Public service advertising

The advertising techniques used to promote commercial goods and services can be used to inform, educate and motivate the public about non-commercial issues, such as HIV/AIDS, political ideology, energy conservation and deforestation.
Advertising, in its non-commercial guise, is a powerful educational tool capable of reaching and motivating large audiences. "Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest—it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes." Attributed to Howard Gossage by David Ogilvy.
Public service advertising, non-commercial advertising, public interest advertising, cause marketing, and social marketing are different terms for (or aspects of) the use of sophisticated advertising and marketing communications techniques (generally associated with commercial enterprise) on behalf of non-commercial, public interest issues and initiatives.

In the United States, the granting of television and radio licenses by the FCC is contingent upon the station broadcasting a certain amount of public service advertising. To meet these requirements, many broadcast stations in America air the bulk of their required public service announcements during the late night or early morning when the smallest percentage of viewers are watching, leaving more day and prime time commercial slots available for high-paying advertisers.
Public service advertising reached its height during World Wars I and II under the direction of more than one government. During WWII President Roosevelt commissioned the creation of The War Advertising Council (now known as the Ad Council) which is the nation's largest developer of PSA campaigns on behalf of government agencies and non-profit organizations, including the longest-running PSA campaign, Smokey Bear

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When Should You Increase Advertising Spend?

You may get a bigger payoff from increased spending on advertising if you wait until the economy begins to contract, says new research. That doesn't mean advertising in a healthy economy is a waste of money. But when advertising spending is already high, there's a risk of "overspending," says the study. Too much advertising may help rivals by increasing a buyer's awareness of a category and not your company's brand!

Conventional wisdom was right

To examine the long-term return from advertising, researchers analyzed the performance of nearly 2,700 companies — and grouped them by type (consumer, industrial and service). They then compared returns from advertising in recessions and upturns. They found advertising was an asset that contributed to a company's financial performance for up to three years. And increased spending during a recession produced greater benefits than increased spending when the economy was doing well.
One reason for this outcome: Advertising sends a positive signal about future performance to investors. It works in much the same way that exhibiting at a trade show during hard times may inspire confidence in customers and sales partners.

What this means

If increasing advertising pays during a recession, what's the impact of budget cuts? You may lose momentum, but it's not fatal, finds the researchers. Here's why. Past advertising has a cumulative effect that can help you maintain your position for three years. But to get the biggest bang for your buck, they urge companies to maintain spending at a steady pace.
The researchers also found that not all companies are equal. Advertising spending had a bigger impact on consumer and industrial products than it did on service companies.

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What is Mobile Advertising?

What is Mobile Advertising?

Mobile advertising is a sector of the advertising industry which is ready to explode. Given that nearly everyone owns a mobile phone these days, the future of mobile advertising is very bright. While SMS based advertising was the first step, Mobile internet advertising has much more to offer due to its ability to tap into the user context and show ads in a non intrusive manner. For e.g. if a user is browsing a sports site on his mobile, then the user could be served with an ad from Reebok. The power of the mobile advertising stems from its ability to serve extremely relevant ads to users.

Experts around the world believe that the industry is only at its infancy and is poised for phenomenal growth in the emerging markets like India and Pakistan. The reason is the low PC penetration and limited wired internet availability. Mobile web is providing the first internet experience to most users. Mobile operators are accelerating the market growth by providing low-cost reliable internet connections. mKhoj, the leading mobile ad network in Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa recorded a traffic growth of 200% in Pakistan during the 4th quarter of 2008, the highest in the region.

So what makes mobile advertising so tempting? The answer lies in the inherent advantages of mobile as a medium. The reach of the mobile medium is tremendous and has spilled well beyond the larger cities. Brands tie up with ad networks to leverage this ability to reach out to the masses and increase their brand awareness. Mobile ad networks like mKhoj are constantly trying to improve the tools and technology used to provide users with relevant ads. Ads vary depending on the economic status of the user like a watch company advertisement showing an uber-cool trendy watch for youth and more sophisticated elegant watch for an adult. Similarly parameters like operator, demography, handset capabilities, user profile etc provide ways to be able to deliver contextually relevant ads to the users.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Outdoor Advertising

Discover both the advantages and disadvantages of outdoor advertising.

When people think of Outdoor Advertising, they usually think of the colorful billboards along our streets and highways. Included in the "outdoor" classification, however, are benches, posters, signs and transit advertising (the advertising on buses, subways, taxicabs and trains).  They are all share similar advertising rules and methods.
Outdoor advertising reaches its audience as an element of the environment. Unlike newspaper, radio or TV, it doesn't have to be invited into the home. And it doesn't provide entertainment to sustain its audience.


Some Outdoor Advantages:

• Since it is in the public domain, Outdoor Advertising assuredly reaches its audience.  People can't "switch it off" or "throw it out." People are exposed to it whether they like it or not. In this sense, outdoor advertising truly has a "captured audience."
• It's messages work on the advertising principle of "frequency." Since most messages stay in the same place for a period of a month or more, people who drive by or walk past see the same message a number of times.

