The advertising world..its a great world..

Have you ever seen an advert and you were like ''i will definitely have that product''..yes welcome to the world of  advertisement! This is where the art of playing with your senses is perfected by the money makers.

According to mashable dot com advertisement is the communication relayed from companies to persuade an audience to purchase their products.

I have always been fascinated by the Coca Cola adverts since i was young. I used to be awed by them because of the coca cola drink, it wasn't an everyday affair taking soda those days. I remember my Mom buying the 'soda madiaba' on Sundays & diving into portions to like 5 of my friends and i. That was besides the story. Moving on swiftly i now view the adverts for Coca Cola in a new way, seeing am older now..the way they involve, captivate & engage the viewer is too addictive.

Consider the below adverts;

It is said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results  is insanity but in advert that statement doesn't apply. The more adverts you have running the better for your company or business. The repetition sticks to peoples minds and influence their decisions. That's where global companies like Coca Cola keep themselves embedded in every function, sponsorship & community activities.

Influenced by the brand's rich and iconic heritage over the decades, as well as bringing to life its enduring appeal and celebrating 125 years

 It is also believed that in order for advertising to be effective, it should appeal to three innate emotions: love, fear and rage. A common method in adverts is use of commands like the below;



 BMW advert ''Don't Drink and Drive''

A Cadbury Chocolate  advert with that command aspect -- ''Go give her a real XOX. ''

Advertising can either be in motion picture or still print and can be done through television, newspapers, magazines, internet, merchandise & billboards.

The use of colour, emotions, typeface, personality, humor and day to day activities to relay the intended message.Visual content and design in advertising have a very great impact on the consumer, but it is language that helps people to identify a product and remember it.Language is persuasive and convincing and has a target market audience. 

The language of advertising is, of course, normally very positive and emphasizes why one product stands out in comparison with another.

Advertising language is Rich

Describes how and why particular media are selected to deliver a message. In richness is operationalized in terms of a medium’s ability to accomplish four goals: sending multiple cues, supporting language variety, providing immediate feedback, and allowing personal nature to be communicated.

·   Advertising language is rich in the sense that it carries every vital information to capture & appeal to their target market.

·   The target market is categorized by age, economic power and culture.

·   The language is directly used in reference to the product being advertised. It contains all the details necessary to bring attention to the product.

·   The use of slogans aid to get the point home & thereby attracts attention. For example the use of the below catchy slogans.

Special offer!
Free!
Look no further
Cheaper
Exclusive
Bargain

Finger-licking good

                                                                Zero Calories 

Advertising language is edited

Editing can be described as elimination of parts not suitable for the targeted audience and proper sequencing to achieve a smooth and unbroken flow.

·         The language used is cautious so as not to offend the diverse nature of the target market.

·         In essence it respects all aspects of the society.

·         It also acknowledges the sensitivity of the market.

·         It is edited to target a particular group of persons for example

Advertising language is arresting

Arresting in that it attracts or capable of attracting attention or interest.

·         The language used seeks to capture the attention of the audience

·         It’s able to convince and persuade the audience to purchase the product by arousing their desire

·         Most adverts feature famous personalities and models, so as to capture the eye of the audience since one gets interest.

Beyonce in a Pepsi Advert

Models advertising Coke products.

Use of Musician Taylor Swift in coke advert

Advertising language is involving

•      Cuts across every aspect of the community. It validates to interact with the audience to enhance participation.

•      It provokes thoughts, ideas and reactions.

•      The language used possess rhetorical questions in that a question is asked and the viewer or listener is supposed to answer in such a way as to affirm the product's goodness

•      It ignites curiosity that makes one want to find more or detailed information about the product.

A Michael Jackson Pepsi can 2013 was launched today for the “Bad” 25th Anniversary. PepsiCo says its Michael Jackson 2013 limited edition Pepsi soda can will be part of a marketing push globally for the beverage manufacturer.

       Source - axeetech.com

     The body paint campaign forms part of the overall Pepsi Max marketing strategy,which includes the latest Pepsi Max TV commercial. This new TV advert filmed in Africa will show the footballers covered in body paint aiming to reveal “their true colors” and showcases the Max players’ talents.

     Source - football-marketing.com

Involvement of companies in sports, road awareness & music attracts a wider recognition.

Social media, is it addictive?

Yes? No?

Social media – as most media – is habit forming. You start at first innocently & soon its a daily routine. You keep going back to check the latest trend, those pictures of your crush, that new video release..and soon it starts to mess up with your daily life. Your relationship is now in the back seat, since you have to constantly keep up with, the Kardashians, check out Rihannas latest instagram posting etc..

Check out the below stats on the social media usage adopted from Brent Matsalla of guardianlv dot com; by Jordan H. Green

Facebook has 850 million active users, and 488 million of those people use Facebook regularly on their mobile device.

In 2012, 175 million tweets were sent from Twitter every day. Thirty-two percent of all Internet users use Twitter.

Instagram had an average of 7.3 million daily active users in 2012, and they averaged 257 minutes accessing the site on their mobile device.

Google’s famous +1 ‘like’ button is clicked 5 billion times a day.

Amazing or what and still growing with each day.

Jordan H. Green on guardianlv dot com continues to validate the addictive effects of social media by referring to a recent Harvard University study that showed that disclosing personal information activates the same part of the brain that gives pleasure when a person enjoys good food, receiving money or having sex. Although the actual sensation between all of these is different, the study tells one that the human brain considers sharing experiences a pleasurable one – and part of being human is to constantly seek things which gives much pleasure.

Social media addicts become addicted not to the actual act of tweeting, friending, poking or posting, rather, they become addicted to the pleasure derived from those actions. 

