Advertisement Copy & Media

Advertisement Copy
Meaning: A “Copy” means a written matter in any advertisement. It may consist only one
word or many words. A copy consists of headlines, subheads, captions etc. The copy
supports the illustration and contains description of the products merits, demerits, uses,
services etc. A copy is the heart of an advertisement. It shoulders the responsibility for
influencing the buyers.

Characteristics of a Good Copy:

1) Brevity: A copy should be brief because readers have no time to go through the
lengthy text and they must be able to, read within a short time. So a copy should use
simple language and small and easy words. The message should be concise and
precise.
2) Clarity: A copy should be self-explanatory. The message to be delivered must be
clear at first reading.
3) Aptness: The message should be pointed towards the prospects. It must have a tone
agreeable to the respects. The viewers’ attention should be led to the product and the
message should be coached in such a way that it would create interest in the readers to
read the message.
. 4. Interesting: A copy should be interesting-provoking. It must stimulate the readers’
curiosity to read the message. The reader should himself decide to read, the message in
detail.
5) Sincerity: Sincerity can be achieved by using acts and quoting figures.
6) Vague generalizations or stray opinions must be avoided. Sincerity can be achieved if the
copy contains one or two illustrations so that the message will have an instantaneous
appeal.
7. Personal: The message should be directly addressed to the readers so that every reader
forms the opinion that it is directed to him only. This kind of direct personal attitude catches
and retains the reader’s or listener’s attention.
8) Convincing: A copy provides information with a view to create in the mind of a reader
first a desire and then a conviction to possess the product. This means that the copy should
be persuasive enough to lead the readers towards buying the product.
Basis of Copywriting
Contents of an ad-cop
• Headline
• communicates the selling point Subhead
• includes important information not included in the headline
• stimulates more reading
• Call to action or close
• Logo or Tagline

Types of headlines
• News
• Self-interest or target specific
• Claim
• Directive or command
• Offer advice
• Horn blowing
• Slogan, label, or logo
• Curiosity
Tips on copywriting
• Length determined by familiarity
• Brief
• Memorable
• Avoid generalities
• Use facts, not claims
• Copy must flow from the headline
 Elements of Copy
1. Main Headline: A headline in advertising grabs the attention much like a
newspaper's headline. An advertising headline is designed to be the first copy the
potential customer reads. Bold, large font size and various colours are some of the
methods used to make the headline stand out from copy.
2. Sub-Headlines: At times, some ads have more than one headline. Of these, one is
usually the main headline, and the others are sub-headlines. There may be overlines
- that precede the main headline and there can underlines - that follow the main
headline. The sub headlines are used to support or to complete the meaning of the
main headline.
3. Body Copy: It refers to the text of the advertising message. Favourable information about
the product and its features is provided in the copy text. It is through effective copy writing
the audience can be converted into prospects and the prospects into customers.
4. Captions: Captions do form part of copy text. Captions are small sentences that seem to
come out the mouth of the people shown in the ads. Comic strip type of copy make use of
captions.
5. Slogans: Advertising slogans are short, often memorable phrases used in advertising
campaigns. They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or
more aspects of a product. Most ads do make use of slogan. It is a small catchy phrase used
to sum up the advertising message.
6. Logo: Logos or signature cuts are special designs of the advertiser or its products which
are used to facilitate identification. There is no rule as to where a logo should be placed.

Types of Advertisement Copy:

1. Scientific Copy: A Scientific copy is prepared for technical products describing about
the features, advantages, uses, contents and all the technical details about it. It is
prepared for machineries, computers etc. Scientific copy is directed, towards well
versed customers who know about the product.
2. Descriptive Copy: It is a non-technical copy presented in such a manner that any layman
can easily understand. It does not require a professional expert to the copy. It is just an
ordinary, announcement of a new items.
3. Narrative Copy: It is in the form of a fictitious story which narrates the uses advantages,
after effect etc., of the product. The story narrated is humorous to make it interesting
4. Topical Copy: This copy establish a connection between the product and a particular
happening e.g., A watch company may advertise that those who were successful in climbing
Mount Everest had with them the watches of the company thus proving their excellent
quality.
5. Personality Copy: This copy takes advantages of the opinion of an important personality.
The statements are made by leading personalities like sportsman, film actors, politicians etc.
Their statements act as certificates about the superior quality to increase the sales.

