What is the advertising strategy?
Advertising strategy is a plan to reach and persuade customers to buy a product or service. The main elements of this plan are:
1) The product itself and its benefits.
2) The customer and his characteristics.
3) The relative advantages of alternative routes through which the customer can learn about the product.
4) Optimization as a result of choosing budget constraints.
In fact, this means that in advertising strategy the objectives must be clear, the environment must be understood, the means must be ranked, and the choices must be made based on the available resources. Effective product evaluation, market definition, media analysis and budget selection lead to an optimal plan. (It is never a complete program because resources are always limited).
Advertising strategy and positioning statement
A formal advertising strategy is based on a “positioning statement,” a technical term that simply means:
What is the company's product or service, how is it differentiated from competing products and services (product or service values) and how does it reach the customer? A positioning statement covers the first two of the four items listed above.
The positioning statement should also implicitly include the profile of the target customer and the reasons for purchasing the product or service.
Advertising strategy and target consumer
The target consumer is a complex mix of people. First of all, it involves the person who ultimately buys the product. The latter includes those who decide what goods to buy in certain circumstances (but do not actually buy them). Finally, it includes those who influence the purchase of products (children, spouse and friends). In practice, the business owner knows how to advise the advertising agency about the target consumer to prepare the advertising strategy.
Advertising strategy and communication media
Once the product and its environment are understood and the target consumer is identified, the routes to reach the consumer must be evaluated.
Five main channels available to business owners:
Printing: catalogs, brochures, newspapers and magazines.
radio
Promotional video and teaser.
World Wide Web.
Direct email.
Outdoor advertising: billboards, public transport advertising.
Each of the available channels has its own advantages, disadvantages and cost models.
Therefore, the important step in formulating an advertising strategy is the fourth point that was raised at the beginning. How to make the optimal choice according to the budget limits, to reach the maximum number of target consumers with the appropriate message.
Advertising strategy and implementation
Advertising campaign is personally different from advertising strategy, but the purpose of strategy is to lead to implementation.
Artwork, visuals, music – in fact all aspects of the campaign – should reflect the strategy as a whole. This is especially important when using multiple channels: for example print, TV and direct mail. To achieve maximum coherence, many effective advertisers provide a unifying theme for all elements that ultimately reach the consumer, expressed as an image, slogan, or combination.