36 Plan Adv Campaign

Media Studies

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Number 036

How to Plan an Advertising Campaign The aims of this Factsheet are to: • Focus on the conceptual planning required for a practical production in advertising and marketing • Consider formulating ideas for production based on an understanding of how media concepts can inform practical productions • Discuss some basic advertising and marketing theory with a view to constructing practical coursework

Advertising and Media Language/Genre

AQA/WJEC/OCR All awarding bodies require that AS and A2 students complete practical production work. The specific requirements can vary between the different awarding bodies but the following information is applicable to any student undertaking an advertising and/or marketing coursework project.

Not all advertising is the same. Different types of products are promoted in different ways but distinct genre codes can be identified in products that are similar. For example, film posters. Film posters share a number of codes and conventions. • Institutional information at the bottom – including certification • The name of the film needs to be clearly visible • Often the star and/or director’s name will be easily identifiable – especially when they are well known and have an existing fanbase • Information such as the release date of the film, the web address for the film’s internet site etc. are often included

Introduction Advertising is arguably the most prolific of all media practices and it is difficult for an audience to avoid being subjected to what are increasingly sophisticated campaigns. From ad breaks on TV to trailers on DVDs, pop-ups on the internet and less obvious forms of advertising found in magazines, in newspapers, on the internet and on television, advertising is a crucial aspect of modern media. Advertising funds the media content we access on all platforms. Advertising promotes the media products themselves and even provides content. This makes it a popular choice for coursework production.

The graphic design of film posters, however, may be very different and this often depends on the genre of the film itself.

Activity Complete the following by identifying the genre codes and conventions used in the posters: Genre

Genre Code and Conventions

Horror

As the aim of horror is to scare an audience the poster needs to offer this gratification. Different types of horror may have different codes but all attempt to communicate the tone of the film being promoted.

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Action

Action films must offer high energy entertainment. Posters need to show that there will be excitement and an adrenaline rush in store for the audience. Often a star gives an action film a specific tone and may be an important selling point.

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Comedy

Comedy is not based on the specific setting or character types but is based on the tone and the fact the film will try to entertain through humour. Important in a comedy poster is an indication of the fact that situations won’t be taken seriously and that the audience can expect to laugh!

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Sci Fi

Sci Fi has a number of specific codes that are quickly recognisable by the audience and so posters should contain some of these. Sci Fi is also often a hybrid genre – so the type of sci fi needs to be indicated clearly. Is the film a thoughtful sci fi drama? An action sci fi? A comedy sci fi perhaps?

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Media Studies

36. How to Plan an Advertising Campaign

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Planning for Production

People - Target Audience

There are several things you need to consider when planning any media production and you will need to undertake research into existing advertising practices if your product is to be successful. The main areas that need to be considered are: 1. product o What are you advertising and what codes are expected for this type of product? 2. placement o Where will your advertisement be located? What locations are most likely to reach your target audience? 3. people (target audience) o Who do you want to appeal to with your advertisement? 4. persuasion o What techniques are likely to be most successful in persuading your target audience to act?

There are many ways to consider target audience.

Age Some products may appear to be specifically for certain age groups. Advertisers do not consider age simply as a number but as an ‘attitude’. Consider the following ‘age groups’ • children – have no spending power of their own and so in some way you need to appeal to both them and parents. Pester power is a recognised technique and this is most successful when you manage to make the product a must-have for the child. Consider what will be most successful in making the child want your product and encourage the parent to buy it. • youth – the widest group of all - pre-teen onwards with no clear upper limit. The main thing to consider here is that their interests are seen to lie in fashion, leisure pursuits and products which create an idea of personal identity and this is not based on an actual age as these interests are held by increasingly older groups. Youth can be divided further: o young youth – the pre-teen and teen market. Still dependant on their parents but with some personal spending power. They are often best appealed to by offering them a product that will confirm how mature they are. They are attracted to fashion in the sense that it enables them to fit in with their peers and they receive social position through being ‘up to date’. o mid youth – the more traditionally based youth age group – teens and twenties. They have some financial independence and limited financial responsibilities. Sex, fun, fashion, style, technology etc. are all important to this group o older youth – twenties onwards who can be appealed to by an idea of an extended youth culture. The leisure priorities remain but they are wealthier and, even though they have financial responsibilities may still wish to spend money on the more ‘fun’ side of life. Clearly though, where a young youth market needs to feel a product will give them maturity, an older youth audience does not need to be reminded of their age and products often focus on the way they can maintain youth for this audience • adults – not so much an age group, more a frame of mind. Adult products will focus on functionality, economy, responsibility etc. • older adults – a tricky and often overlooked group. Some have large disposable incomes and more marketing is realising they are a largely untapped group. (For example, L’Oreal’s use of Jane Fonda in a recent campaign specifically targets older adult women.)

