TYPES OF MEDIADepending upon the nature of customers advertising media can be classified in 2 broad categories

Media for business customers Media for non business customers.

Media for Business CustomersBusiness and trade publications India today Business today Economic times Political weekly are some of the trade news papers that contain advertisements for products meant for industrial use.

AdvantagesOffered to selective groups therefore reaches the target customersIt can be used for customers across the industries or customers who are interested in particular technology.For ex- business people refer to business today magazine rather than other media.

DisadvantagesIt lacks the flexibility of changing advertisements till the next publication ie change in product specification cannot be communicated to customers till the next publication.Costly form of advertising.

Trade DirectoriesMany states and private firms publish local directories which present information about manufacturers and resellers.

Provides relevant information.

Advantages Elaborate information can be obtained about manufacturer's and middlemen's according to the products they produce and sell.Suppliers can update their information.Credible source of information

DisadvantagesInformation provided in these directories is also available on computers, phone calls, fax and e-mails.Money invested in these directories is wasted unless customers buy them for their regular use.

Media For Non Business CustomersDirect mailTelemarketingPrint mediaTelevisionFilmsRadioOutdoor advertisingOnline advertising

DIRECT MAIL

Messages are targeted towards specific readers when the company wants to announce the new product or altering the existing one. company prepares the mailing list of the customers and send them mails.

AdvantagesCost effectiveLess time consumingThere is secrecy in advertisement hence no competition within same medium.It is personalized form of advertisement, as they give personal attention to customers.Advertisers can convey lengthy details about the product.

DisadvantagesNot suitable for mass scale advertisement.Many readers dont read the mail.Continuous updating of the mailing list is a difficult task.Unless not properly designed with respect to the idea to be presented,cutomers to whom it will be presented will not have any effect.

TELE MARKETINGCustomers are contacted through telephones. It is also known as phone sales.Substitute for face to face selling.Salesmen make phone calls to their existing and potential customers about the new product and changes in the existing product, changes in prices, additional service

AdvantagesIt enhances effectiveness of trade publications and direct mail advertising

It enables the advertiser to get immediate feedback on his information from the buyer.

DisadvantagesBuyers do not generally respond on phone to marketers who are new to them.

Not suitable for mass advertisement

PRINT MEDIANEWSPAPERS

MAGAZINES

NEWSPAPER SUPPLIMENTS

NEWSPAPER

Most popular medium of advertisement due to widest circulation.Advertisers choose a newspaper depending upon its circulation,cost ,acceptability among the consumers whom they want to reach.

CLASSIFIEDSCarries messages in precise form.Fixed place in the newspaper.Eg. Matrimonial, wanted, tender notice, auction etc.

NON CLASSIFIEDSCarries messages in detail & attractive manner.Gives full information about products & producers. No Fixed place in the newspapers.

ADVANTAGES OF NEWSPAPERIt is flexible news can be changed according to the market situation.Benefit of timely information reaching the customers.Wide market coverage.Widely accepted.Use pictures & illustrations.

Cost effective.Continuous reminder to consumers about the product & prices.Provides huge revenues to publishers.Well organised sections for each area.

DISADVANTAGESCannot approach the illiterate of the society.Casual readers do not read whole newspaper.The reader looks only for relevant pages & news, so advertiser may not get relevant attention.

MAGAZINESUses colour & illustrations to convey product information to readers.

Advertisers choose the magazine depending upon the nature of readers, popularity of the magazine & the cost of space required in it.

GENERAL MAGAZINESThey are read at leisure.Contains lengthy advertisements.Content is meant for general appeal.Eg India Today, Filmfare, Cosmopolitan.

SPECIALIST MAGAZINES Cater to specific readership & target group.Helps advertisers to target a particular segment of consumers.Eg Femina, tinkle, CSR.

