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Choosing the Right Mode of Advertising (Part 1)

Choosing the Right Mode of Advertising (Part 1)

In today’s world, it is pretty impossible not to know the essence of advertising, especially when you’ve got the responsibility of a company on your shoulders.

So, today we’ll start by exploring the different media used in advertising to disseminate messages that companies want the public to grasp.

Different Modes of Advertising

There are a vast number of options on how a company can get its message across to its market and they can be categorized as follows:

• Above the line

• Below the line

• Through the line

• Online

Above the Line Advertising (ATL):

Above the Line Advertising (ATL):

Above the line advertising is a technique used to communicate to the mass, thus the term mass media. When a client wants to reach the population at large for a nationwide campaign, the agency must go for ATL channels. If you take Toblerone, for example, it is a very famous chocolate brand appreciated by people all around the world, irrespective of age group. Suppose if Toblerone has added new flavors in its product line. To make the population aware of it, they will use a combination of billboards placed in various regions, newspapers (all the newspapers with highest readerships, of course) and magazine adverts. They will also use and radio channels to spread their message. The list of ATL modes are:

• TV

• Radio

• Outdoor (Billboards, buses, bus shelters, waste bins, posters, signs)

• Magazines

• Cinema

• Newspaper

Now, let’s examine some benefits and drawbacks of these modes.

1. Newspaper

Advantages:

  • With newspapers, you have a potentially large coverage area. Newspapers are published on a daily basis. One can also choose to advertise in different newspapers to cover maximum potential consumers.
  • Flexibility – you can choose the size of the ad you want to publish thus, you control your budget.
  • Access to many socio-economic groups
  • Visibility of the product – that is, through pictures

Disadvantages:

  • The print quality of newspapers isn’t always the best, especially for photographs.
  • Short shelf life. Right a day after a newspaper is published, it becomes history.

2. Radio

Advantages:

  • A universal medium. It can be enjoyed at home, at work, and while driving.
  • Multiple exposures. The audience gets to hear the advert several times. The bigger your budget, the more times you can air your ad.
  • Possible high entertainment value of the ad. Can be creative with sound effects or well-written script.

Disadvantages:

  • Listeners will never be able to refer back to your ads to go over important points.
  • Radio is claimed to be a mere background medium meaning that most listeners are doing something else while listening.
  • Members of the audience often switch to other channels when ads are aired.

3. TV

Advantages:

  • Allows you to reach great numbers of people on a national or regional level.
  • Uses both visual and auditory stimulants.

Disadvantages:

  • Can lead to high creative and production costs.
  • Most ads are ten or thirty seconds long, which limits the amount of information you can communicate.

Below the Line (BTL):

Below the Line (BTL)

On the other hand, Below the line strategy concerns promotional activities where the business has direct control over the target or intended audience.

Let me propose another example. Suppose company A is a new company that sells boats, from the entry-level inflatable models to high end fully equipped spacious speed boats. This type of product is not meant for the general population since the price range might be exceeding what an average individual can afford.

For such a product, an advertising agency would advise to communicate essentially to the targeted audience by designing and printing catalogs, brochures, send direct mailings to selected targets and in specific regions such as those living in the north to the west coast. Budget wise it makes more sense and the message is more relevant to the niche market. There are many methods of below the line advertising, including:

• Sales promotions

• Direct marketing (Brochures, newsletters, flyers, direct mail)

• In store promotion (banners, display stand in supermarkets)

• Personal selling

• Sponsorship

If you want to learn more about through the line and online advertising techniques, stay tuned for part 2.

Broadcasting Media – Part 1

Broadcast media represents an effective and integrated form of communication in our society. In today’s article, we will look at the oldest form of broadcast media – the Radio.

The Radio

First created in the 1890s, the radio works when messages are sent through electromagnetic waves. The radio signal is similar to an electronic current that can go back and forth very quickly.

Suppose you need to make a meal; you will need the proper ingredients and utensils. Similarly, two crucial components have contributed to the success of the radio: equipment and staff.

Personnel

According to the UNESCO,

‘…the recruitment of the broadcasting personnel should be on talent, creative ability and an aptitude for broadcasting….’

One of the most important people of the radio is the radio producer. He or she is responsible for coordinating the content of all the radio programs, generating ideas and recording and editing programs. This person is also responsible for budget management. As a radio producer, he or she is supposed to have a good understanding of language, so as to edit news scripts and advise newsreaders on the correct pronunciation so as listeners can better understand the news being read out.

Next, we have the radio presenter, most known as a radio jockey or as an RJ. This is the person hosting shows on the radio. The RJ represents the image and reputation of a radio station, and therefore have the responsibility of communicating with and engaging their audience. They not only inform and educate but also entertain you with their charming personalities and addictive voices. In a way, their job is to attract as many listeners as possible.

Next, the technical department consists of people who operate and maintain equipment ranging from studio machines to transmitters. Engineers manage equipment that can regulate signal strength and a range of sounds to adjust volume and audio quality.

Do you know what the role of a radio programme broadcaster is? If not, let me tell you that he or she is a person who has the proper expertise to identify the propagation characteristics of a radio station and where the signal is the strongest. As a result, this can help decide upon the appropriate programme technique for listeners in difficult reception areas.

Lastly, we have an audio producer whose job is to write audio scripts, create sound effects and ensure that the best audio is considered. He is also responsible for the final edit of a programme.

Studio, Equipment and Sound

“Radio is a sound-only medium, which implies that the quality of sound should be genuine and the signal should be reliable as substandard and muffled quality sound can negatively affect listeners and discourage them from listening to the radio news.”

A radio studio is constructed based on some acoustic principles that can help create quiet places where news-reading programmes can be held undisturbed. For instance, the materials used to build the internal walls have unique acoustic properties that can absorb and reflect sounds at different frequencies, preventing outside sounds, like footsteps and traffic noise.

Found in the radio studio, the control room is a soundproof room which consists of high-quality monitoring loudspeakers, studio signalling systems, echo equipment, consoles and the VU (Volume Unit) meter which shows the level of sound output. A high-quality computer system can also be found, which is essential as it is used to store all the radio shows, news recordings, voice-overs and so on.

Now, let’s talk about a bit about the most important radio station equipment: microphones! Nowadays, dynamic condenser microphones are popular in radio stations as they are resistant to ambient noise. For example, the Shure SM7B is a type of microphone favoured for radio news broadcasting as it does not need to be handled. Besides, some microphones also consist of windscreens that can keep irrelevant noise such as the sound of breath to the minimum.

As per the details mentioned above, have you been able to glimpse some aspects of a radio station? Please share your comments!

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