6. Colloquial Copy: In this type, informal language may be used to convey the message. The
terms which are used in daily conversation are in the copy.
7. Reasoning Copy: It is one which reasons to the customer as to why he should buy a
product. This copy explains to the customer in detail all the particular product must be
purchased.
8. Questioning Copy: In this type, the text asks one or more questions to readers not for any
answer but only for the sake of response to it. For e.g. Do you want a quiet holiday in
Summer?
9. Prestige Copy: In this type, the position and prestige of the customer is emphasized. It
creates a favourable atmosphere by changing the position of the customer for the sale of
product. Normally luxury items are advertised by such copies.

Copywriting :
Copywriting is the skill of choosing the right words and technique of arranging them smartly
to promote business, product, service, idea, or a person. The selection of words and its
presentation largely depends upon the media through which it is planned to convey. For
example, depending on whether it is a newspaper, magazine, hoarding, radio, television, or
internet, the script will vary accordingly.
Elements of Copywriting:
a) Heading − Headline gives the first impression and lasts on readers’ mind, therefore, it
should be eye-catching. Heading should tell– what it is all about your ad in a very few words,
ranging from 3 to 30 words.
) Body copy − Write body copy in such a way that it seems as the continuity of the heading.
Provide details of all the features and benefits that you are claiming for. The language
should be promising and trustworthy.
c) Slogans - A well-written and effective slogan is a trustworthy brand representative.
However, your slogan should be small and crispy giving meaning to your brand.
d) Taglines − Taglines are usually used for literary products to reinforce and strengthen the
audience's memory of a literary product
e) Jingle Lyrics − More often accompanied with background music, jingle lyric is a short
slogan, tune, or verse written to be easily remembered.
) Scripts (for audio and video ad) − Scripts are the descriptions of an ad that narrates the
dialogues, actions, expression, and movements of characters. Since, script is a complete
guidelines of an ad; therefore, it should be written meaningfully, orderly, and nicely.
Media -
The term ‘media’ means “channels of communication”. Advertising media refers to the
various media channels through which advertising is done. Advertising media is used for
showcasing promotional content which is communicated in various forms such as text,
speech, images, videos using TV, radio, online, outdoor etc.
Traditional media has been used in the advertising world for years. These include
newspaper, magazines, radio, television, outdoor, cinema advertising, and direct mail and so
on. Traditional media are the most common form utilized by advertisers since decades. Over
the course of last years, more businesses are making use of new age media to reach target
audience. The new age media is said to be the future of advertising, social media
advertising, mobile advertising and so on. Each of these are means in which businesses have
the capability to reach consumers and other business.

Factors to Be Considered While Selecting Media/ Media Vehicle –

1. Nature of the product: The type of the product affects the choice of media. Mass media
are used for advertising consumer products; while trade magazines can be effectively used
to advertise industrial products. Products of daily use can be effectively advertised through
newspapers or radio.
2. Advertising Budget: It is one of the most important factors to be taken into account while
making the choice of the media. In case of limited funds, use of expensive media like
television and radio cannot be made.
3. Competitor’s Strategy: An advertiser’s media decisions are influenced by the competitor’s
strategy. Since the advertiser tries to reach the same audience as his competitors, he may
use the same media mix used by the competitors.
4. Target Audience: The advertiser has to consider the type of consumers to whom the
message has to be directed. The media selected must reach the desired group of people. For
example, cosmetics can be effectively advertised through women magazines.
5. Advertising Objectives: The advertising objectives affect the choice of the media. For
example, if the objective is to create awareness about the brand then the advertiser is likely
to go for more media options.
6. Availability of Media Space & Time: Media space and time have to be booked in advance
especially in case of popular media slots. This is due to tremendous increase in competitive
activity.
7. Media Restrictions: At times, certain restrictions are placed either by the government or
by the media itself. For example, in India the government does not permit advertisements
of cigarettes and alcoholic drinks .
8. Language: In India, this an important consideration. Depend upon the particular linguistic
group to be reached, a particular language newspaper or television and radio programme
must be used. For example, if the product has to be advertised in Maharashtra, use of
Marathi newspapers can be made.
9. Prestige of the Media: Prestige of the advertising medium may be transferred to the
advertised product. For example, when advertising appears in the Times of India, the image
of the newspaper may be transferred to the advertised product. This enhances the status of
the advertiser and adds to his goodwill.
10. Media Flexibility: Flexibility refers to the ability of the media to adapt to changing needs
of the advertisers. Newspaper advertising enjoys flexibility as the advertisements can be
changed or withdrawn by giving a short notice to the publisher.

