Advertising Media

The different outlets that present advertisements are called advertis-

ing media. The most commonly used are newspapers, television, direct

mail radio, magazines, and outdoor displays.

Newspapers. Newspapers make up the largest category of the advertis-

ing media. Firms can advertise in newspapers distributed locally, region-

ally, nationally, or internationally. Newspapers offer good coverage for

firms of any size, because there is at least one newspaper in every local

market and many people read the newspapers every day. Newspapers are

well suited for immediate needs since they can run advertisements with

little lead time. Advertisers can choose ads of any size, from a few lines in

the classified section to full pages or separate supplements. Because they

reach diverse audiences, newspapers do not always allow advertisers to

target their audience precisely. The life span of newspapers is very short

since readers usually discard them quickly, although readers can clip or

refer back to ads if they wish. Also, the quality of the paper is generally

low, and the use of color is limited.

Television. Another large medium, television accounts for almost

22 per cent of advertising expenditure. Perhaps television’s greatest ad-

vantage is that it allows creative use of action, color, and sound to an

extent not possible in any other medium. Television advertising also of-

fers the capability of reaching vast audience. Firms can advertise nation-

ally on a major network, regionally through cable networks, or locally

through local stations. The major drawback of network television ad-

vertising is the high cost. To keep costs down, many advertisers now use

15-second ads, with networks running more of these shorter ads during

a commercial break. At any rate, TV ads have an extremely short life,

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which prompts creators to use special effects, unusual sounds, music,

humor, and distinctive characters to encourage viewers to remember

advertisements and products. Television advertisers face difficulty in

determining the audience that actually sees the commercials. Viewers

in public places such as hotels, airports, restaurants, or stores are not

counted. In homes, commercials play to empty rooms when viewers take

breaks. Many viewers change channels when commercials begin, a hab-

it called “zapping” that is made easier by today’s remote controls and

cable systems. Some rating systems estimate that zapping cuts a prime-

time commercial’s audience by 10 per cent or more.

Direct mail. Thousands of organizations send catalogs, advertise-

ments, flyers, brochures, and fund-raising materials to homes, offices,

or stores of target individuals. Nearly 18 per cent of all advertising expen-

diture goes for direct mail. For direct mail to be effective, the material

must reach the target group through up-to-date mailing lists. Advertisers

can develop or purchase mailing lists that will reach nearly any target

market imaginable, although selective mailing lists are expensive to buy.

Direct mail’s effectiveness is easily determined by the response: custom-

ers’ orders or donations to fund-raising organizations. Even banks use

direct mail. Direct mail, traditionally considered one of the less expen-

sive forms of advertising, is becoming more costly as postal rates rise.

Many firms are trimming mailing lists to include only their best custom-

ers or prospects.

Radio. About 7 percent of all money spent on advertising goes for

radio ads. Radio serves a large and various audience. Because of the wide

variety of programming that caters to numerous interests – such as talk

shows, all news, hard rock, classical music, jazz, oldies, easy listening –

advertisers can easily pinpoint target audiences. Spending on radio ad-

vertising has grown significantly because of its low cost and its ability to

reach precisely defined target audiences. Radio advertisements have the

disadvantage of an extremely short life. Messages are limited because ra-

dio relies only on the sense of hearing. Listeners may keep radios turned

on for background music or mere noise and ignore the advertisements.

Magazines. The last decade of the 20-th century saw a dramatic in-

crease in the number of magazines being published. Expenditure for

magazine advertising also have grown in the last several years. They now

account for about 6 percent of total advertising volume. Magazines have

a number of advantages over newspapers as an advertising medium. They

are usually read in leisurely manner and often kept for weeks or months

before being discarded. Another advantage of magazines is that they of-

fer better printing and color reproduction than newspapers do. Adver-

tisers can choose from a wide variety of magazines. Some magazines,

such as newsmagazines, appeal to a mass audience. Others are designed

for specific groups of people, such as teenagers, homemakers, or ama-

teur photographers. Certain companies advertise in trade publications,

which are devoted to particular businesses, industries, or professions.

Outdoor displays. Most of the advertising on outdoor signs is placed

by national advertisers. One of the main advantages of outdoor signs is

that people pass by the signs repeatedly. In addition, large, colorful signs

easily attract attention. However, the ads on outdoor signs must be short

and simple because most passers-by see a sign for only a few seconds.

The main kinds of outdoor signs are: posters, painted bulletins, electric

spectaculars. Posters, commonly called billboards, consist of printed

sheets of paper, which are pasted on large billboards. Painted bulletins

are signs painted on buildings or billboards. Electric spectaculars con-

sist of large illuminated displays, many feature changing messages and

moving pictures. Electric spectaculars are the most expensive kind of

outdoor signs.

Other ways of advertising include the use of transit signs, window dis-

plays, point-of-purchase displays, telephone directories and novelties.

Scan the text again and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Text 4

Read the following text and say which statements are false and which are true. Correct

the false ones.