The Evolution and Importance of Advertising
Advertising is the act of promoting commercial goods and services, companies and ideas, which is often done by an identified sponsor through a variety of media. It is seen as part of promotional strategy particularly by business marketers. Advertising may include certain aspects of the promotional mix like personal selling, public relations, sales promotion and publicity (Rellano, 2012). All these aspects act to promote and represent the brand and the producers.
Commercial advertisements have evolved since the seventeenth century. In the ancient age, common forms of advertisements were through word of mouth. There are also evidence of political campaign displays and commercial messages in the past, for example, the utilization of papyrus to create wall posters and sales messages by the Egyptians. Others used rock and wall paintings for commercial advertising, and it is still used in Africa, South America and Asia. The development of paintings in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries enhanced the expansion of advertising to handbills. Advertisements in weekly newspapers began in the seventeenth century in England. Nineteenth century and the preceding years saw the expansion of economy, thus the need for growth in the advertising sector (Gadhre, 2011). Classified ads became popular in America, and these were showed as small print messages that promoted a variety of goods in the newspapers. Throughout the years, there have existed continuous advertising changes as time also changes, to help relate to and represent a certain era of belonging.
Advertising is changing in numerous ways with time. For instance, the ancient advertisements were majorly informative, giving information about the product only and nothing else. With time, this unidirectional motive of advertising changed tremendously, and today advertisements relay information about every aspect of the product (Gadhre, 2011). The production process, its intended uses, the conditions of its production and the company producing it are all included in today’s advertisements. There are also several ways or channels of advertising today, for example, voice promotions using radios, visual promotions through hoardings, print media, street and billboard advertisement promotions, and television commercials. The use of the internet has made drastic changes in the sector enabling fast and reliable advertisements and at any time. In the early nineteenth century, advertisements did not portray many changes in appeals since newspapers printed ads on a single column and eschewed typefaces and illustrations (Salsa, 2011). Magazine ad styles mainly consisted of restrained and segregated advertisements on the back pages. At the same time, fewer companies engaged in production of mass and branded products, hence the restrained advertising methods. However, advertisements of patent medicines were exceptional, in that, the ads were outrageous, large, colorful and dramatic with promises that caught the consumers’ eyes.
Today advertising has been transformed in to a modern venture, incorporating scientific approaches, where is the prime asset, thus enabling delivery of unexpected messages that are tempting to consumers. The introduction of cable television like the MTV ushered in a brand new advertising method. MTV pioneers in video music concept and involves a consumer tuning in for an advertisement rather than it being an afterthought or by product. Online marketing through the internet has opened various frontiers for business advertising organizations. The introduction of the search engine, Google considerably revolutionized online advertising. Developments have, therefore, occurred in the product promotion field, in the markets, and it is now seen in homes, families, societies, minds and hearts of people (Rellano, 2012).
Target market is an essential part of the advertising plan. Therefore, before a company, marketer of manager opts for an advertising agency and technique, the target market must first be considered. The content and presentation of the advertisement should give consumers an appropriate correlation with the product. Depending on the target consumer, the ad should relate to a given group, for instance, children products should have child arts or cartoon characters. Using appropriate concepts to relay the advertisement message is also vital since it enhances connection with potential customers (Salsa, 2011). Relevance gives an advertisement attraction from the target market since it shows that the product being advertised has been tested based of certain societal criteria like trends. The use of words or phrases, colors and names or places in advertising is significant. Using meaningful words that make the target consumers comfortable while reading or pronouncing is often advised to prevent misinterpretations. The target market also prefers the use of names and places they are familiar with and hold highly, in this way the potential consumers can relate to the products being advertised. Colorful advertisements are also often attractive (Gadhre, 2011).
Economy has the role of adding value on the products being advertised. Advertising enhances the product value by making it desirable and familiar to the potential consumers. This in turn, adds value to both the advertiser and the consumer. Advertising plays a principle role in dynamic economies. Successful companies due to advertisements pay taxes create jobs and give direct contribution to the economy. In other words, advertising and economic growth have a proven positive link (Salsa, 2011). For instance, businesses that invest heavily on advertisements experience lively competition, which is a number one driver of economic growth. Small investments in advertising have been associated with weak economic growth in most markets. Positive relations have been observed between GDP growth in certain substantial markets, and the investment rates they put on advertising (Rellano, 2012). Therefore, advertisement is a prime driver of economic growth in most markets.
References
Gadhre, A. (2011). Advertising: Its Evolution, Significance and Effects. Retrieved 7 January
2012, from
< http://legalservicesindia.com/article/article/advertising-%E2%80%93-its- evolution-significance-&-effects-534-1.html>
Rellano, M. (2012). The Evolution of Advertising. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 7 January 2012,
from <http://www.studymode.com/essays/The-Evolution-Of-Advertising- 1188168.html>
Salsa, E. (2011). The Role and Importance of Advertising. StudyMode.com.
Retrieved 7 January 2012, from
<http://www.studymode.com/essays/The-Role-And-Importance-Of- Advertising-719574.html >
