Does Advertising Really Work?

Everyone really hates commercials. It seems like every 5 minutes we are forced to turn away from our favorite shows while someone blabs on about how great their product is. But hey, it's advertising. So, the question is, does advertising really work?

Television

TV commercials may be the most common form of advertising in this day and age. Everyone watches TV, right? That may be true, but does everyone watch the commercials? No! The main problem with television advertising is the mass volume of ads shown on TV. Consumers are bombarded with ads. Since not everyone needs to see every ad, we tend to block them out all together. In some sense, it's too effective. Everyone goes for the TV ad to "cover their bases", making sure they reach their target audience. However, there are many more people outside of the target group than inside it. This over advertising makes consumers turn away as soon as any commercials come on. This mass volume and lack of targeting make this an OK but not great form of advertising.

Radio

Remember that thing on the dashboard that you're forced to listen to when your iPod stops working? That ancient technology is called a radio. And, as with any other mass broadcast system, it carries ads. However, radio ads are less effective than they were in the past. Don't write them off just yet though. The fact that it is becoming less widely used lets advertisers improve targeting to a specific audience or group. For example, who listens to the radio long enough to hear your ad? Probably commuters. And, because they are not using alternatives like MP3 players and satellite radio, they probably were not born after 1970. So, you can get a moderately narrow group. Want to sell age specific insurance or perhaps used cars? Those kinds of products will fit those kinds of people. However, radio will soon become too old to be cost-effective for advertising.

Internet

This is the grand slam of advertising. The Internet is the place to go whenever a person needs something. Pretty much everything is googleable today. This is where you, the advertiser, come in. The Internet gets As in main advertising categories, such as widespread range and targetable groups. Advertising on the net is fast becoming the best form of advertising today. It can be adjusted to any budget and industry. For example, someone searches for a car lot near a certain neighborhood. You then pay on an individual basis for showing the ad or clicks on the ad. This is commonly referred to as "sponsored links". This type of advertising is great for the consumer and the advertisers. The person finds what they are looking for and is reassured that they are making a right choice by seeing the link was paid for. The advertisers get to advertise to just one person who is looking for services in their industry. Also, computer technology teams up with the World Wide Web through tracking software, such as adware. A good example of this is email recommendations made by Amazon.com. The website tracks what you are searching for and what you have bought to figure out what you may want to buy next. This is another great example of reaching just the people who will buy. If great coverage and targeting weren't enough, Internet users can also make money through other people's advertising. Take associatedcontent.com for example. I write an article on a topic. If you're business is about that topic, you get shown next to the article. In the end, I get paid, advertisers get even better ad focus, and consumers get the best results for what they want.

It is important to look into ads in magazines, newspapers, roadside billboards also. However, the success of these types can vary depending on the industry, so they are not discussed here. Whatever you choose, if you have a good product or service you will get sales using smart advertising. So what are you waiting for?