Advertising today surrounds us everywhere. It can be seen on TV and in the subway, on the windows of vehicles and on garbage containers. It seems that any places and surfaces are the means of distribution of advertising. However, it is not. Of course, distributors of goods and many manufacturers try to use every opportunity to declare their products. However, there are severe restrictions on such activities. In our article we will talk about the classification of the main means of distribution of advertising and give a detailed description of them.
Basic information
In accordance with the Law on Advertising, this concept is defined as follows: it is a non-personal paid form of treatment with consumers with the aim of presenting and promoting goods and services. At the same time, it should be clear from whose message it comes from. An advertising message is considered a public offer, that is, the conditions stipulated in it should be accessible to all people. Since you can promote different goods and services for any target audience, there are many channels and means of disseminating advertising. Their use is regulated by law and the features of the communication. Advertising is one of the marketing tools. Its distinguishing characteristics are:
- Social character. Advertising always refers to certain averaged groups of people, united by socio-demographic or behavioral characteristics.
- Impersonality. An advertising message, although created for a specific group of people, is not aimed at a specific person.
- Unidirectionality. Advertising does not imply feedback from the consumer, the response to it should be in the form of a given action, for example, the acquisition of the goods that are offered.
- Expressiveness and persuasiveness. Advertising should cause an emotional response, because it needs to stand out from many other offers. In addition, it must achieve the goal, that is, convince a person of the advantages and advantages of the product.
- Mediation. An advertising message is always associated with the means of distribution, depends on them.
Classification
Before describing the main means of distribution of advertising, it is necessary to determine its types, since they require a different form of presentation of messages. Traditionally, ads are classified according to the goals that they pursue. In this view, its following types are distinguished:
- Exhortatory.
- Informing.
- Reminiscent of.
- Image.
There is also the practice of differentiating types depending on the type of advertiser. In this view, the following ads are distinguished:
- Commercial. It pursues the goal of selling goods or services.
- Social. It is aimed at promoting any ideas, charitable organizations, certain patterns of behavior.
The means of distribution of social advertising may differ from those used in the commercial sphere.
There is also a classification depending on the placement of the announcement or proposal. In this perspective, advertising can be this:
- Printed (e.g. booklets).
- Outdoor.
- Television.
- On the radio.
- In press.
- In the Internet.
- Hidden.
- Non-standard.
There is still the practice of dividing advertising into:
- ATL (outdoor, television, and so on, that is, direct media).
- BTL This is a hidden advertising (events, promotions, non-standard receptions).
Next, we will talk about them in more detail.
Functions
It is necessary to choose methods, forms and means of disseminating advertising based on the goal that it pursues. Traditionally, several of its basic functions are distinguished:
- Informing. This is the most important function of advertising, which allows it to inform target audiences about new products and services, about changes in their properties, about the possibilities of their use, about points of sale.
- Exhortation. In order for a consumer to purchase a product, it is necessary to convince him of the benefits of the purchase. Advertising should gradually form the idea of ββthe merits of the product, its qualities and properties among target audiences.
- Reminder of a product or service. In those periods when the manufacturer has nothing to add about his product, he must maintain a level of awareness about it. This is necessary so that the buyer in case of need remembered a certain brand and bought the goods.
- Positioning. This function is associated with the formation in the perception of the consumer of a certain image of the product. It is important for the seller to fix the set of distinctive characteristics of the product in the memory of the potential buyer.
- Image. In order to retain loyal consumers, as well as to form a favorable attitude to the product, advertising should periodically talk about its advantages and benefits.
In addition, advertising performs economic, educational, social, even educational and entertaining functions.
The concept of advertising media
Marketing messages must reach the consumer in order to solve the tasks assigned to them. At the same time, marketers should find such channels of information that are most likely to be in demand by the target audience.
The success of communication depends on how well the distribution channels of messages are selected, whether the format of the treatment is appropriate for the means of distribution. Traditionally, they mean sites for posting information. All modern means of advertising distribution have their advantages and disadvantages. However, the methods of presenting information are constantly changing, improving, and applying new technologies in order to better convey information to consumers.
Types of advertising media and channels
The traditional classification is based on leading accommodation sites. In this case, they distinguish outdoor, television, souvenir, print, radio advertising, as well as messages about goods and services in the press and on the Internet. In addition, in the classification of the main means of distribution of advertising there are types:
- Straight.
- Hidden.
- ATL (the one above the line).
- BTL (the one under the line).
ATLs are classic channels of direct exposure, that is, the consumer understands that there is an advertising message in front of him, and treats him accordingly. This group includes 5 traditional media channels: outdoor media (posters, billboards, etc.), the press, television, radio and the Internet.
