Introduction to Advertising by Shruthi Jain as on 07/09/2013

“If we knew what we really wanted, we’d have already bought it”  

Account Management

“Advertising may be described as the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it”

-       Stephen Leacock

“We’re in the business of words, it’s what you say and how you say”

“A strategy can’t be a 500 page document but has to be a one page document. It has to be concise.”

Business of Ideas

We each react differently to the same situations. This is owing to the fact that each one of us have different insights, experiences from which we begin to decipher or know about the stimuli.

Agencies get hired for generating ideas, the right ideas.

Attitude Shift

Cadburys famous ad, that had one girl run to the middle of the ground to celebrate the winning shot created an ‘Attitude Shift’ in the minds of consumers, Cadburys was never just meant for kids and this drove home the exact point. It suddenly opened up a whole new segment for Cadbury. Cadbury had a bigger pond to fish from.

“Anything that changes the market share of my product, only that is known as an Attitude Shift.“

Briefing is another important part in advertising. Something can be said 50,000 different ways; it is important how you say and what you say.

Effects/Influencers – Consumers

Creates – Agency

Approves – Client

Evaluates – Research

Places – Media

Research is important. It shouldn’t be the end all, be all but neither should it be discarded.

Agency Classifications

Ownership

Multinational Conglomerates (MNC)

E.g. JWT, O&M, Lowe Lintas, McCann

Local Agencies with Multinational tie-ups

E.g. Reddiffusion, Yandr, Mudra (DDB)

Local Agencies

E.g. Dhar and Hoon, Ushak Kaal

Size

Large

- 500 Crores and above in annualized billings. (‘Annualized billings’ is the amount of money that an agency spends on behalf of their clients, in various medias.) 

Medium

- 100 TO 500 Crores

Small

Less than 100 Crores in annualized billings.

Tiny Outfits

Less than 5 Crores in annualized billings.

Media has become ‘unbundled’ wherein the media arm gets to be a science on its own and thus has been separated from the traditional holds of an agency. The agency in the past would get/work on the basis of 15% of the annualized billings. Now it works on retainer accounts wherein a certain fixed amount is given for the services begotten.

Staff strength is also an important way for finding or ascertaining the financials of a company. A bigger staff strength would invariably means bigger company.

“Running a company and creativity are two different things”

Kinds of Agencies - Services

• 360 Communication Solutions E.g. JWT, O&M, Rediffusion
• Advertisng Agencies E.g. Saatchi & Saatchi
• Creative Hot Shops, small outfit for no. of creative assignments.
• Design Outfits, Specialized design/graphic solutions.  

“If you don’t upgrade your skills, you’ll lose out”

“Getting a new client is 50 times tougher”

Ad film producers

-> Expertise in film production E.g. Nirvana, Genesis

Media Services

-> Media Planning and placements E.g. Carat, Madison, Mindshare

The Full Service Agency

Advertising

Media

Outdoor

Direct Marketing

Public Relations

Events

Rural

Financial

Healthcare

Design and retail Identity

Interactive

“The one stop shop”

“We’ll always undermine the other”

“As long as they acknowledge you, they can hate you”

“80 -20 Rule” is true in life, in every aspect of it. There will be 20% of the sources doing the work of 80%.

‘Arm Chair Research – Researching anywhere and from any source’

Assignment: (Note: This is to be done by only those who were present in the class)

Analyse the advertisements that were placed on Independence Day, which happens to be a bonus day. Do so, with keeping in mind the following:

-> Relevance (of Independence Day to the brands).   

-> Did the objectives of the brand meet?

Trivia: Wire and Plastic Products - WPP