• Particular locations can be acquired for certain purposes. A billboard located a block in front of your business can direct people to your showroom. Or you can reach rural areas efficiently by placing a billboard in each small town.
• Outdoor advertising is an excellent adjunct to other types of advertising you are doing. In fact, it is most effective when coupled with other media.

Some Outdoor Disadvantages

• Outdoor advertising is a glance medium.  At best, it only draws 2-3 seconds of a reader's time.
• Messages must be brief to fit in that 2-3 second time frame.  Ninety-five percent of the time, either the message or the audience is in motion.
• The nature of the way you have to buy outdoor advertising (usually a three month commitment) is not conducive to a very short, week-long campaign.

When you buy outdoor advertising, remember that location is everything. High traffic areas are ideal. A billboard in an undesirable area will do you little good. Keep your message concise (use only five to seven words) and make it creatively appealing to attract readership. Few words, large illustrations (or photos), bold colors and simple backgrounds will create the most effective outdoor advertising messages.

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Key Role of Mobile Commerce in Wall Mart's 2012

Wal-Mart is gearing up for a major mobile commerce push in 2012. That much is evident Thursday as news comes of the latest acquisition by the juggernaut name in bricks-and-mortar and online retail.
WalmartLabs, the upstart social and mobile product incubator at Wal-Mart, has acquired a company called Small Society.

A mobile-centric firm, Small Society is responsible for numerous highly iPhone applications for leading brands like Starbucks, Zipcar and Whole Foods.
While the terms of the deal weren’t initially made public, the outcome of the deal should soon be clear to Wal-Mart customers. Without a doubt, the mobile shopping experience will be getting a definitive boost in some fashion.
“We believe that mobile can have an impact on every part of the shopping experience for Walmart customers, whether in-store or online,” WalmartLabs chief Anand Rajaraman said. “We’re very excited to have such talented new team members to help us make that impact.”
Other 2011 WalmartLabs’ acquisitions included social ad network One Riot and mobile point-of-sale startup Gabble.

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5 Important Benefits of Mobile Marketing

1. Mobile marketing is measurable, delivering a high return on investment with low capital outlay
Because delivery of SMS text messages can be tracked, campaigns can be monitored in real-time. With two-way messaging capability, organizations can judge consumer response immediately and change strategy if need be. Campaign costs can also be recouped through premium-rated SMS campaigns such as 'text to win' contests or mobile voting campaigns. Clickatell's Interactive Campaign Manager allows you to verify the progress of the campaign and intervene if need be. Premium-rated SMS also enables companies to offer subscription-based services to users who do not have access to credit cards or online banking facilities.Additional revenue for the organization can be generated through the use of premium-rated SMS messages. Companies can offer information services such as news, weather, tourism or business location information or offer mobile services that would be of benefit to consumers. These services can include insurance flight or quotations, virtual gifts, auction bidding, discount vouchers and coupons etc. There are many ways in which to maximize the potential of mobile message marketing in your industry. You can sell product such as ringtones, wallpapers and mobile phone downloads directly from a mobile platform or use the medium to drive consumers to a real store or accept orders for your products and services through SMS text message.

2. Mobile marketing is extremely effective
The very nature of mobile marketing makes it effective; consumers need to opt-in to receive marketing messages; they trust you as a messaging source and this makes them highly qualified sales prospects and more likely to respond to your message. Because your mobile marketing message is permission based, consumers are far more likely to read the message and therefore to respond. Most people read a SMS within 15 minutes of receiving and respond within 60 minutes - this is a very high response rate.
Mobile marketing messages are sent instantaneously to consumer's most personal communication device, their mobile phones and in a non-intrusive manner, they can read it at their convenience. And with Clickatell, the reach is global; anywhere there is mobile coverage in over 220 countries through more than 790 network operators. All mobile phones support the use of SMS messaging and consumers trust SMS technology.
   
3. Mobile marketing is cost-effective and affordable This is one of the most cost-effective marketing mediums available with targeted mobile marketing campaigns. Mobile messaging radically reduces the production and distribution cost of marketing messages.
 
4. Mobile marketing can open up new markets in innovative and interactive ways
Because mobile messaging crosses all demographic, location and handset limitations, the potential for reaching new markets is great. In emerging economies such as South Africa, mobile phone ownership is nearly 100% of the population, far more than those who have access to television or Internet access. Read more about South African mobile marketing here. Recent studies in the US show that fully one third of 18-29 year olds only use a mobile phone. Marketers who are not reaching their target audience through traditional means need to take advantage of mobile marketing.
 
How to build your mobile database:

• Ensure your website has a mobile sign-up box as well as email ones.
• Advertise your new SMS service in print and radio mediums through one of the campaign ideas given below.
• Use your packaging, till receipts to posters and billboards to let your customers know that you have gone mobile and ask them to text in for inclusion in a prize draw or to support a particular campaign.
• Use promotional specials to ask customers in-store or online to sign up to your mobile services to receive the discount.
• Offer a VIP service through SMS alerts with exclusive news.
• Competitions - run "text-to-win" competitions whereby customers reply to SMS questions. This mechanism can also be used for customer profiling.

