Advertising and Brands

If I asked you what make your shoes are, what would you say? And then if I asked what make your phone is? I’m not asking what your shoes or phone are made of, I’m asking for the brand. Another word for brand is make, and this can be used for any company that produces something.

I’m sat here writing this on a Lenovo laptop, drinking Pepsi Max, eating Big Bob nuts, while my Samsung watch vibrates from notifications on my Huawei phone. While all these makes may be in different markets, they all do the same thing: advertise!

The world of advertising is vast and it’s a real dog-eat-dog world. Each company is competing for a piece of the market, trying to stand out and reel you in with eye-catching or fancy packaging, or a creative bus stop billboard. Brand awareness is very important, and if your company has an excellent reputation, people say you don’t need to advertise too much.

Big Brands vs Small Businesses

What do you think of when you hear the word Mercedes, The North Face, or Ryanair? I’m guessing mostly positive things come to mind. These companies are well-known, and their marketing budget is massive compared to a small language school in Lviv, for example.

These smaller companies can’t afford to advertise on TV, pay for product placement in films, or have a celebrity endorse their service. They have to rely on cheaper advertising: handing out flyers, using a sandwich board, hanging a banner outside their school or restaurant, and writing content for their website to improve SEO and ranking.

Word of Mouth, Sampling and Sponsorship

Advertising is everywhere. We are like walking sandwich boards. Even you, with your nice new haircut, are advertising the hairdresser who cut your hair. If someone says, “Oh, I love your new hair do! Where did you get it cut?” that is the best kind of advertising: word of mouth.

We can also decide if we like something before buying it by sampling. This type of advertising allows us to try, taste, or smell something before we decide. If our budget is high, we might sponsor an event, person, or team. Imagine the exposure you’d get from seeing your advert on the hoarding at the World Cup final.

Target Market, USP and Going Viral

Starting a business isn’t easy. You need a name, logo, product or service, a slogan, and, more importantly, you have to decide on your target market and your USP (unique selling point).

It’s never been easier to set up a business nowadays, but keeping your head above water in a competitive market is another thing. Sometimes you can get lucky and create an advert or picture that goes viral and has everyone talking about it… just like my favourite slogan here.

Banned Adverts

Talking of adverts, I’d like to end with three adverts that were banned. Two of them are very clearly over the line (even if the ideas are quite funny), but the third caused a lot of controversy. I won’t tell you why it was banned — I’ll let you decide.

Advert 1: Watch on YouTube
Advert 2: Watch on YouTube
Advert 3 (BANNED in the UK): Watch on YouTube

Cheers,
Luke – Native Speaker Online