Types of Media:
(1) Print Media : Print media refers to paper publications circulated in the form of
physical editions of books, magazines, journals and newsletters.
• Newspaper Advertising:- Newspapers have always been one the most important
advertising media. In our country, newspapers virtually reach most of the homes in
the cities and many members of the family read them.
• Magazine Advertising: Magazine advertising is another form of press publicity.
Magazines are periodic publications. i) General consumer magazines such as Readers
Digest, The Illustrated weekly, India Today etc. ii) Women magazines such as femina,
women’s Era, Eves Weekly etc. iii) Film magazines such as stardust, star and style etc.
iv) Sports Magazines such as Sports Star, Sports Week etc.
(2) Radio Advertising:
Radio broadcasts started in India in 1927 with two privately owned transmitters at
Bombay and Calcutta. In 1930, the government took them over and started
operating under the name of Indian Broadcasting Service. Radio advertising takes the
form of spot announcements and sponsored programmes. Spot announcements are
short- advertisements of a duration for 15seconds to one minute.
(3) Television Advertising:
Television is a fast growing medium of mass communication in India. It is being used
extensively for advertising. It is the most effective medium of advertising due to both
audio and visual impact.
(4) Out of Home / Outdoor Advertising:
 Outdoor advertising is also known as out of home advertising. Outdoor media is the
oldest means of communication. Outdoor advertising is also called mural advertising.
It includes posters, painted displays, electric displays, vehicular ads and so on.

(5) Cinema/Film Advertising:

Cinema advertising refers to advertising at cinema theatres. It takes the form of
slides or short film of products that are screened at cinema houses.

Internet Advertising :
Internet advertising can be defined as any form of communication between a
consumer and a publisher, that incorporates advertisements by emails, search
engine results pages, banners etc. The main goal of the Internet advertising is
increasing sales that can be achieved by attracting more consumers with an access to
the Internet.
Types of Online Advertising and Promotion:
1) Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC): This type of advertising gives information about the
number of users who ran through the publisher ads and means the necessity to pays
only after clicking on it.
2) Social media advertising : is the next kind of online advertising that is commonly
used. This can be widely seen at such famous social networks as Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram, You Tube, Whatsapp, etc.,
3) Mobile advertising is a way of advertising products with the help of mobile devices.
4) Display advertising is a form of the Internet advertising which consists of the
following techniques. - banner ads – a graphic image on a website with a catchy and
concise information. Banners may include some flash headers or videos in order to
attract consumers; text ads; pop-ups and pop-unders are ads that appear on the
top or under the current web-page that a user views; videos, flash etc.
5) E-mail advertising is a form of online advertising which involves receiving ads via
electronic letters.
6) 6) Landing page:
(a) Click-through Page– one of the simplest type of landing pages and main purpose
of it is to “warm up” visitors towards a product and inform them about offer while
getting them to “click-through”;
(b) Lead Capture Page is more than just a click-through landing page as its intent is
to gather personal data (name, email address, etc.) of visitors by asking them to fill
the client forms. It gives a possibility to built client databases;
 (c) Pitch Page helps to attract customers to a product by advertising the product and
its features. The product pitch page showcases product and keeps the product in the
center of attention;
(d) Sales Page is a standalone page used to sell a products or services. So it’s a well
developed page with high quality of visual presentation, mentioning of sale politics,
terms, etc. The purpose of a sales page is to give the visitors all the information they
need in order to make a purchase through the page.

