Why advertsisng for the launch of Beam Box? (Fill Chapter 18)

Advertising and strategy:

In order to continue with my brand I have given consideration to the role of advertisising through reading chapter 18 in Fill. I felt that before I had cemented my idea I could not start to plan and understand the theories behind the tools I was going to use. Howvere now that I have made good progress with my brand I have found that reading the theory allows for easier aplication.

Key points taken from the chapter:

Advertising plan:
the message/ what is to be said- buy Beam Box, innovative new tent
the media/ how the message will be conveyed- further research needed
the timing/ the manner in which the message will be carried- further research needed

The purpose of an advertising plan is to provide the means by which appropriate messages are devised and delivered to target audiences who then act in appropriate ways. Applying this to me brand means that I need to encode a message about Beam Box that is decoded by the target consumer with the effect of introducing the brand and prompts purchases.

Advertising messages:
what a product is- what is the Beam Box?
what a products primary functions are- why does it glow in the dark?
how the product relates to other similar products-What makes the Beam Box different from all the other tents on the market?

Advertising strengths:
develop brand awareness, values and associations
management has the greatest level of control with advertising out of all the promotional mix elements
Messages transmitted in an agreed manner and style that can be pushed or pulled immediately if the environment changes
The core strengths of advertising make it an essential tool in launching Beam Box yet it needs to be used in the most effective manner.

Advertising frameworks:
Sales framework: advertising success measured on level of sales and advertising activities are aimed at ultimately shifting product.
Persuasion framework: assumes buyer decision making is rational and can be accurately predicted allowing for rational messages to be transmitted through advertising.
Involvement framework: draws members of the audience into the advertisement and eliciting a largely emotional response. Involvement with the product is a consequence of involvement with the advert.
Salience framework: this advertising works by being different from all other advertising in the same product class.
The four frameworks each strive to achieve different results however I think that I will have to combine different aspects of the frameworks in order to successfully launch my brand. Firstly I want to achieve sales yet the choice of product demands the advertising to be different from all other tent advertising in order to reflect the product features.

Advertising can either be assumed to be strong or weak. The strong theory suggest that advertising can persuade a consumer to purchase a product that they never had previously bought.
The weak theory is concerned with the consumer purchasing by habit rather than because of promotional messages. However Ehrenberg (1988, 1997) also suggested that the weak theory supports the strong theory through advertising being capable of improving an individuals knowledge. It is then this knowledge that can influence purchasing decisions. As the product that I am choosing to launch is a new product my objective is to alter the consumers purchasing pattern of tents. With this in mind I am adhering to the strong theory of advertising yet the failure of advertising to produce expected levels of performance as discussed in the weak theory must be given consideration.

Different advertising approaches can be used for the product and effect required. A large consideration when deciding upon a suitable strategy is the regularity of product purchase by the consumer. For example the primary product within my campaign is the tent. The consumer will not be purchasing this on a weekly basis and at more seasonal times. This needs to be reflected in the chosen amount of marketing contact between the organisation and the consumer. The strategy needs to ensure lasting impact upon the consumer.

‘A more current perspective of advertising strategy suggests that advertising should become more engaged with the customer’s experience of the brand and not be rooted just in the development of brand values.’ (Fill, 2005: 525)
I feel the above statement is one to keep at the forefront when deciding upon the strategy for BEAM BOX in order to produce a campaign that reflects the brand’s intentions.