BTL is covert communication. The consumer often does not immediately realize that this is an advertisement. This group includes souvenir advertising, merchandising, event marketing, ambient advertising, announcements at points of sale, in cinemas, at airports, product placement and so on.
Press
This is a classic means of advertising distribution. Magazines and newspapers are the most traditional and conservative channel for transmitting information. Despite the fact that today the press is gradually losing its former position, it is still in demand, therefore it is used as a tool for the distribution of advertising. There are target groups - people who continue to read newspapers and magazines. These include the older generation. For these people, reading newspapers is a long-standing habit.
It also includes the rural population. Citizens living in villages and towns read the regional press, as it remains the main source of information about local life.
Professionals from various fields also often continue to read specialized periodicals.
Glossy magazines also remain in demand among their readers and are not yet going to give up under the pressure of the Internet.
The advantage of advertising in the press is that a person can read it for any length of time, therefore this channel is suitable for advertising complex goods, for example, banking products. Also, advertising in reputable magazines is prestigious. Therefore, luxury brands do not stop using this channel. Another advantage of advertising in the press is its relative cheapness and high targeting.
The disadvantage of this channel is that not all target audiences can be influenced with its help, so young people today hardly read the press. In addition, ads, for example, in the newspaper, work a short period of time. To increase it, you need to repeat your proposal from room to room.
Print
This is another classic channel for distributing advertising information. The main means of distribution of print advertising are catalogs, booklets, leaflets, calendars, notebooks, posters, posters, postcards. The advantages of this channel are its low cost, the long life of the message, the positive attitude of consumers who often perceive the printed product as a gift (many manufacturers present a calendar or notepad as a souvenir), the ability to convey a large amount of complex information in the form of diagrams, drawings, large texts. Cons is a small audience coverage, the impact is only on the visual channel for obtaining information.
Outdoor advertising
This is one of the most effective channels for transmitting information. This includes signs, pillars, billboards, extensions, city formats, prismatrons, LED screens, firewalls, as well as advertising in transport, outdoor furniture, and balloons.
The listed means of outdoor advertising distribution have the following advantages:
- High geographical selectivity - you can influence people in the immediate vicinity of the advertised store.
- 24 hour action.
- The long life of the message.
- Relatively low cost.
Cons of outdoor advertising are:
- Short-term contact (a person in a split second should understand what they are being offered, what is the essence of the message). This makes it difficult to understand and remember the message.
- The negative attitude of people, as advertising distracts drivers, disfigures the urban environment.
However, non-standard forms of presentation (outdoor furniture, unusual designs, street television) quite successfully overcome these shortcomings.
the Internet
Today, the main means of distributing advertising are localized in the worldwide electronic network. This is due to the fact that the Internet is increasingly penetrating people's lives. The main types of online advertising are:
- Sites.
- Banners
- Email Newsletters.
- Targeted and contextual advertising.
- Social networks.
This channel has a number of significant advantages. This is a rather cheap means of disseminating information, it has a very high targeting ability, that is, the exact choice of the target audience, the use of almost all forms of perception of information: visual, audio. Internet advertising has high flexibility and efficiency, its results can be very accurately evaluated.
The disadvantages of this tool are as follows:
- Not all audiences are reachable via the Internet.
- Rising advertising noise.
- Ability to block advertising messages by users or search engines.
- Negative perception by citizens of obsessive sentences.
Phones
The modern classification of means of distribution of advertising can no longer do without highlighting another type of distribution of proposals for goods and services. We are talking about mobile phones and their existing applications. These innovations have not passed the attention of marketers.
The main methods of mobile advertising are sending messages, showing banners, information in applications. The advantages of this channel are the instantaneous delivery of messages, their personal nature, the accuracy of measurements of the received effects, relatively low cost, interactivity (the consumer, immediately after receiving the news, can perform the target action or somehow respond to the message).
The main disadvantage of this means of disseminating advertising information is the limited audience, people over 35 years old still have little use for different capabilities of mobile devices.
The television
If you characterize the types and means of distribution of advertising, then television will occupy one of the leading places among them. Today, the Internet is actively pushing him out, but he still does not succeed in defeating him. People continue to actively watch TV shows and movies. This applies to audiences of all ages and categories.
The main formats of television advertising are videos, screensavers, announcements, sponsorship of programs and various categories, television reports, news stories, films. The advantages of this channel are its wide reach of target audiences, the ability to influence several channels of information perception, the popularity of programs, and the low price of contact with one viewer.
The disadvantages of television advertising are:
- Its high price (to use this channel you need to remove a commercial, but it costs quite a lot).
- Too negative perceptions by citizens (people switch channels or leave the TV for the time of advertising).
- Brevity of the message.
- The high cost of a minute of ether.
