So many media choices, such little time? What is a small business owner or entrepreneur to do?

To plan a media ad campaign, the advertisers need to determine where should the ad go geographically. Which media vehicles should be used? What is the proper timing for the ad? What is the frequency, and finally, how can the ad be integrated through many communication tools. There are many media options, and more and more options become available every day. It was dvd’s and c’s for a while. Now it’s downloadable audio and video files that people can plan on an mp3 or ipod, or right on the computer Costs and choices are changing, so deciding where to put the ads are more important decisions, and much more complex.

Deciding on the audience objective means looking at what types of people the advertiser would like to reach. Determining the audience helps with the selection of the media. How and when the message should reach the audience comes next. What is contained in the message, what is the number of impressions that the target will receive, and how many different people will see, hear, or experience the message.

The final media mix will involve addressing the market, or the audience to reach. It will involve the money, how much is available in the budget. The media will be selected, this is the communication tool used to transmit the message. The mechanics involve the length, size and package of the ad. The method will involve the strategy of selection and all of the elements discussed above.

This is one of my favorite ad campaigns. I saw the first ads on the computer in a television show that I was watching online. There was a couple sitting on a vinyl couch debating something. The ad message was “what’s your epsonality?” The commercial was so cute, it did prompt me to visit the website just to see what else was there. I remember the name of the product because they put it together in a catchy way. The mix use several different delivery methods to promote the product, with the hook being the commercial. It didn’t result in a purchase of an Epson, but I did talk to my friends about how cool the commercial was.

What’s your epsonality? Or what’s your media personality? What media messages make you take note, and what elements do you enjoy the most? Keep those in mind when creating your marketing mix!

An advertising campaign is often a single part of a larger marketing strategy. When we talk about advertising in organic marketing, the actual advertisement may be a piece of paper, a page on a website, a postcard, or even a business card that is used to encourge someone to do something. The action that will be taken is the key.

A good advertising strategy will need to create awareness within people about a product or service, influence a desire, and result in an action, such as requesting more information, brining in a coupon, visiting a store’s location, or to make a purchase of a product.

For an advertising campaign or an advertisement to be successful, it needs to make sense to the audience. The better the creativity used, the more options there are to attract and influence the audience. Benefits of using the product or service should be used, the message needs to be in harmony with the brand personality, and any special company culture should be shown through the ad.

(photo by _emtaddbel @flickr cc)

Marketing and advertising seem to be words that are used in conjunction, and often mistakenly in place of one another. I would define advertising as the putting of message about a product or service out in front of those individuals that you think might have a desire to buy the product.
Advertising can be further defined as relatively non-personal in nature. Marketing could be considered a more personal, relationship building approach.
The role of advertising in today’s business is important, but is changing. With the addition of technology to the market place, especially on the internet, the rules that existed, I feel, are being re-written at every turn. The ability to get a message out to the public exists. What once took huge ad campaigns and budgets can be twittered and turn viral in an instant. The new mix includes both advertising and marketing simultaneously, with even more technology.
The options available for businesses today are almost impossible to fully comprehend. The internet, you tube, twitter, radio, print, television, search engines, and more. A target audience for a product, service, or idea can be defined and found in all of these areas. The pricing structure that existed to get a message out has grown, and gotten smaller, all at the same time depending on the media and the message used. Online technology such as twitter has the ability to get the message spread even more quickly and widespread than any large campaign.
With so many choices, companies and service providers have incredible option and opportunity. It is important to take the time to find out where to put the time needed to share messages, and continue to develop campaigns that take advantage of the media available.