Finding customers who
remain loyal to their brands
has always been a difficult task for advertisers. But the
modern advertisers invest on every avenue that gives them the route to make
a lasting impact on the customers. Getting customers to the store
and then converting them into revenue generators requires a lot of
ground work. Instead of bombarding them with regular promos
and advertisements through TVs, newspapers, billboards,
etc., advertisers are now focusing on innovative techniques, like
using celebrities to promote a product. They are using filmstars or the
lead actors in the movies to talk about their brands/products.
Advertisers, in the recent years, have shifted towards a new concept
called `Covert Advertising'. This type of advertising aims at raising
the image of a brand or name and helps it to become both recognizable
and memorable to the target audience. It involves embedding a product
or a brand name in a movie or any kind of media. It usually does not
involve any explicit mention of the product but the product is shown as
a general item in the hands of the lead role or as a natural part of the
movie/TV show.
Brand placement has always been an important issue and one
of the most crucial Ps of the 4Ps, the rest being
price, product and promotion of the marketing mix strategy. If we observe the
transition that has taken place in advertising over the years, we can observe
that companies have targeted customers by using their favorite stars in
the ads. Now, instead of engaging celebrities to promote a brand,
ad companies are sponsoring/using films to advertise a particular
brand. These methods of attracting customers have gathered
steam over the last few years. For instance, in Simon Fuller's Great
American Idol competition for the search of musical talent, Coca-Cola cans
were placed on the judge's table to catch the viewers' attention. |