Mobile Advertising
The term mobile advertising refers to any form of advertising that appears on mobile
devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Companies advertise on these
devices through text ads via SMS or through banner advertisements that appear on a
mobile website. They may also be found through downloaded apps including mobile
games.
Types of Mobile Advertising:
(1) Push notifications: These are pop-ups that appear on a mobile device. These are
delivered to consumers at any time. This means users don't actually have to be on an
app in order to get a notification.
(2) Image text and banner ads: Users who click on their ads are redirected to the
advertiser's page by opening it up on a browser.
(3) Click-to-download ads: When a consumer clicks on these ads, they will route
them to the Google App or Apple App store. The destination depends on the
consumer's operating system and device.
(4) Click-to-call ads: Advertisers allow users to click on their ads in order to call them
directly with their smartphones.
(5) Click-to-message ads: A consumer who clicks on this type of ad is directed to
contact the advertiser directly via SMS.
(6) Video ads: Video advertising is a very powerful tool for any company that helps
users when they are in the decision-making process. Interactive mobile video
advertising delivers a complete visual experience, allowing the user to feel closer to
the product or service in question.
(7) Native ads: Native ads are similar to banner ads but are displayed within the
app’s natural environment so that they blend in with the flow and become less likely
to be treated as advertisements.

Benefits of Mobile Advertising

1) Large Audience: Research suggests that as much as 79% of people always have their
smartphones with them. Further, it is no surprise that most of us are always online
via mobile devices, be it social media, online shopping, emails or something else.
This makes for a huge potential customer base that brands can target.
2) Low Cost: Mobile advertising costs way lower than conventional channels such as
TV or print media. There are a wide variety of types of mobile media that you can
use to affordably connect with your brand.
3) Easy Tracking: With the advancement in technology, tracking the performance of
your mobile advertising campaign is now very easy. It offers quick and complete
analytics of data metrics such as impressions, click-through rate, likes, shares,
audience demographics and much more.
4) Quick Response: Since the target audience is almost always near to the devices, or
watching the screens, response time is very quick.
5) Geo Targeting: Once you have analyzed the received data and user demographics,
it becomes very easy to selectively target that segment of your audience which is
more likely to respond or engage in a particular advertisement.
6) Higher Conversion Rates: Thanks to the advanced targeting options, consumers
receive ads that are of some benefit to them, hence, they are also more likely to
respond to them and complete the call to action.

Social Media
The term social media refers to a computer-based technology that facilitates the
sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through virtual networks and
communities. Social media is internet- based and gives users quick electronic
communication of content, such as personal information, documents, videos, and
photos. Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, with a clear
advantage over other social media, though it has similar audiences to others like
Twitter and Instagram.
Impact of Social Media in Advertising
Promoting social media posts can help your business grow online presence and get
more customers. Social media promotion is one of the most widely-utilized, flexible,
and profitable forms of online advertising.
Pros
(1) Cost-Effectiveness: Social media advertising can be fulfilled with any budget, as the
cost is determined by clicks and impressions.
(2) Familiarity: The social media platform that you should advertise on should be the
one that is most popular among your target audience. It’s important to spend time
on that platform to fully understand and become familiar with it. Advertising on the
platform that you and your audience are most familiar with will give you an
advantage.
(3) Supporting Content: You can reach or expand your audience through a selected
type of content, such as photos, videos, and website links. All kinds of multimedia
will help make your messages more interesting and impactful.
(4) Targeting: With plenty of demographic and psychographic targeting options
available, you’re in complete control of selecting a niche segment who sees your ad.
In addition to age, gender, relationship to your business, even political affiliation, you
can target interests, hobbies, personality types, homeowner status, and more.
(5) Build Brand Loyalty: Social media gives a business an opportunity to be more
personal with their consumers. Instead of pitching a product or service, social media
allows marketers to communicate with consumers and foster long-term brand
loyalty. It was found that 71% of customers that had positive experiences with a
brand via social media recommended that company to others.
(6) Easy Metrics: It’s extremely easy to track engagement and reach on social media.
Throughout your business platforms, you can see trends in likes, comments, Tweets,
downloads, posts.

Cons
(1) High Competition: Social media is crowded. According to Adweek, over 88% of
companies have a social media presence. Thus, in order to compete effectively, you
either should invest in quality content or hire a social media manager.
(2) Education: There are no shortcuts to success, and being an effective social media
manager requires effort and a lot of learning. Even if you are savvy with social media,
there is still a lot to know about paid advertising on social media— many details
which, if you get wrong, can result in losing your audience or ruining your
reputation.
(3) Constant Monitoring: You can’t run a social media campaign without constantly
keeping an eye on it. To successfully engage with your clients, answer their feedback,
and consistently post the type of digital content that will get you noticed, you will
have to designate a significant portion of time each week to social media ad upkeep.