An advertising campaign is a specific course of action designed to advertise a company, cause, or product that employs an intentional and carefully coordinated series of marketing tools in order to reach the target audience. The end purpose of any ad campaign is to boost awareness of the subject matter and generate demand. The exact structure of the advertising campaign will often depend on the nature of the product or cause and the target audience that the campaign is designed to reach.
While specifics vary from one advertising campaign to another, some of the same tools are used in just about any campaign. Both print and electronic media are often used to generate attention and enthusiasm for the subject of the campaign, often with the logical and timely launch of different tools at specific points in the overall campaign. While in time past, electronic media referred more to television and radio broadcasts, that component now includes tools such as online banner ads, text messaging, and email advertisements.
In terms of print media used in an advertising campaign, ads placed in newspapers and magazines are a time-honored method of reaching the target audience. The ads usually are designed to pique the interest of readers and entice them to learn more about the topic of the ad. In order to ensure that the desired consumers are reached, the print advertisements will often appear in print media that is geared toward those consumers. For example, software that is designed to keep track of sales leads and existing clients may appear in a magazine that caters to sales and marketing professionals.
With electronic media, television and radio commercials remain a viable means of attracting the attention of buyers and creating demand for various products and services. Short television commercials designed to amuse as well as inform tend to make an impression on the viewer and are highly likely to entice a significant number of consumers to purchase the products displayed in the ad. In like manner, an advertising campaign may also include short radio commercials that catch the ear of the listener and help to conjure up visual images that create demand for the product.
Along with traditional methods of creating an advertising campaign, newer tools are making it possible to reach consumers in new ways. Many companies design advertising campaigns to current clients that rely on such tools as text messaging or email advertising. For example, a telephone service provider may notify existing customers of upcoming specials on bundled services by sending a text message to the client’s cell phone. As an alternative, the service provider may notify the customer of upcoming sales or new products and services via an email. When coordinated with other tools as part of an overall advertising campaign, it may be possible to upsell current clients to generate more revenue as well as gain a significant number of new customers.
For the most part, an advertising campaign will set specific goals that must be realized in a given period of time. In the event that the campaign does not quite meet the goals, the overall approach can be reworked slightly for the remainder of the campaign, or the information gained during the current campaign can be used to create a more effective follow-up advertising campaign strategy. Learning from the experience of past campaigns makes it possible to strengthen upcoming campaigns and move closer to achieving the goals set by the advertiser.
