Different Types of Advertising
On the morning of July 19, the hit AMC show “Mad Men” scored 17 nominations, a total which tied for the most. The show has been widely acclaimed by critics and fans for its vivid period detail and its engrossing storylines. The show’s writing is often singled out, as it should be; not only do the writers consistently craft engaging plots for their incredibly well-rounded characters, they also conjure some ingenious advertising campaigns. After all, “Mad Men” centers around an ad agency. The show’s hero (If you can really call him that) is Don Draper, a charming and astute creative director at a New York firm. As repugnant of a human being he can be, Draper would be able to tell you a lot about advertising. Given that the show is set in the 1960s though, he may not know some of the modern techniques. Ultimately, there are an abundance of advertising methods.
Guerilla Marketing
Guerilla marketing is essentially non-traditional advertising, and is often utilized when the advertising budget is small. Advertisers using guerilla marketing will do such things as plant fliers and pamphlets on car windshields in a parking lot, or spray graffiti in specific locations. This kind of advertising is more likely to come into play for the promotion of events, like small concerts or university functions.
Print Advertising
Now, a form of advertising Don Draper would be more familiar with. When a product decides to place ads in a magazine, a newspaper or a newsletter, this fits into the category of print advertising. In fact, any kind of advertisement that is published would fall into that category arguably.
Online Advertising
I bet the mad men would be flabbergasted if you told them about this new medium. Any advertisement that can be found on, say, underneath the sidebar, or indeed anywhere on a webpage would be considered online advertising. The page which you are reading this article on is likely feature an advertisement, probably multiple. Ad revenue keeps the internet afloat, just as it does with the newspaper industry.
Product Placement
Remember the scene in “E.T.” when Elliott draws the alien toward him by placing a line of Reese’s pieces? It’s an endearing scene, and it made the Hershey’s company a lot of money. They paid $1 million to have the filmmakers use their candy for the scene, and it paid off. This is quite possibly the most famous example of product placement, when a company strategically places its product in a film or television show.
Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertising is a fairly broad term. It’s as it sounds: Any advertising that is outdoors would fall under this category. Prime examples include the use of billboards, posters and signs on bus benches.
Broadcast Advertising
This is the type of advertising that just about every ad agency allocates most of their resources towards. Simply put, this is the type of advertising that one finds on television and on radio. While this kind of advertising can be quite expensive, many media scholars would argue that is the most effective, given the average consumer exposure.
Mobile Advertising
This is another form of advertising that Don Draper could not comprehend, even with his active imagination. Even in today’s tech age it’s still something that Madison Avenue has only started recently. These ads can be discovered on devices such as a cell phone or tablet, typically in games and apps. Mass text messages also apply.
“Mad Men” beautifully depicts the generational shift of the last fifty years, and the cultural and sociological differences of years past and the modern America. But advertising has remained a constant, and as long as there are products, it always will.
Matt Maxwell loves writing about the business world. He contributes to businessbroker.net, and is primarily interested in businesses for sale.
