CHAPTER 11
Advertising and Promotions WE
LIKE TO BE DECEIVED.
— PASCAL
misunderstood, although the term is used universally in business. To advert really means “to turn one’s attention toward” and there’s little harm in that. Pascal’s quotation, above, refers to deception, but deceive originally meant “to seize.” Advertising, when properly done, does just that: it seizes the consumer’s attention. Advertising isn’t lying (although it can be in the wrong hands), and consumers really do like to have their attention drawn to products that they find beneficial. Promotion suffers from a similar misunderstanding. Although it has come to be associated with hucksterism, it really means “to move forward,” but that sense is rarely made clear when applied to promoting products. This chapter will look at the positive way in which marketeers can advertise and promote their products to the benefit of customer and producer alike. But first, two definitions are in order:
ADVERTISING IS GREATLY
A form of sponsored public notice that seeks to inform, persuade, and otherwise modify consumer attitudes toward a product, with the object of triggering an eventual purchase.
ADVERTISING
Any of the various techniques used to create a positive image of a seller’s product in the minds of potential buyers. It includes such areas as advertising, personal selling, public relations, and discounts.
PROMOTION
Challenges of the Foreign Market: Understanding the Customer A great deal of effort must be put into determining what motivates consumer purchasing behavior. Some advertising can be used across all cultural lines (e.g., The Marlboro Man), although the positive effects may differ from market to market. Some promotional activities (such as personal selling) may have to be altered or extended, depending on what the targeted consumers consider adequate and positive. What’s important is that marketeers adapt their techniques to the new market, just as they would adapt their product lines. Advertising in the international market increases by more than 10 percent per year and over US$70 is spent each year on advertising for every man, woman, and child on the planet. The United States alone spends more than US$100 billion each year on global advertising. Surely with this much money being spent, there must be a great deal at stake. However, advertising and promotions are much more than just a matter of spending money. In fact some of the most economical techniques are the most effective. Choosing the right technique and format happens once the challenges of the local market have been determined.
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