10 Facts About Advertisement, Its Function, Types, Characteristics and Examples

We explain what an advertisement is, what they are for and the types that exist. Also, what are its characteristics and examples.

What is an advertisement?

An advertisement is a type of advertising message transmitted or communicated through various graphic, audiovisual or audio media. It is generally short-lived, and aims to publicize a product , service, institution or topic, usually for commercial purposes. That is why they are known by the term "commercials", especially on radio and television .

Advertisements are part of contemporary promotion and communication mechanisms , with a huge presence in the urban environment. They are present in the national and international media , and even on the Internet .

They have used technologies , aesthetics and various popular manifestations to promote closeness with their target audience . This is because advertisements not only operate on a rational and explicit level, but also on an emotional and subjective level.

Origin of advertising

Advertising originated with the consumer society that was born after the Industrial Revolution .

Along with the growth of the markets , new and more powerful means of communication were invented : the written press, the radio, the television, the Internet.

These allowed the promotion of products, goods and services in the form of advertisements, which reached many people at the same time.

Advertising has been able to adapt to the times and to the public . Today it has become one of the fastest growing and fastest growing professional sectors, especially in the so-called Digital Information Society.

What is the function of the banner ad?

Advertisements can be very diverse in nature, but they always have the same objective : to make a product, service or theme visible , in order to bring it closer to its ideal consumer or interest audience.

If the product is an object for children, the advertising will be aimed at them . On the contrary, if the typical consumers of the product are women, the advertisement will try to convince them to buy it, want it or need it.

The most cynical definitions of advertising suggest that it has the task of making the public believe that they have unsatisfied needs , only appeasable with the product that is offered. In other words, according to this position, advertising creates needs.

Types of banner ads

Advertisements can be classified according to the medium through which they are promoted:

• Textual advertisements. Those that consist of compositions with text, typographic styles and other written resources . They are typical of newspapers and other print publications.
• Mixed ads. They are usually on billboards and printed newspapers. They consist of still images with text and other photographic resources incorporated.
• Audiovisual advertisements. They incorporate sounds and images in movement, they are typical of television and Internet.
• Radio announcements. They consist of auditory pieces, with narrators or characters, usually transmitted by radio.
• Digital ads. Typical of the Internet, they incorporate any of the previous variants, taking advantage of the digital format offered by the networks .

Common items

Banner ads combine some or more of the following common elements:

• Shot. A short and striking phrase, which condenses the central message of the ad. Its name comes from bullet ("bullet") in English.
• Referential image. Images allusive to the emotional tenor of the ad. They can be of the product itself or they can be images that allude to it, that provide sensations or suggest emotions . If an ad is made by a famous model, she is its referential image.
• Text. Words, phrases or typographical elements that are incorporated into the advertisement and that provide the product information. It can be written text, read text, or both.
• Call to action. A final sentence, after the textual body of the ad, in which the viewer is invited to act, like those "Call now!" or "Buy it and see!" with which they usually close the ads.
• Slogans. Witty, catchy or funny phrases that are associated with the product . They serve to give it a certain emotional tone and quickly bring it to mind .
• Contact information. Those data necessary to contact advertisers, and which are usually the last thing that appears, for example, in service announcements.
• Music and accompaniment. In the case of audiovisual or radio advertisements, music plays a fundamental role in giving the advertisement an emotional tone, a subjective accompaniment that gives it more force or makes it more moving.

What is the structure of an advertisement?

Advertisements, as a rule, have a four-line spatial structure:

• Headline or heading. The most visible part of the ad, usually at the top or center. Usually includes phrases to capture the attention of the viewer. You can present the name of the product, the benefit it offers, or any other type of seduction strategy.
• Image body. One or more photographs , images or graphic forms (or sequences of them) that illustrate the meaning of the advertisement, and that usually occupy a central area of the advertisement but without overshadowing the headline.
• Body of text. It is about the “body” of the ad, that is, what it has to say to convince the viewer or promote the product, and it usually occupies a secondary region within it, once the two previous segments have already captured their attention.
• Signature elements. The last thing that is perceived, generally. These are "personalized" elements according to the company that is advertised, which includes a logo, a slogan or other graphic elements that constitute the image of the company.

Why is the banner important?

Advertising today plays a vital role in promoting consumption and in presenting new products to consumers. So much so that all companies dedicate part of their capital to strengthening their advertising presence in the media.

Its function is also to help companies maintain their presence and visibility on the Internet, through Community Managers for their social networks . In the hyper-connected world of the 21st century, the ability to advertise is vital so as not to disappear in the abundance of data and information.

A good advertisement

For a good advertisement you must have:

• Product knowledge. It is not possible to sell something that is unknown, or to affirm its benefits if we have no idea what it is, or if we do not know its details. In addition, we run the risk of stating something false, or emphasizing the less favorable details of the product or service, instead of the most striking and seductive.
• Market knowledge. Nor can you sell everything to everyone in the same way. A minimum or general knowledge of the target audience is crucial for a successful advertising campaign, for which numerous niche market studies are carried out, the action (and effectiveness ) of the competing propaganda is studied , in short, one must have an idea of who you are talking to. If not, you run the risk of making an announcement that offends sensitivities or conveys a message that no one wants to hear.
• Strategies to attract attention. Ads must attract attention and last in the mind, as it is useless for the viewer to instantly forget what they have seen. The idea is that the ad stands out above the rest and remains in the subconscious.

Regulation of advertisements

The laws of each nation have sections to regulate the performance of advertising . This is because advertisers take on some responsibility when placing their ads in public. For example, they must answer to justice in case they promote illegal products or services, or promote them in a deceptive way.

Advertising creativity

Banner ads are not devoid of creativity . In fact, many contain narrations , recreations of situations or information arranged in a tangential way, which addresses the product in an original way. There are even prizes for advertising creativity.

Examples of banner ads

Some examples of banner advertisements are:

• Textual : Gandhi Libraries
• Mixed : Domino's Pizza
• Audiovisual : Sprite

The above content published at Collaborative Research Group is for informational and educational purposes only and has been developed by referring to reliable sources and recommendations from experts. We do not have any contact with official entities nor do we intend to replace the information that they emit.