Product You may have your product selected for you in the instructions for your coursework. If you select your own product you should consider a number of things: • Is the product an essential item or is it a luxury (something we could easily live without)? • What would the product cost? Would this limit the target audience? • Is the product gender specific? • Are many other marketers trying to sell the same or similar products? How do they go about this? Activity List the advertising products in one edition of a general lifestyle magazine (e.g. FHM, Glamour etc.) • Are there several versions of similar products on offer? • Are any of the products essential items or are they all luxuries? • Are these products different to the ones advertised in magazines such as Heat, Prima etc. • What similarities and differences do you see in the media language choices made when constructing the adverts? The outcomes of your research above should indicate that different target audiences are assumed to be in the market for different types of products. Advertisers try very hard to provide the right product and sell it in an appropriate way to the right audience. It is important that advertisers place their advertisements in places that will be accessed by their target audience.

Placement

Exam/Production Hint When discussing the age of your target audience: • avoid relative terms like older or younger. Older or younger than what? • avoid specifying ages group (e.g. 16-25) as they are too restrictive- consider using a general age group that reflects the interests and attitudes most applicable to the target audience

Advertising Persil in Glamour would not be inappropriate. The audience may still need to wash their clothes but their reasons for reading this magazine are not the same as the reasons some people read Prima. Glamour is about luxury and fantasy, fashion and style whilst the Prima audience expect a focus on home, family and domestic issues. Similarly, there would be little point in advertising a feminine interest product in FHM as the target audience are males.

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Media Studies

36. How to Plan an Advertising Campaign

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Gender

Psychometric Categories

Clearly, some adverts are aimed at a specific gender. They are identifiable by the fact that they play on the stereotypical expectations of gender in terms of interests and priorities.

More useful may be the idea of Values and Lifestyle Marketing. Instead of dividing audience into age/gender/class categories, VALs groups people by personality types and advertisers would try to appeal to these types in different ways.

Exam Hint:- You need to consider what stereotypes you will apply in your advertising but make it clear you’ve identified that they are stereotypes.

Some VALs Categories of Consumers •

For example, consider the difference in these two statements. • The product is aimed at males because they are interested in gadgets and high tech toys • The advert plays on the stereotype that males are interested in gadgets and high tech toys

•

The first statement is simply repeating a stereotype whereas the second is identifying it.

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Activity Look at the on-line advertising for face cream and assess the different ways it is trying to persuade men and women to buy the product.

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Social/Economic Groups Target audiences used to be divided by social class but this is not truly appropriate in today’s society. The audience’s financial situation may be relevant for example, high cost luxury items are less likely to be bought by people in lower socio-economic positions. If cost is an issue with your product, you will need to bear this in mind. • If your product is a luxury item, how will you attempt to persuade your audience to spend money on it? o Are you going to make your product appear exclusive and so attempt to persuade higher income groups to buy your product to enable them to reward themselves and feel special? o Will your product offer a form of fashion, technological or peer group status which makes it worth purchasing? • If your product is more basic, can you tempt your audience by convincing them it is essential or perhaps offering a bargain or value for money? Do not make assumptions about what people will like simply based on their spending power. Many ‘luxury’ products are perceived as essential and are desired despite their price.

Innovators - Successful, sophisticated, take-charge people with high self-esteem, Innovators like upscale, niche products and services. Thinkers - Motivated by ideals, Thinkers are mature, satisfied, comfortable and reflective people who value order, knowledge and responsibility. Thinkers are conservative, practical consumers; they look for durability, functionality, and value in the products they buy. Achievers - Achievers have goal-oriented lifestyles and a deep commitment to career and family. They favour established, prestige products and services that demonstrate success to their peers. Experiencers - Motivated by self-expression. Experiencers are avid consumers and spend a comparatively high proportion of their income on fashion, entertainment and socializing. Their purchases reflect the emphasis they place on looking good and having “cool” stuff. Believers - Motivated by ideals. They are conservative, conventional people with concrete beliefs based on traditional ideas. Believers are predictable consumers as they choose familiar products and established brands and are generally loyal customers. Strivers - Trendy and fun-loving. They are motivated by achievement and are concerned about the opinions and approval of others. They favour stylish products that emulate the purchases of people with greater material wealth. Strivers are active consumers because shopping is both a social activity and an opportunity to demonstrate to peers their ability to buy. As consumers, they are as impulsive as their financial circumstance will allow. Makers - Practical people who have constructive skills and value self-sufficiency. They live within a traditional context of family, practical work, and physical recreation and have little interest in what lies outside that context. Makers are unimpressed by material possessions other than those with a practical or functional purpose. Because they prefer value to luxury, they buy basic products.

