Advertising in all its forms

OK, a bit more scut work and I think the mundane laying of the foundation for this blog will be completed.

There are many, many forms of advertising. Here are some of the most common: advocacy, comparative, cooperative, educational, goodwill, informational, institutional, persuasive, placement (movies/TV shows), product, purpose, reminder, point-of-purchase and specialty.

Can I cover all of them here? It is my hope that I will find examples from each that impress me, or make me cringe. The discussion could be fun.

The delivery vehicles are also important to address. Why? Some products, services or objectives of advertising simply cannot be achieved with or without certain media in the mix. If “words can not adequately describe it,” or, “you have to see it to believe it,” are expressed, then is it suitable for radio? Are opportunities to significantly improve ROI missed due to an inadequate or inappropriate media mix? Hmmm. Will I know it when I see it? Double hmmm.

In today’s society, the types of media are almost too numerous to list, so I’m only going to mention the most common ones here: television, radio, print, direct mail, outdoor (this bucket includes everything, from billboards to retail signs to static transit ads and the rapidly emerging out-of-home digital screens) web, and telephone (landline and mobile with screens). Did I miss any?

You already know I love television advertising; will I delve into the others? You betcha. I dig radio! Sometimes even moreso than TV. It engages the theater of mind, inviting the listener to create the scene in his or her head. It’s magic when it works.

Admittedly, I haven’t paid as much attention to print ads as I used to, primarily because I’m not exposed to them. I receive three sports magazines in the mail: one weekly and the others monthly, and a university alumni publication each quarter. That’s it. Did you notice I don’t have a newspaper subscription? Am I atypical? You tell me: how many print publications do you receive or read each week? How many are monthly?

Web ads. I’m going to make a concerted effort to be aware of my online behavior with regards to banners, interstitials and other forms of advertising deployed on web sites. There is a lot of great work being done online. I’m confident this medium is in its infancy and the potential for innovative and creative advertising is yet to be completely comprehended. Some of us may find ourselves right in the thick of it, intimately involved in the evolution. How cool would that be?

I feel like this post has meandered. Has it? Here’s what I meant to convey:

=> there are many forms of advertising; I expect to discuss most

=> there are many delivery vehicles; not all are appropriate for some messages, products, services or audiences and I’ll consider this when discussing some campaigns

=> the web is a new frontier, we probably have yet to comprehend its potential and I don’t know what I don’t know so let’s explore and learn together

Now for a strong finish. Here’s another television ad that still makes me giggle.

What an excellent script:

Boy Friday: Is that your new Sprint Phone?

The Man: Uh-huh. With Sprint’s new Fair and Flexible plans, no one can tell me what to do. I can talk when and how I want. It’s my little way of sticking it to the man.

Boy Friday: But, you are the man.

The Man: I know.

Boy Friday: So you’re sticking it to yourself.

The Man: (slight pause) Maybe.

That’s it - very crisp and economical, and flawlessly delivered by the talent.

Can you believe this ran in 2005? The commercial still seems fresh to me. That’s staying power.