 You need

Some common warning signs and symptoms of social media addiction:

• Lost Time – Do they lose track of time? Do they frequently find themselves online longer than they intended to be? Does a few minutes turn into a few hours? Do they get irritated or upset if their time online is interrupted?
• Other Tasks Don’t Get Done – Do they skip meals to stay online? Does laundry or other chores not get done? Do they stay up late online, when they do already know they need to go to bed for an early day? Do they miss appointments, meetings, or constantly run late because they spent too much time online?
• Isolation – Do they feel nobody in the real world understands them? Do they think their online friends are more important than those they have known for a long time in the real world? Have they got into arguments or even broken up with their spouse or partner because of the amount of time they spend online? Are they neglecting their family and friends because the people they interact with online seem more “real?”
• Guilty or Defensive Feelings – Do they feel guilty or get defensive about their social media habits? Are they sick of their spouse nagging them to get off the computer, or to put their smartphone down? Have they ever hidden or lied to their family and friends about what they were doing, to avoid getting nagged about their social media use? Have they ever lied or hid their social media use from their boss? Do they tend to feel guilty or shameful when others approach them while they are online?
• Nothing Beats Social Media – Do they feel a sense of euphoria while online? Have they ever used social media for sexual gratification or excitement? Do they use the Internet when they are stressed out, sad, or otherwise unhappy, to give them joy? Have they tried to limit their social media time, but failed?
• Physical Symptoms of Social Media Addiction – Do they suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, dry eyes/eye strain, back aches/neck aches, severe headaches, lack of sleep, pronounced weight loss or gain?

And the solution..maybe..

Right now – today – they can do any of the following to break their social media addiction:

• Find the Cause – Think about why they get so much pleasure out of social media. Usually, there is an underlying problem which they are escaping from by using something else – such as drugs, alcohol, or in this case – social media.
• Seek Support – Once they've figured out the underlying cause, talk to a professional therapist. They can also help them find the underlying cause too.
• Build Real Supportive Relationships – The more relationships they have in the real world, the less they’ll need to rely on the Internet and social media for interaction. Set aside time for friends and family. Join local groups and clubs which they share a common interest, such as book clubs, sports teams, or other such organizations. This way, they’ll build real relationships naturally in the real world.
• Limit Internet Use – Keep track of their social media use, log how long they stay online. Over time, set specific time limits and times when they can access the Internet, and stick to those times. Start with broad large blocks of time at first, and GRADUALLY reduce the time online. Set goals throughout the day for accomplishing in the real world, and use the Internet time as a reward for completing that goal.

Good luck in conquering the social media addiction. Remember – one is not alone.

Jordan H. Green concludes..

Social Media -- can it be tamed?

I know, you too think that the social media has gotten out of hand. We hardly have enough time to deal with the numerous info. coming out of it. Update, like, unlike, follow, tweet, re-tweet, post, pock, watch this & that... to name a few..

Can it be tamed?

If you are like me, you know that if you stay more than 3 days without opening those subscribed pages, you can never recover, i mean that info. the top stories, those latest photos & discussions they are gone. We are constantly being bombared left right & center and being out of the scene for a couple of days leaves you out of the picture for good.. to catch up with those old post that you didn't see might just leave you feeling..diiizzy..

Pam Moore, a Forbes Top 10 Social Media Woman & ''a marketing nut'' gives a few tips of taming this beast; 

1. Embrace imperfect perfection. This is the most important tip for taming your wild beast. It is never going to be perfect. Accept the fact and move on. Embrace the imperfection and don’t expect your team to be perfect either.

2. Your job is not to make everyone happy. Focus on your goals, your business and your results.

3. Don’t skip the planning. You must have a solid business plan with goals and objectives. Align the social media plan and efforts where social can have the greatest impact. If you don’t know where to start with this, then get some help. Outsource or hire a consultant who can help you. 

4.  Slow down to speed up. It is not about winning the race. It is about finishing the race with good quality, staying healthy and keeping fit so you can endure. Slow down to take time to plan, organize, hire a team, train a team. You have been without an effective social media program for this long, why not take another 30 or 60 days to get it tamed and right? 

5. Eliminate the Random Acts of Marketing (RAMS) and Random Acts of Social Media (RASMs) immediately! If it’s not in the plan, not in the budget and has no metrics to measure results then it is a RAM. RAMs like to eat ROI for breakfast and will eat your last dollar without any guilt. Don’t ignore those RAM monsters, they’ll get ya’! 

6. Know your audience. Who are they? What are they? How can you help them? If you don’t know them and you don’t know what they need or how you can help them then figure it out. Ask them on your Facebook page. Conduct a survey and hand it out at the next live event you host or attend. Conduct an online poll or survey. Do some research on your market segment. Don’t just do social or be social, be socially relevant! 

7. Prioritize what really matters. Don’t wake up each day and let you and your team run around like mad men with no head. Instead stay focused on your plan and achieving your goals. It’s easy to get caught up in the tweets and posts that take you on a tangent for an entire day. Don’t do it! 

8. You can’t do it all a once. Chances are there are many things you WANT to do but your team and budget only support a small portion of such. This is why you must develop a plan with goals as well as set priorities. You don’t have to complete everything within the next 30 days. Focus on the right stuff first and you’ll be fine. 

9. Balance both the art and science of social media. Yes, you must know the tools. However, understanding the art of social media is just as important. Anyone can learn how to use Twitter or setup a business page on Facebook. The key is how do you do such in a way that can bring your business results? 

10. Less is truly more but sometimes more is better than less. Dig into your data. When it comes to how much content you should put on your website, what kind of content etc. the data has the answers. The data may tell you that your website visitors stay on your site longer if the page has more content. Don’t just go with what everyone else is doing here. Look at your own data and make decisions based on such.

She concludes by advising that the first step is to acknowledge he ( the social media beast) exists. Second step is to deal with him as above.