Organs or Company publications may seem to fall outside our definition of direct advertising material since they contain editorial matter – news or entertainment.

However, the advertiser prepares the entire content of these items, they are usually classified as direct advertising. Whether it is an internal house organ (published for dealers, stakeholders and customers), the sole aim of the publication is to further the interests of the company issuing it. The variety of sizes, shapes and formats of direct advertising material is limited only by the ingenuity of the advertiser, by the advertising budget, and - in the case of direct mail – by postal regulations.

ADVERTISING SPECIALITIES Another form of direct advertising is known as advertising specialities, sometimes called remembrance advertising, It consists of merchandise that bears the name address or slogan of the business firm and that is given away free by the advertiser to present and prospective customers. By creating a feeling of goodwilll, the advertiser hopes that recipients will do business with the firm in the future, even though items are given on a no-obligation basis. Industry estimates place the annual sales volume for advertising specialities at more than $3 billion. And an A. C. Nielsen study found that firms using specially advertising enjoy 43 percent more patronage than those who do not. ”

Specialty advertising has proven to be a good attention-getter in a competitive arena, especially for a new company or store. Although creative may not be able to pack the persuasive content of a printed advertisement or TV commercial into a specialty item, it has lasting value in reminding prospects of previous advertising and in reinforcing messages in other media. Since the advertiser’s message is exposed every time the item is used, it is hoped that when a need arises for the advertiser’s product or service, a sale will result.

TYPES OF ADVERTISING SPECIALITIES The specialty Advertising Industry classifies its more than 10, 000 offerings into four main categories 1. Calendars 2. Novelties, like pen, ashtray, bottle opener, paperweights, key rings etc. 3. Matchbooks 4. Executive Gifts

POINT-OF-PURCHASE ADVERTISING The ultimate purpose of most advertising is to persuade prospects to buy a particular product or service. Print and broadcast media help create a favourable attitude while the prospects are at home, and radio, outdoor and transit advertising follow when they go out. Finally when the prospective buyer arrives at the marketplace – the customer decides whether to buy the advertiser’s brand or not buy it. There is however, one lasst chance to influence the decision: point-of-purchase advertising. In the case of advertisers who sell impulse items – those purchased without preplanning – POP represents an opportunity to suggest to people not only that they buy gum, Wrigley’s gum. As many as 65% of supermarket purchases are made on impulse.

PRINCIPAL FORMS OF POP ADVERTISING Signs – they furnish the bridge between external advertising presented outside the store and efforts exerted internally. In effect, stores say, “here is a place to buy that brand you saw advertised. ” Window displays – attempt to slow the pace of the passing consumers long enough to entice them into the store to look further, thus, the windows, which are in fact advertisements, should be both striking and timely. Wall displays – posterlike ads may be affixed to a store’s interior walls. Often such signs carry the same themes as other media-especially outdoor posters. Display cards – are very popular. They may be as elaborate as life size cut-out models that stand on the selling floor, or as simple as reproduction of magazine advertisement.

Merchandise racks and cases – consumers see both a message about the product and the merchandise itself. In-store commercial – the newest form of POP. TV sets suspended from ceilings over checkout counters. 6 min video discs displays upto 72 mini commercials to remind shoppers of products they might have forgotten or to stimulate impulse buying.

POP ADVERTISING STRATEGY Pop advertising promotes buying at the retail level The goal is to continue the flow of advertising communication right down to the time of purchase. Second, the manufacturer uses dealer displays to stimulate unplanned, spur-of-the-moment purchasing, usually called impulse buying. Self service trends have underlined three principles that are critical for manufacturers. 1. Packages must stand out attractively against a galaxy of competing brands. In fact the most important form of POP advertising is the package itself. 2. Good shelf position – high, low or hand level – is extremely important.

Finally, consumer’s buying decisions hinge largely on favourable brand attitude. Prior usage experience is a vital factor, and so is the advice of acquaintances. Advertising play a key role in preselling, but if attitudes towards several competing brands are approximately the same, the brand that makes the best impression at the pointof-purchase makes the sale.

PROBLEMS IN POP ADVERTISING Creativity – the principal technique used in designing POP materials is simply to adapt ideas and themes from current campaigns in other media. But, when the primary purpose of a display is to stimulate impulse buying, the actual product should be incorporated into the display so that consumers can easily help themselves. Placement – there is only so much window, wall, floor, and counter space in every store and ordinarily store owners want to use it for stocking and displaying actual merchandise.

Waste – obviously, manufacturer’s salesforece can’t check to see that all POP advertising is installed in every possible outlet. Hence, may materials may never leave the retail storeroom, and considerable amounts of money are wasted. Also, many retailers put display in out-of-the-way corners which see little traffic. Or, a display maybe removed very soon because another manufacturer agrees to pay a higher price for the space. Only a binding contract for a specified time period, accompanied by close policing on the premises, will prevent such actions. Another source of waste is the improper selection of retail outlets. Stores generating the lowest sales volume are often the most willing to use POP materials, especially if a cash allowance is included.