Here is a compilation of essays on ‘Advertising’ for class 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Advertising’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on Advertising
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Meaning and Definition of Advertising
- Essay on the Objectives of Advertising
- Essay on the Factors in Selecting Media for Advertising
- Essay on the Advertising as a Social Waste
- Essay on the Role of Advertising in a Developing Economy
- Essay on Scientific Advertising
- Essay on the Advertising Copy
- Essay on Advertising versus Personal Selling
- Essay on the Advantages of Advertising
Essay # 1. Meaning and Definition of Advertising:
Advertisement means informing the public of the existence of a particular product or service. In other words, it is an attempt to make a particular product or service known to the public. It is a method of creating demand for a product or service.
Advertising plays a very important role in modern business. No manufacturer can afford to carry on his production without advertising. Because of the large- scale production in anticipation of demand, the competition among the manufacturers to widen their markets and the presence of many substitutes in the markets, advertising has become necessary in modern business.
It is the name given to the process of commercial promotion of goods and services in order to increase its sales. Advertising is one of the oldest forms of public announcement and occupies a vital position in an organization’s product mix. Advertising can be defined as “Any paid form of non-personal presentation of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor.”
To advertise means to inform. However, advertising does not end with the flow of information alone. It goes further to influence and persuades people to take a desired action, like placing an order to buy a product.
Advertising can be done by means of a number of mediums like television, newspapers, wall paintings, billboards, magazines, internet, and in many other ways. Advertising informs the buyers about the availability of a certain product or service in the market and encourages them to buy it. Advertising is an important marketing strategy. Making catchy advertising campaigns is an art mastered by few. Zoo Zoos by Vodafone won the hearts of millions. It sold many services and merchandises.
Definition of Advertising:
Advertising can be defined as paid form of presentation of non-personal ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsored.
Thus, by its definition itself, we can deduce its main features:
(i) It is a non-personal form of presentation of information related to the goods.
(ii) In order to advertise, one has to pay same amount. Thus, we can say that it is a paid form.
(iii) It is done by an identified sponsored or by an identified body or organisation.
Essay # 2. Objectives of Advertising:
Advertising is a powerful media, which is capable of reaching to a large number of populations.
The main objectives of advertising are:
a. To increase the usage of a certain product.
b. To tell the customers about the product, its quality, price and place of availability.
c. To create new customers and increasing brand recognition.
d. To educate the customers about health and safety aspects of the products.
e. To obtain feedback from customers regarding a certain product.
f. To indicate introduction of new products or replacement of old ones.
g. To create confidence in the minds of customers regarding the product.
h. To provide employment to large number of people such as artists, announcers, salesman etc.
i. Apart from promoting commercial goods, advertising can also be used to educate and motivate the public about non-commercial issues such as AIDS, deforestation, family planning, etc.
Essay # 3. Factors in Selecting Media for Advertising:
While selecting the advertising media, the following factors should be considered:
a. Cost of advertisement.
b. Nature of product.
c. Comparison of medium selected with other media.
d. Popularity of the media.
e. Characteristics of customers.
f. Competition in market.
Essay # 4. Essay on Advertising as a Social Waste:
The statement “All advertising is a social waste” does not have much truth in the modern times. In modern competitive business, the importance and utility of advertisement has proved its immense need to the business. So we cannot say that all advertising is a social waste. But advertising has been defamed on account of the evil deeds on the part of a few people. Even then we cannot say that advertising is a social waste.
The utility of advertisement has proved its immense need to the modern business, but we should not pass over this question that advertising has been called a social waste.
Advertisement involves a lot of labour and capital. If it is not properly planned, it will not be able to attain the desired effect and the money spent on it will go waste. So it becomes necessary to look to those causes which make it a social waste.
They are discussed in the following way:
1. Advertising policy is not consistent.
2. Failure in making careful preliminary investigation of market, products and channels of trade.
3. Failure to outline properly the work to be performed by proposed advertisement.
4. The execution of advertisements is also poor. It may be on account of poor copy, poor illustrations, wrong appeal, poor layout and selecting a wrong media of advertisement.
5. Covering a vast area, without a proper planning in respect of sales or distribution, thus resulting advertisement ineffective.
6. Advertising multiplies the needs of the people by inducing them to buy even those things which are not required by them. This leads to waste of social resources.