5. Mobile marketing is great for customer retention and added-value service
The benefits of using mobile marketing in customer retention campaigns far outweigh the costs. Just some of the ways in which you can add value to your existing offering is to allow customers to SMS for after-hours assistance, to offer a SMS call-back service to cut time spent in phone queues and to offer a SMS service to deal with complaints and refund requests. Notification alerts such as booking confirmations, mobile tickets, appointment reminders and collection notifications offer invaluable service to your customers. Allowing customers to interact directly with your company through SMS polls on their favorite products or market research gives a strong basis for understanding customer needs better enhancing your ability to service your target market. Customers that have lapsed can also be lured back to using your services or products through special incentives offering via mobile text message marketing.
Just by building a relationship with your customers, you will radically increase their loyalty to your brand as well as the advertising spend that you currently receive from them. SMS messaging can be used for cross-selling, up-selling and direct selling.

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How does mobile marketing work?

With SMS advertising, you as a vendor text message advertisements to your prospective customers who have requested to receive them from you. You give your prospect a special keyword to text to a number, much like a telephone number. When they do so, they receive a text message back asking them to confirm that they wish to subscribe. Then, when you wish to send a promotion out to your customers, you can do so. If you are a pizza restaurant, for example, and are having a slow Saturday, you can instantly text your prospective customers that anyone who buys a large pizza before 2:00 pm, gets 3 free toppings. Before you know it, you may find people lined up outside the door to buy a pizza.


Mobile marketing is the fastest growing marketing strategy these days to promote brands, businesses, services and organizations. Dentists and Doctors can save time and money by texting their patients to remind them about their upcoming appointment. Or, let them know when it is time for a checkup. A convention can text participants about last minute hotel openings, or special deals restaurants are offering. A market can instantly text out their ‘blue light special’ for the day. Night clubs can text out who is playing on Friday night. The possibilities are endless.

Compared to print, radio, television or other traditional kinds of advertising, mobile marketing is inexpensive, immediate and personal. A cell phone is a personal device. When a person leaves the house, they take with them three things – their purse or wallet, their car keys and their mobile phone. There is a greater connection between a business and a customer when sending a text message than a billboard, for example. It is no wonder that mobile marketing has established itself as one of the fastest growing marketing channels today with predicted four-fold growth over the next four years.

Mobile marketing is a viable new way to create customer loyalty, increase awareness and boost sales. With smartphones and tablets on the upswing, text message advertising is destined for rapid growth. Text message marketing is being adopted among consumers who use their mobile device 24/7. It provides a means to connect to a potential customer when they are most likely to buy. Mobile marketing is poised to explode into a $50 billion dollar industry by 2015. Are you ready to catch the mobile marketing wave to propel your business to a brand new level?

Mobile marketing provides something no other form of advertising can – instant traffic. In fact, a good name for text message marketing is ‘real-time marketing.’ Your customers receive your message or promotion instantly. Unlike other forms of advertising or even email, 90% of text messages get opened, and most get responded to within five minutes. This is as close to ‘real time’ as one can get.

Not only is mobile marketing ‘real-time,’ but it is highly effective. Mobile coupons have a redemption rate of 15% to 40%. Compare this to traditional print coupons, which are redeemed at less than 2%, and you can see the effectiveness of text message marketing. One reason for this is that proper mobile marketing is opt-in, meaning that customers must choose to subscribe to your company or organization’s messages. Because of this, it is often less intrusive than other methods of advertising. Your customers are expecting the message, which improves the response.

How does mobile marketing work? With SMS advertising, you as a vendor text message advertisements to your prospective customers who have requested to receive them from you. You give your prospect a special keyword to text to a number, much like a telephone number. When they do so, they receive a text message back asking them to confirm that they wish to subscribe. Then, when you wish to send a promotion out to your customers, you can do so. If you are a pizza restaurant, for example, and are having a slow Saturday, you can instantly text your prospective customers that anyone who buys a large pizza before 2:00 pm, gets 3 free toppings. Before you know it, you may find people lined up outside the door to buy a pizza.

Mobile marketing is the fastest growing marketing strategy these days to promote brands, businesses, services and organizations. Dentists and Doctors can save time and money by texting their patients to remind them about their upcoming appointment. Or, let them know when it is time for a checkup. A convention can text participants about last minute hotel openings, or special deals restaurants are offering. A market can instantly text out their ‘blue light special’ for the day. Night clubs can text out who is playing on Friday night. The possibilities are endless.

Compared to print, radio, television or other traditional kinds of advertising, mobile marketing is inexpensive, immediate and personal. A cell phone is a personal device. When a person leaves the house, they take with them three things – their purse or wallet, their car keys and their mobile phone. There is a greater connection between a business and a customer when sending a text message than a billboard, for example. It is no wonder that mobile marketing has established itself as one of the fastest growing marketing channels today with predicted four-fold growth over the next four years.

Mobile marketing is a viable new way to create customer loyalty, increase awareness and boost sales. With smartphones and tablets on the upswing, text message advertising is destined for rapid growth. Text message marketing is being adopted among consumers who use their mobile device 24/7. It provides a means to connect to a potential customer when they are most likely to buy. Mobile marketing is poised to explode into a $50 billion dollar industry by 2015.

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