The issue on advertising

The president of Pepsi Company, Brad Jakeman commented on the issue surrounding the decline in popularity for advertising as a marketing tool. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal panel, he made the claim that it was not the fate of all forms of advertising that was doomed but only advertisements that were bad or of poor quality. The event was originally to recognize good advertising and commend the creative work put into them. This time however, the event faced mixed reactions as it was a precarious period for the advertising industry. While traditional methods of advertising had been quite successful in the past, the new age had brought about issues that threaten the entire use of advertisements as a marketing tool.

            In the article, Perlberg (2016) pointed out how advertisements are not reaching as many people as they used to thus limiting their success as marketing tools. In the online community, advancements in technology have brought about the creation of software that allows the user to block out all advertisements sent through the web. While in the past the advertisement could reach nearly all online users, the blocking tools mean that not everyone will get to see the advertisement as was intended. This is especially troubling because the success of an advertisement in the marketing world means reaching as many people as possible so as to create the most awareness for a product.

            There is also controversy over transparency and marketers are getting more and more interested to know how the money they pay for advertisement is being spent by the advertising agencies. This combined with the fact that media pioneers are now offering to produce content for the brands they work with has made the world o advertising more difficult. As a result, advertising companies have to come up with faster and more compelling methods to attract customers (Pelberg, 2016). Traditional methods like the use of 30 seconds television advertisements are slowly losing their pull and advertising companies are forced to venture into the field of digital advertising. While this may be a positive step for such companies, they often make the mistake of making hundreds of advertisements all in the name of reaching out to the clients.

            According to Perlberg, such approaches have created an even negative image for advertising as a marketing tool because the advertisements churned out are not only of poor quality; they also fail to connect with the narrative of the brand (Pelberg, 2016). This is especially because they are created quickly and very cheaply so as to remain competitive with other advertisements that exist in the market. It is because of such advertisements that consumers are looking for ways to evade meaningless advertisements and result to use tools that permanently blocks all forms of advertisements.

            In his article, Perlberg (2016) points out that though the situation may be dire, it does not necessarily mean that advertising should be abandoned as a marketing tool. He further proposes that a solution lies in the method that Vice Media uses to set themselves apart from other advertisement companies. Vice Media’s method involves making custom videos with a feel of regular editorial fare for the purpose of advertising and marketing. The company works under the belief that consumers will not mind viewing content that is sponsored provided it is presented in a way that is compelling. They further believe that consumers will respond more positively if the advertisements are targeting their personal needs and requirements. If such measures are employed, the advertising market will be able to regain the glory it once had.

 

Reference

Perlberg S, (2016) “Advertising isn’t dead, but market is changing” The Wall Street Journal,        retrieved from, http://www.wsj.com/articles/advertising-isnt-dead-but-market-is-       changing-1466610850