In addition to deciding upon the content, style and tone of the advertising message, the media through which the message will be communicated to the target audience must also be selected, be it television, newspaper, magazine, radio or other.
In order to select the most appropriate media, consideration should be given to the advantages and disadvantages of each of the available types of media. In the table below we have identified commonly accepted advantages and disadvantages of each of the major media. This is followed by more detailed consideration of each of these media in latter sections of the article.
ANALYSIS OF MEDIA (Television and Newspaper)
Media Type: Television
Strengths of Television as media:
- Dynamic attention getting media, combining visual, sound and animated stimulus
- Strong potential Impact & High market coverage
- Good at demonstrating products
- Enabling targeting through selection of viewing channels and slots between specific programme
- Role model advantage: here the advertisers have celebrities as endorsers. Celebes are role models of the youth and the youth always ape to be like them
- Creation of AIDA: advertising in TV attracts Attention that creates an Interest and Desire that can lead to Action in the form of final purchase
Weakness of Television as media:
- High level of initial expenditure required
- ‘Now you see it, Now you don’t’ media, in that commercials are on the screen and gone within seconds
- Poor at communicating lengthy technical information
- Time consuming to produce an ad
- TV ads alone do not suffice: in order to make the campaign successful TV ads have to be supported with other media like print or radio.
- Ads are very short to provide any detail information.
- Statutory controls: the TV ads have to adhere to the I&B rules. Surrogate advertisements have been banned
Media Type: Newspaper
Strengths of Newspaper as media:
- Targeting is possible through profiling readership
- Good level of market coverage
- Local advertising possible
- Inexpensive medium when used selectively.
- Reinforcement medium
- Can be preserved (Articles / Cuttings etc.)
Weaknesses of Newspaper as Media
- Static media, not suitable for product demonstration
- Potential for poor reproduction, sometimes limited to black and white print
- Quality of paper used is not very effective and reduces the attractiveness of ads
- Possibility of an individual advert being lost on a page of adverts
- Short-life span, i.e. yesterdays newspapers become today’s
- Rubbish Informal reading people may skip ads