Television is an excellent means of disseminating social advertising. Note that the state sets certain quotas for the placement of such information.
Radio advertising
Listing the main means of distribution of advertising, one cannot but mention the radio. The formats of this medium include videos, screensavers, jingles, announcements, reports and news stories, radio programs and sponsorship of headings and programs.
Every year, the audience of radio stations only grows, people listen to the radio while traveling in cars, which means they also consume advertising. The advantages of such a presentation of information are:
- Its efficiency and flexibility (you can post an ad a day before the broadcast).
- Wide coverage.
- A good level of selectivity (radio stations today work more and more for narrow special audiences).
- Relatively low cost.
The main disadvantages of radio advertising are:
- Short duration of contact.
- The impact only on the audio channel of perception of information.
- Negative attitude of listeners (people can switch the radio station to the time of submission of information of an advertising nature).
Also a minus is the perception of the radio as a sound background. People often do not listen to what broadcasting workers say to them.
Point of sale ads
Describing the types and means of distribution of advertising, do not forget about the submission of the necessary information at points of sale. This is a very effective tool for influencing consumers, as well as stimulating the sale of products and services. Its main formats are:
- POS materials. These are various means of registration of the point of sale of goods: company shelves, branded racks and refrigerators, displays, coin boxes, shelftalkers, flags, dummies, price tags. All this helps to highlight the product among competitors and attract the attention of consumers.
- Internal advertising. These are posters, videos on in-store television and radio, posters.
- Layout and packaging of goods.
- Individual sales consultations.
The advantages of this channel are consumer loyalty to this type of advertising, low cost, high performance - a consumer, having seen information about a product, can immediately buy it.
The disadvantages of ads at points of sale are growing advertising noise, and hard-to-calculate efficiency.
Souvenirs
Another non-traditional means of disseminating advertising is souvenir products. Mugs, baseball caps, t-shirts, calendars, pens, diaries, key rings, badges - this is just a small standard set of products that can be used for advertising purposes.
The advantage of this channel is the high loyalty of the target audiences: the person receiving the souvenir perceives it as a gift. Therefore, he has positive emotions, which he transfers to the goods.
Today, the creation of interesting souvenirs is a whole advertising industry. To please partners or consumers, you can come up with exclusive things that will be truly appreciated by those gifted. Such items will long remind them of the company and its products.
The main disadvantages of souvenirs as advertising distribution channels are their high cost (in general) and a small coverage of target audiences. Also a minus is that it is almost impossible to assess the effectiveness of such a presentation of information.
Hiden advertisment
Today, there are an incredible amount of various offers. Consumers develop various mechanisms to avoid contact with such information. In this regard, a phenomenon appeared - hidden advertising. , 25- . . , , :
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For effective impact on consumers, it is not enough to place somewhere one advertising message. It is necessary to carefully consider communication, formulate an accurate message and select the right channels of contact with target audiences. Activities on the selection of methods for disseminating advertising information are called media planning.
It includes several main steps. At the initial stage, it is necessary to determine the goals of communication. This can be informing, generating demand, fixing in the memory and perception of the consumer the image of the product and elements of its corporate identity, a reminder of the product, brand, forming a positive image, and so on.
At the next stage, the target audience is determined. A product or brand can have a fairly wide range of consumers, but for a particular advertising campaign one or two of the most profitable segments at the moment are selected.
Next, an advertising proposal is formulated that is relevant to this audience. Then begins the procedure for choosing the means of advertising distribution - this is one of the most important stages of media planning. It is necessary to use channels that will allow to reach target audiences with the greatest completeness.
Further, such indicators as the coverage and frequency of contacts necessary to determine the duration of the advertising campaign and draw up its budget are calculated.
Media buying and media selling
There are two main types of professional activity in working with media platforms - media buying and media selling. In the first case, this is the purchase of sites in the means of distribution of advertising. Electronic advertising means carry out this activity on the basis of software support, and on television or radio, this work is done by managers. Usually they buy the possibility of placing information in bulk for subsequent sale to their advertisers at retail. However, there are buyers who work on the side of individual large advertisers.
Media selling is the reverse process. It consists in selling advertising platforms to buyers. Typically, sellers are looking for buyers to 100% fill advertising channels. Media buying and media selling are built on a system of discounts, package offers. This is the whole art of compromise.
What the law says
Advertising is a complex process that is regulated by the Law on Advertising. It stipulates a list of goods, the supply of information about which is limited. For example, alcohol and tobacco cannot be advertised in the media.
The volumes of advertising in the means of its distribution are also regulated. This is especially true for television and radio. The owner of the site cannot fill the entire channel with advertising information, unless it is a specific publication intended for the submission of announcements of goods and services. By law, the owners of all information platforms must allocate space for the placement of social advertising.