What is an advertising campaign?
When companies are about to launch a new product or service, it is necessary to devise the best way to spread the news , as well as the type of audience and message that should be used to obtain notoriety, sales and/or communication.
To achieve the above, it is necessary to design an advertising campaign.
Next we explain what its characteristics are and what elements are necessary to create a successful advertising campaign.
What is an advertising campaign?
An advertising campaign is the set of actions generated with the objective of disseminating a brand or promoting a product or service . Through different media and formats; Companies present advertisements that explain how they solve a problem and why it is the best option among their competitors .
The strategy that is executed must contain the insights obtained in a prior analysis of the internal and external situation. In this way, you can obtain the best results and really meet your objectives.
According to data from Statista, the forecast for spending on advertising campaigns for 2024 is more than 884 million dollars, which shows the importance of having this type of strategies today.
What are the objectives of an advertising campaign?
The objectives of a digital advertising campaign are varied, depending on the state or maturity of a business:
- Increase sales volume and return on investment (ROI).
- Get people to identify (create empathy) with some communicative element of the brand.
- Reach the audience that will truly be interested in the product or service.
- Get people to know the brand and distinguish it from the competition.
- Maintain or increase the good reception that people have with a product, service or brand.
Characteristics of a good advertising campaign
Each company must design its own advertising strategy , that is, one that is consistent with its product, available resources, interests and business culture. Although there is no formula that works for all companies, there are some elements that cannot be missing when creating an advertising campaign.
Some of them are:
- Be persuasive. The basic principle of advertising is to convince audiences to buy a product or remain loyal to a company, so this starting point should not be forgotten.
- Design based on market interests. Advertising is related to the demands and contexts of the audiences, therefore, it is important to investigate what the public's tastes are and what they find attractive.
- Direct it to a specific audience . Advertising campaigns have to direct their message and be designed to respond to the tastes, needs and demands of an audience. This way, they will be more likely to react as planned and resources will not be wasted.
- Be innovative. It is crucial not to repeat formulas generated by the competition, as this makes the strategy old.
- Repeat the message. Each campaign must constantly repeat the same idea, image or message directed towards consumers to be successful.
- Have achievable goals. These should be defined in a short or medium term, preferably not exceeding one year, because it seeks to achieve very specific goals, such as taking advantage of a shopping season to increase sales, attract potential customers, among others.
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Elements of an advertising campaign
The essential elements of an advertising campaign are those that allow you to design and execute an effective communication strategy to promote a product or service to a target audience.
The description of the product or service : it is about knowing in depth the characteristics, benefits and competitive advantages of what is offered to the market.
The objectives : refer to the results that are expected to be obtained with the campaign, such as increasing sales, generating brand recognition or building customer loyalty.
The target audience : is the segment of the population to which the campaign is directed, taking into account their characteristics, interests and needs.
The public objective : is the impact you want to generate on the target audience, such as persuading them to buy a product, subscribe to a service or share information on social networks.
The message : is the content that is transmitted to the target audience, in a clear, attractive and convincing way, highlighting the benefits of the product or service.
The media plan : it is the selection of the most appropriate channels and platforms to disseminate the campaign, such as social networks, television, radio, internet and print media.
The budget : it is the estimate of the available resources and their strategic allocation to the different stages and elements of the campaign.
Measuring effectiveness : is the monitoring and analysis of the impact and return on investment of the campaign, allowing for continuous adjustments and improvements.
How many types of campaigns are there?
There are different ways to classify the types of advertising campaigns, depending on the criteria used. Some of the most common criteria are:
- The nature of the product or service being promoted: propaganda, social, institutional, industrial, cobranding, sponsorship and corporate campaigns can be distinguished.
- The stage of the life cycle of the product or service: expectation or teaser, launch, maintenance, reactivation, relaunch and hard sell campaigns can be distinguished.
- The media or platforms used to spread the message: traditional media campaigns (television, radio, press, etc.) and digital media campaigns (social networks, blogs, podcasts, etc.) can be distinguished.
There is no exact number or single classification of advertising campaign types, since each one may have specific characteristics and objectives.
These categories can serve as a general guide for designing and executing an effective communication strategy.
How is an advertising campaign done?
In order to create an advertising campaign, follow the following steps:
Define the objective
To define it, the goals and needs must be taken into account, that is, understanding where the audience to whom the message will be directed is in the journey. The most common are attracting new customers, launching new products, and promoting available products.
However, you can also create an advertising campaign to achieve greater notoriety, or to associate a brand with certain feelings or emotions.
Define in maximum detail who you are addressing
This will be essential to establish the following points of the advertising campaign strategy. To identify the target, you can investigate: age, sex, social class, marital status, level of education, habits, tastes or hobbies of the public. It is also called a buyer persona .
Segment the audience
Once the target is defined, it is time to segment it , dividing it into several groups according to the products or services you want to sell.
Select media and corresponding parts
Once it is clear what is going to be communicated, to whom and why; It is time to define the media in which the campaign will be launched. Here it is vital to take into account the favorites of the target audience and the investment they have.
Once the media is defined and agreed upon, then it will be time to think about whether you will need videos, images, ads for Google or social networks , television and radio spots, etc.
Create the main message with which the entire campaign will be identified
It must reflect the personality of the brand, the aspirations of the target audience and be attractive. The best guiding communication concepts are brief, concise and direct.
Track and measure results
Understanding what works and what does not allows you to analyze the campaign in a strategic way and evaluate what aspects should be maintained or corrected in the future.
Conclusion
When we talk about an advertising campaign, we usually refer to a series of coordinated marketing efforts that are designed to raise awareness and consideration of a certain product, service, or point of view.
An advertising campaign can take many different forms and can involve a variety of different media, such as television ads, print ads, web content, social media campaigns, emails, and so on.
Whatever the format, the goal of an advertising campaign is usually to generate interest and drive sales in a given target market.
Written by Moises Hamui Abadi : I am an entrepreneur, founding partner of Viceversa and SoyMacho. After leading several digital businesses and advising several other businesses; I decided to form MHA Consulting, a digital marketing consultancy dedicated to growing and enhancing digital businesses in more than 7 countries and generating more than 1,500 million pesos.
If you want more information on this topic or are looking for other options to profile your ideal client, at MHA you will find the solution you need. Schedule a call.