We encounter it daily in countless forms. Whether on TV, online, or on billboards – advertising is everywhere. And for good reason. As a founder or freelancer, you know that it’s hard to gain customers without advertising. But what exactly is advertising?
Spoiler: Advertising is not just about selling.
Advertising is marketing and marketing is advertising, right? Wrong! These terms are often used interchangeably, but advertising is just one instrument within the marketing mix. It covers only a small part of it. What exactly advertising is, what goals it pursues, and what makes good advertising successful – you’ll find all that in this article.
What is advertising?
Advertising is the planned influence on a specific group of people. Admittedly, that still sounds a bit cryptic. In essence, advertising is a message designed to influence your target audience in a particular way. Most of the time, this message aims to create needs or desires so that people buy products or services. This is why advertising is often referred to as the “art of selling.” But advertising isn’t (only) about selling.
The goals of advertising can vary greatly and depend on the product, the advertising environment, the stage of the customer journey, and the overall marketing strategy. Don’t worry – we’ll dive deeper into this next.
What goals does advertising pursue?
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Acquiring new customers: |
The message should appeal to people who have never interacted with the product before, opening up new target groups. |
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Informing: |
Potential customers are informed about a specific product feature or innovation. |
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Generating interest: |
The message should spark initial interest and curiosity and awaken first needs. |
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Motivating: |
The ad should encourage the audience to engage more deeply with the product or service. |
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Strengthening interest: |
Individuals already motivated to purchase are supported in their decision, so they finalize the purchase and don’t switch to a competitor. |
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Triggering purchase incentives: |
A final purchase impulse should convince the customer to buy now, e.g., through a discount code or added value. |
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Market penetration: |
The product should establish a strong position in the target market. |
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Customer loyalty: |
The message should strengthen customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases. |
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Brand image: |
The ad should maintain or improve the company’s image. |
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Socializing: |
The advertising message should convey certain values and unite people around a topic, e.g., “don’t drink and drive.” |
As you can see, advertising is not just advertising: depending on your business goals and the stage your potential customer is at, your advertising message serves different purposes. That’s why it’s essential to define an advertising strategy. In this strategy, you outline your goals, how you want to achieve them, and through which media channels you will distribute your ads.
What types of advertising are there?
Depending on the medium, the type of advertising also varies. We distinguish between “above-the-line” and “below-the-line” advertising.
Everything “above-the-line” is highly visible to the general public. This includes classic media used to reach broad audiences, such as newspaper ads, TV and radio commercials, billboards, and cinema ads. Advertising aimed at a smaller, selected audience is “below-the-line.” This type of advertising is often more personal, creative, and subtle. Think sponsorships, social media posts, email lists, bonus programs, VIP offers, etc.
What makes good advertising?
Good advertising sends a stimulus that “activates” your target group. In our context, “activate” means to “arouse.” Good advertising should capture attention and spark interest in the ad. In other words, good advertising sends a stimulus that first makes your audience receptive to the advertising message. Truly great advertising simultaneously triggers an impulse that influences the audience to take a specific action. In short: you achieve exactly what you set out to do with your target audience.
Activation occurs through the design of your ad. There are typically three types of stimuli:
- Cognitive stimuli (surprise effect, conflicts, ambiguity)
- Physical stimuli (loudness, colors, rapid cuts, etc.)
- Emotional stimuli (babies, animals, death, love, eroticism)
The last one is also the reason why many brands still rely on “sex sells.” It works.
Principles of advertising
Good advertising follows certain principles. Not only for legal reasons but also for ethical and moral ones. Advertising measures are guided by five core principles: truth, clarity, originality, effectiveness, and efficiency.
Advertising promises must be truthful and not misleading. The message must be clear and understandable. The ad should be unique and not copied from competitors. The advertising message should work and achieve its purpose but always remain cost-effective. You should always spend less on advertising than what you earn from the resulting sales.
If you’ve read this far, you now understand the most important points about advertising. If anything is unclear or you have further questions, feel free to leave a comment.
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