ADVANTAGES OF MAGAZINESHigh geographic & demographic selectivity.Enjoys credibility & prestige.Colours & illustrations gives high quality reproduction.Long term impact- readers can reopen the magazines & have a look at the advertisements.High readership as readers read magazine at leisure & enjoy the magazines.

DISADVANTAGESCostly form of advertisement- high quality paper, colour & preparation.Lack of flexibility- changes cannot be made until the next publication.It does not have a mass appeal.Timely information of arrival of a new product is not possible.

RADIOAudio system of advertisement.Has a mass appeal.Can be listened both inside & outside the homes.With the growth in usage of mobiles the popularity of radio has increased manifolds.

ADVANTAGESLow cost per exposure.Used for commercial & non commercial products.Flexible & timely.Accessible source for both literates & illiterates, rich & poor, rural & urban.It is a mobile means of communication.Spoken words are more effective than written words.

DISADVANTAGESFleeting exposure- viewers can not go back to it for recollecting the details till it appears again on the screenIt offers only the audio presentation of advertisement.Detail message cannot be announced over the radio.Low attention value.

TELEVISIONUses audio & video .Fast growing medium.Mostly preferred because of its uniqueness & reach.Reaches audience like face to face contact.Full opportunity for products demonstrations.

ADVANTAGESUsed for commercial & non commercial buyers.It can reach mass audience.It can reach secondary & tertiary markets which are not within the reach of distributors and salespersons.

Provides an efficient combination of sound, picture & motion.Power to attract customers.Flexible

DISADVANTAGESCostly Affordable to only big business firms.Customers switch over to other channels during commercials thus adv go unnoticed.It offers a fleeting exposure.

FILMSIt is a newer form of advertising.Products are advertised through placement in movies.Advertising is done in an ingenious manner so as to increase the recall value among the viewers.People recognise the brand with a particular movie.Leads to formation of fads.

OUTDOOR ADVERTISINGIt makes use of posters, handouts, display boards, neon sign boards to advertise the information.

HOARDINGS, BANNERS, POSTERS & NEON SIGNS

ADVANTAGESHighly flexible.Non expensive.High degree of geographical selectivity- hoardings can be put up where sellers anticipate a market.Advertisements are noticeable while people are moving in cars, standing at bus stops, sitting in park.

DISADVANTAGESThey are subject to vagaries of weather.Not many people notice these advertisements.Less attractive than magazine adv.They are viewed as environment pollutants.

ON-LINE ADVERTISINGIt uses theInternetandWorld Wide Webfor deliveringmarketingmessages to attract customers Ex- contextual ads onsearch engine ,results pages,banner ads,Social network advertising,,online classified advertising,advertising networksande-mail marketing, includinge-mail spam.

ADVANTAGESImmediate publishing of information and content.Not limited by geography or time. It allows for the customization of advertisements, including content and posted websites. For example,AdWords,Yahoo! Search Marketingand GoogleAdSenseenable ads to be shown on relevant web pages or alongside search results of related keywords.

DISADVANTAGESOnline adv can not be used for all kind of products so companies should take care of which products to adv through internet.

Floating ad: An ad which moves across the user's screen or floats above the content

Pop-up: A new window which opens in front of the current one, displaying an advertisement, or entire webpage

Video ad: similar to a banner ad, except that instead of a static or animated image, actual moving video clips are displayed.

Mobile ad: anSMStext or multi-media message sent to a cell phone.

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES SNS have emerged as a new platform for adv.In 2009 there was increase of about 82% users of SNS.Most of the online users are youngsters. advertisers have to understand that hw to reach these users and convert them into customers. Ex- facebook,orkut,hi5,myspace.

ADVANTAGESIt is helpful for those companies who target youngsters.students of a particular college ,employees of a particular co can also be targeted.. users discuss with their friends about the brands leading to word to mouth publicity.

DISADVANTAGESUsers are more engaged with the content of the site rather than the add. SNS are often used by internet savvy users and hence are aware of their strategies and they tend to block these adds.