Choosing the most effective media for the advertising campaign plays a crucial role in the success of the advertising campaign. The management considers a number of factors before choosing any one media. Some of these factors are- Target audience, Business Environment and Cost of advertising. The advertising field is very dynamic as new advertising means keep on emerging. Digital and social media have completely disrupted the advertising industry. Now let us discuss the factors influencing the advertising media selection in detail.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The first step in selecting the advertising media is that we need to identify our target audience. For instance, target audience for a beard trimmer would be males above the age of 18. The media planners need to find out when there target audience watches television or which newspaper or magazine they prefer to read. They need to prepare the audience profile and take decision accordingly. Consumers are considered the KING of the market. Hence, there detailed study is very important. If a business gives negligible attention towards its potential customers, it can never flourish.
COST OF ADVERTISING
Advertising requires huge amounts of funds. The management needs to evaluate all the advertising mediums and figure out the most appropriate one. The appropriate advertising media would be the one which fulfills the objectives of business and is also cost effective. The business needs to carefully choose the advertising media as it involves huge amount of money. Capital forms an important part of every business, hence, it should be invested in advertising with proper planning and precision.
SCALE OF OPERATIONS
The scale at which the business is operating also influences the advertising decision. Large scale and small scale businesses have varied approaches to advertising. A business operating at a small scale would prefer traditional advertising as its target audience is limited. It would rely on advertising methods like Posters, Newspapers, Radio, Hoardings etc. On the contrary, in the case of a large scale business, the audience is vast. Therefore, along with traditional advertising, it would also go for digital advertising. It would help the business to reach a wide range of customers in a short span of time.
INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION
The industry in which a business operates plays a key role in deciding the advertising strategy. The business needs to scan its industry and the advertising strategies used by its competitors. For instance, if all the competitors of a company are using digital advertising but the company is only using traditional advertising, then the competitors will enjoy a strong edge over the company. Whatever advertising medium is used by the competitors must be adopted by the company as well, otherwise, the company will not be able to reach a certain segment of the customers.
OBJECTIVES OF THE BUSINESS
The goals and objectives of the business also affect the advertising strategies used by the business. If the objective of the company is to grow and expand, it would opt for a variety of channels for advertising. On the contrary, if the company is going through a crisis and its objective is only to survive in the market, then it would certainly cut down the advertisement expenditure as it is having a shortage of funds.
