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Advertising today is a strong
persuasive tool for creating
demand for a product, whether existing or one about to
be launched. It is a means of mass communication and thus, affects
a really large number of buyers. Whatever may be the
media, advertisements featuring women are more frequent and common.
With the changing roles and responsibilities, the lifestyle
of women has also undergone tremendous changes. Responding
to these changes, marketers are also creating advertisements
with women as the focal point. Today, the market is flooded with
exclusive products for the women. Thus, there are a number
of advertisements related to these products. Numerous changes
such as increase in awareness levels due to improved literacy rates, access
to information, technological developments, newer
products, increase in purchasing and decision making power of women,
exposure to global world, economic and social changes, etc.
have transformed the portrayal of women in advertisements from a
simple woman to an intellectual decision-maker.
Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation
and promotion of products, services, or ideas by an identifiable
individual or organization. It is dissemination of information concerning
the product to compel action in accordance with the intention
of the advertiser. Advertising is a form of mass communication. The
biggest advantage of advertising is that it has no limitation of
technique. There are numerous ways and means to advertise. Though
the history of advertising is age-old, advertising in the
20th century can be referred to as the mother
of modern advertising. In today's satellite and Internet
age, advertising has become more sophisticated and free in terms
of content and visuals. One noticeable feature of advertising today is
the presence of women in almost all advertisements. Advertising is
an important element of product promotion strategy. It's
interesting to note that almost all companies, irrespective of their size,
advertise their products and services. However, consumer products
are advertised heavily.
Advertising has specific benefits to the advertisers as well as the
buyers. On the one hand, a company is able to communicate information
about its product to the public through this medium, while on the
other hand, buyers are able to gain knowledge about different
products available in the market and about new product
launches. Advertisements inform the consumers about the qualities
and attributes of the products which otherwise might be difficult for
the buyers to know. No marketer can think of survival and growth in
the absence of advertising as it is a strong and effective tool for
fighting competition. Advertising is the most important tool in the
hands of the marketing manager to beat competition. It has the power
to make or mar the buying decisions of the consumers as it has
become really powerful in recent times. |