Persuasion There are many persuasive methods used by advertisers. The choice of persuasive techniques are usually focussed on attempting to create brand/product recognition, help the product/advertising to be memorable, stimulate a desire for the product and cause the audience to want to act. Advertising tends to offer the consumer something more than just the product itself. All shampoos offer the same basic function - they are all products that will clean hair. Different brands offer something slightly different from their competitors and so provide a Unique Selling Point – something that makes one product different to another and so is acting to try to persuade the audience to desire and ultimately purchase their product rather than another similar one. USPs can be as simple as price but are often based around other benefits to the consumer.

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Media Studies

36. How to Plan an Advertising Campaign

www.curriculum-press.co.uk

Some USPs in shampoo advertising • Tresemme – Professional quality with hairdresser approval • Herbal Essences – Sensuous pleasure • L’Oreal - Quality and Luxury • Head and Shoulders – Anti dandruff formula • Pantene – Extra conditioning/smoothing qualities

http://www.stanford.edu/class/ linguist34/advertisements/ 44herbalessences/thumbnails/ 44herbalessences2med.jpg

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Consumers will choose the product that gives them the unique quality that they desire the most.

Activity Complete the following table providing examples of products which use these techniques and/or consider the effect of the technique itself. Finally, identify which VALs groups may respond better to the technique identified. Persuasive Technique

Examples of product advertising Effect

Humour

Lynx

VALs groups?

To show the product as being able to solve problems which cause fear or concern

Fear Shock Guilt

To create trust and a sense of reliability

Science Nature

Herbal Essences

Economy/Value

Asda

Efficiency

Dyson

Luxury/Glamour

L’Oreal

Socialising/Social Success Sexual success Audiences will associate the product with the celebrity – celebrities are chosen carefully to project the right image

Celebrity endorsement

Happy Families

BT

Health Ecological Issues

Offers customers a product which will help protect the environment in some way

Tradition Individuality

Implies buying the product will give the customer a way to express their individuality

Community/Group belonging Clearly, different types of people will respond better to some techniques rather than others. This is why it is important for advertisers to ensure their persuasive technique matches their target audience.

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Media Studies

36. How to Plan an Advertising Campaign

www.curriculum-press.co.uk

Turning Ideas into Practical Work Once you have considered these ideas you are ready to turn your understanding of product, people, placement, and persuasion into plans for practical production. The answers to these questions will help you decide which media language choices are best suited to the work you are about to undertake. Product

What product are you advertising? Is it a luxury product or an essential item? If you are not advertising a specific product, what ideas are you trying to get across to your audience? Are you trying to get them to think a certain way? Are you trying to get them to do a certain thing? What is the purpose of your advertising campaign? What are the codes and conventions expected for this type of advertising? Which codes and conventions will you follow? Which codes and conventions will you alter (and why)?

People

Who are your target audience? Are they a particular age/gender? Is their economic situation an issue? What type of people are most likely to be interested in your product or idea? What values and attitudes can you target? What needs does your product aim to fulfil?

Persuasion

What would be the best way to attract your audience to your product message? What will your product offer the audience? What USP will you use to try to encourage your audience to act? What techniques will be the best ones to attempt to persuade them to act in the way you want? What will be your product’s USP?

Placement

Where will your advertising be placed? Which magazines/newspapers will your adverts appear in? Which TV slots will you use? Which type of films will your trailer accompany? Which web sites will your ads appear on? Where will your posters be located? What are the codes and conventions of the format(s) of advertising you are creating? Does the location of your advertising have any specific audience expectations attached to it?

M E D I A

L A N G A G E

C H O I C E S

Production Hint All of the areas for consideration identified in this Factsheet will lead you towards logical media language choices when you come to make your products (see above). The best practical productions are carefully researched and planned. Not only will this save time and effort during the production process but it will also give you more scope to demonstrate your understanding in accompanying evaluations.

Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched and written by Steph Hendry Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. Media Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136

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