Advertising

It is a form of controlled communication about a particular product (or service), which attempts to persuade an appropriate audience, through the use of a variety of appeals and strategies, to adopt a belief or to make a decision to perform an action, such as to buy or use a product or service. What is a commercial in 2003 expected to do? It must capture your attention, hold it and be memorable without abrasiveness, dishonesty or disrespect. It must explain the product benefits, or at least advance the brand image. And it must be crafted around the sensibilities of the target audience. Bob Garfield (www.adage.com)

Development of Advertising: Moroccan context

The development of brands: A brand did two things: 1. It standardized the product, bringing predictability as to its characteristics for the consumer. 2. It provided a clear identity for the product. This worked well for advertisers in search for slogans to promote products. Development of department stores: Display of dazzling array of products and goods never before assembled in such a way. Advertising and mass media: In Morocco, media system is public. Newspapers, radio and TV stations all get government funding. They do not rely on advertising money to survive. Advertising agencies

Advertising industry structure

Components of the industry include: 1. Advertising agencies of various kinds 2. Media service organizations 3. Suppliers of supporting services (research, commercial arts etc) 4. Advertising media

Advertising Agencies
Internal advertising department: has intimate knowledge of the business or industry and makes proposals for advertising plans and strategies. Independent advertising agency (Full-service agency): they do,
1. Planning: recommends plans for advertising (requires intensive market research) 2. Creation and execution 3. Coordination: working with salespeople, distributors, researchers and retailers to see if the ad works

Major functions:
1. Account manager: relations between agency and client. 2. The creative department: writing and designing ads. including video production and Internet applications 3. Media selection: which specific media to be used for which particular ad. 4. The research department: pretests ads, collects data to help creative staff fashion a specific design. Research director supervises in-house research as well as outside research firms. 5. Internal control: administrative operations of the firm.

Advertising as persuasive communication

Ethos, pathos, logos. Psychodynamic strategy: the consumer is a rational being, whose behavior is based on logic reasoning. He/she is also an emotional being whose needs, desires, wants are more likely based on emotions than on reason. Appeals to status, sex, fear, greed, pride, envy. Sociocultural strategy: to persuade consumers to buy products or services in order to conform with social norms.