7. The customers have to pay more for the product advertised. The reason is that the amount spent by an advertiser on his products advertisement is added to the distribution cost of product.
8. Sometimes, advertising does not create the demand of the product but shifts it from one producer to another. It means a large amount of money spent on advertising by all producers goes waste.
9. Advertising may lead to monopoly of a brand. The reason behind this is that big producers who can spend huge money on advertising can create brand monopoly and eliminate the small producers.
Having considered the above points we reach a conclusion that if the advertiser looks to these points and plans in a right perspective before launching his advertising campaign, his efforts will be amply rewarded and the people will not say that ‘advertising is a social waste’. They will rather say that ‘it pays to advertise’. Moreover, these draw backs of advertisement could be removed if the people and the government keep a watch on the advertisers.
Essay # 5. Role of Advertising in a Developing Economy
A developing economy needs capital formation. Therefore, it encourages savings and thrift. We are confronted with a perplexing question whether advertising has any role to play in a developing economy. The aim of advertising — promotion of mass consumption and increased sales – conflicts with these aims of developing economy.
Apparently it appears to be so. But a close scrutiny will reveal otherwise. A developing economy has to make its production available for export to earn foreign exchange to be able to pay for its import of capital goods and essential raw materials.
It is admitted that squandering is undesirable from the national point of view as savings are reduced. The incentive to earn by hard work is a necessity to enable people of the developing country to have a better home, food or clothing. Any economic development needs incentive for its proper implementation. Here is the role of advertising in the developing economy.
To quote Sir Winston Churchill:
“Advertising nourishes the consuming power of men. It creates wants for a better standard of living………………. It stuss individual exertion and greater production….” The idea of saving is very encouraged by advertising. Through advertising by financial institution savings are being mobilized to help development of the economy in its take-off period.
Export promotion owes much to advertising. Only competitive price and quality products can be expected to give boost to exports of a country’s manufactures. Advertising has helped all developed countries to promote their internal as well as external sales by lowering average costs or prices.
In our developing economy we can cite the example of selling bicycles & sewing machines at lower price because of wider domestic market.
Advertising also sharpens competitive selling. There is constant endeavor on the part of the manufacturers to reduce the deficiencies that impede the sale of their products. Improvement of quality, durability, utility and the performance of the products are constant concern of the manufacturers. This is possible through advertising.
It is also claimed on behalf of advertising that it has educative value and in a developing economy prevailing in a country where people are generally not so much literate, advertising enlightens and educates the and raises the standard of thinking — a mental development, so to say, is made possible through advertising.
In the absence of advertising, the hundreds of regional language publications would fold up for want of advertisements. So, from the discussion above, it comes out that there is no conflict between advertisement and aims of a developing economy; rather it helps the developing economy to be strengthened by various ways.
Essay # 6. Essay on Scientific Advertising
Scientific advertising is a properly planned advertising based on a serious deliberation of all factors that have a bearing upon its success.
Application of logical method forms the keynote of such advertising. Here the scope of weather vane (swaying from one method to another on suggestions from others) method, the ‘flipped coin’ method (deciding matters on chance), the emotional method, the authoritative method all these unscientific methods, will be reverted to nullity.
Instead, scientific methods such as the development of a clear recognition of the problem to be solved; the recognition of the alternative to the solution of the problem; the collection of all data that would help in selecting a particular alternative and the weighing of these data along with the application of human judgment to them in the final selection of a course of action, are considered with logical bias and purely on scientific outlook.
Research is the outstanding tool of this “(reasoning method)”. In short, scientific advertising implies the development and the use of a fact-finding approach to the formulation and execution of an advertising programme.
In scientific advertising, scientific approach is applied in preparing the plan of programme. The purpose of advertisement will naturally need to be stated in clear terms. The purpose of advertising is generally to “interpret the want satisfying qualities of commodities and services in terms of human needs and wants.”
To achieve this, facts have to be collected about the consumer desired, their location and purchasing power and the ability of the given commodities to satisfy their wants. Financial planning for advertising and the selection of the media of advertising must follow the stage of fact-finding. Now, the question of execution will come up.
The execution pattern will be in accordance with the plan formulated on the basis of research, investigation and careful deliberation of the facts of the market solution. The last phase of scientific advertising is the evaluation of the performance in the light of plans.
This testing of results of advertising is to find out the soundness of the advertising plan. If needed, modifications will have to be made for future guidance. The programme of scientifically planned advertising passes through four phases: Preliminary investigation, Budgeting & Media Planning, Execution of the Programme and Testing of Results.
