Business advertising is promotional material that is prepared and placed for the purpose of generating sales revenue. The main goal of such advertising is to inform and encourage potential consumers to purchase products or service. Major forms of business advertising include television and radio advertising, newspaper and magazine advertising, and now online advertising as well. In order to put together a truly marketable brand, coming up with an integrated advertising strategy is often encouraged.
Although many may deplore business advertising, or think of it as being overbearing and too intrusive, the fact is – it does work. If advertising did not work, the advertising business would not be an industry worth multiple billions of dollars. In many countries, this advertising underwrites not only newspapers and magazines, but the common television shows that people rely on for entertainment.
Those who have developed an integrated advertising strategy will take their business advertising to a higher level. For example, a jingle that becomes popular on the radio or television will soon be included in print advertisements. It may also be placed on product packaging. Fast food companies often put the slogan of the ad campaign on their bags and food wrappers. All this reinforces the idea the advertising wanted to get across – that buying the product is a good choice. It also further reinforces the brand in the customer’s mind.
Business advertising agencies will work with different media outlets to develop a comprehensive strategy that includes multiple ad spots targeted at specific audiences. Whether this is a display ad in a newspaper running more than one day, or a television commercial running many times during the month, these redundancies provide a number of benefits. First, it gives those who may have missed it during a previous run a chance to see it. Second, if the same ad is being used, it saves on the production costs of producing an entirely new ad. Third, it gives both the advertiser and media outlet a chance to budget appropriately for the expenses and income being generated.
In print advertising, there are a number of different strategies that can be employed. In fashion advertising especially, it is often common practice to offer free sample kits for makeup, or put the scent of a perfume or cologne into an ad. This gives the potential buyer first-hand knowledge of the product. Coupons are another common strategy. They can be very helpful because it is very easy to track where a coupon is coming from, and thus offers insight as to which publications are producing the most results in different geographic areas.