All scientific plans are based on facts in relation to the market. Market identification is very effective. Correctly identified market enables the advertiser to choose the right medium. Product analysis follows to take stock of the needs and requirements of the consumers.
Such analysis should consider the class into which the product falls. This analysis will then be followed by consumer research, the consumer being the king. It is also called motivation research. The advertiser will not have to make any wild guesses about the instincts of the consumers; he will proceed more confidently on the firm ground provided by the information collected through motivation research.
Budgeting and media planning is not the phase of scientific advertising. Because generally, it is based on rival’s appropriations for the purpose, which is not a scientific approach. The appropriation in scientific advertising must be determined with direct reference to the clearly defined objectives and targets of the advertising programme.
The medium of advertising is selected on its effectiveness, its cost and the length of the sales message.
The execution of the advertising programme is done in conformity with the plan formulated on the basis of research and investigation. The last step in a programme of scientific advertising is the test of efficacy of advertising, the most popular test being split-run test used with keying.
Essay # 7. Advertisement Copy:
The success of advertisement depends upon the advertising message conveyed to the public. The advertising message is known as the advertising copy.
Requirements of a Good Advertisement Copy:
A good advertisement copy must satisfy the following requirements:
1. Attention Value:
It must draw the attention of the consumers and induce them to read the advertising message. For this purpose, colours, pictures, big types of letters, etc. are used in the advertisement copy.
2. Suggestive Value:
It must suggest to the consumers the advantages of using the advertised products. This can be done by presenting the advertising matter with suitable pictures.
3. Convincing Value:
It must convince the consumers of the merits of the products advertised. This can be done by giving facts and figures in the advertisement copy.
4. Remembrance Value:
It must make the consumers remember the advertised products till they act to buy the products. This can be done by using slogans in the advertisement copy and by repeating the advertisement copy.
5. Sentimental and Instinctive Value:
It must awaken the interest of the consumers in the advertised products and induce them to buy the advertised products.
6. Simplicity:
It must be as simple as possible.
Preparation of Advertisement Copy:
While preparing the advertisement copy, the following factors must be taken into account:
1. The nature of the products to be advertised.
2. The types of customers for whom the advertisement is intended.
3. The kind of advertisement media to be employed.
4. The objective to be achieved i.e., whether it is intended to maintain the existing demand or to create a new demand.
Essay # 8. Advertising versus Personal Selling:
Both advertising and personal selling or salesmanship are the techniques of creating demand and promoting sales.
The two, however, differ from one another in the following manner:
1. Salesmanship is direct, personal or face to face communication as against th e indirect and impersonal communication involved in advertising. Under salesmanship the message is directed to specific individuals through personal contact while in advertising the approach is non-personal and general.
2. Advertising involves the use of oral, written and visual message while salesmanship is done through spoken words. Advertising has been described as ‘ salesmanship in print’ but this is a misconception as printed words is only one medium of advertising.
3. Salesmanship is from individual to individual while advertising is mass communication. Advertising is like a shotgun conveying message to masses, while personal selling is like a rifle shooting (communicating with) individuals.
The two are, however, interdependent and complementary to each other. Advertising helps the salesman by reducing sales resistance and salesmanship converts potential demand into sales and completes the task of advertising.
Essay # 9. Advantages of Advertising:
Advertising is advantageous both to the manufacturers and to the consumers.
Its advantages are as follows:
For Manufacturers:
1. It enables the manufacturer to maintain the existing market and to create new market for his products.
2. It popularises a product and builds up prestige and goodwill for the producer.
3. It helps the manufacturer to appeal directly to the consumers. This direct contact between the manufacturer and the consumers results in the elimination of middlemen. The elimination of middlemen helps the manufacturer to reduce his selling costs.
For Consumers:
4. It brings to the notice of the consumers new products and guides them in the proper selection of products and helps them to satisfy their latest want.
5. It provides protection against deception because advertised goods are of good quality.
6. It saves the time, trouble and money of the consumers in obtaining information about the products.
7. Ii reduces the selling price of goods by expanding sales and production by lowering the selling and production costs.
For Society:
8. It raises the standard of living of the people by stimulating their desire for a variety of new products.
9. It increases employment by promoting sales and production. Further, many persons are directly engaged in advertising.