Classified advertisement
- Classified advertisement is a short ad or message that is printed in newspapers, magazines, or other periodicals. Usually, these messages are put together in a separate section under clear headings, which are also known as classifications. Classified ads are relatively cheap forms of advertising. In recent years, classified ads have also been seen on websites, social networks like Facebook, smartphones, and tablets.
- Different kinds of classified ads
- Today, let’s talk about the different types of classified ads that people see. Here they are:
- 1. Regular ads in the classifieds
- They’re just regular text ads, and you pay per letter, line, or column. Most of the time, they are one column wide, don’t have any pictures, and are typeset by the print media publisher.
- 2. Display ads that are classified
- These kinds of ads have a border around the text ad and a logo or picture. Most of the time, they cost more than regular classifieds and are priced by the column centimetre or the square centimetre.
- 3. Put up a classified ad
- This type of classified ad costs the most because it gets the most attention. They can be any size in terms of height and width, but they must be at least 3 centimetres wide. Advertisers can also pick to have their classified ads shown in colour.
- All of the above types of classified ads can be further broken down into the following groups:
- Different kinds of classified ads
- 1. Hiring people
- Even though recruitment ads are very popular in display ads, they are also very popular in classified ads. Small and medium-sized businesses can get job applicants by putting up ads with the heading “Situations Vacant.” “Situations Wanted” ads are like Situations Vacant, but they let people who want to work list their skills and qualifications.
- 2. Property Classified ads are one of the best ways for homeowners, landlords, and even real estate agents to advertise the sale, purchase, or rental of homes and other properties. When we talk about classified ads, we should remember that ads for real estate projects are not classified ads.
- 3. Death notice
- Obituary messages are another common type of classified ads. They let advertisers include pictures of the dead person with their message. People could also post condolence messages, funeral invitations, and Remembrances in classified ads.
- India has a lot of classified ads for marriage. This is one of the most common types. Here, parents or a close family member posts a text ad or a classified display with a picture of the potential bride or groom and asks people they know to find a match.
- 5. Business: A lot of small and medium-sized businesses use classified ads to get their name out there. Information from statistics shows that newspaper ads are the first choice for 80% of business advertising campaigns. A lot of business classified ads are for business proposals and offers, sales promotions, and looking for business partners.
- 6. News releases
- When it comes to classified ads, matrimonial ads are the most popular, but announcement ads are very close behind. Personal notices like “Name or Address Change,” legal notices, “Lost and Found,” and marriage notices are some examples. These are ads placed by individual advertisers and are mostly used for personal or government purposes.
- 7. Education: You can also find a lot of ads for schools in the classified ads section. It’s mostly used by coaching centres that want to introduce or advertise their classes but don’t have a lot of money to spend.
- Personal: This is the last type of classified ad. It includes personal messages like “Happy Birthday,” “Congratulations on your achievement,” “Season’s Greetings,” and other similar messages. They are put there by people in their own right.
- Pros of putting ads in classifieds
- One of the best things about this type of advertising is that it doesn’t cost as much as other types. Small and medium-sized businesses may be able to use this low cost to advertise their goods or services without spending a lot of money.
- A lot of people can see this kind of message. People who read newspapers or magazines will be able to see classified ads. People who visit websites will be able to see classified ads in those places.
- Making the ads is simple and quick because they are short. It doesn’t require any special skills. These don’t need to be written by copywriters!
- People who are interested in some online classified ads can get in touch with the advertisers directly by clicking on a link or sending a text message or email.
- Not so good things about classified ads
- There are some problems with classified ads, just like there are with any other kind of ads. Here is a list of some of these problems:
- Businesses can miss out on potential customers if they only put their classified ads in a few newspapers or magazines, since not everyone reads those publications. Sites that might not be visited by all of their target customers are the same way. Because of this, advertisers may have to put their ads in all newspapers, magazines, and websites in order to reach as many people as possible, which will raise the cost of their ads.
- There are other ads that have to compete with these ones, which could be placed next to yours.
- People only read classified ads once, so they don’t last long. Because of this, advertisers need to keep promoting their product or service.
- Advertisers may be spending money on ads that reach people who will never buy their products.
- Institutional advertising includes activities that try to boost an organization’s reputation, make a good impression, or get people to support it. This word refers to actions that are meant to help the company itself.
- Everyday advertising is different from institutional advertising because the goal of most advertising is to sell a product or service. When the organisation is promoted, activities are meant to make people feel a certain way about it, like that it is trustworthy or worthy of respect. Making people more likely to think positively about the organisation is the ultimate goal. When people are deciding what to buy, these actions might sometimes make them more likely to choose that product.
- As with any other kind of advertising, the company needs to decide on a target audience, a message, a way to get that message across, and the results they want to see. A lot of the time, institutional advertising comes after something bad has happened that hurts the company’s image. Other companies, on the other hand, use proactive, planned institutional advertising in addition to institutional relations. Communications with the public are a big part of advertising for institutions.
- Why institutional advertising is done
- There is one main goal of institutional advertising, which is to boost the image of the whole business rather than just one product or service.
- Another thing the company does is try to get the word out about its mission, vision, philosophies, and principles.
- Institutional advertising is another good way to get people to like and stay loyal to an organisation.
- These ads are also used by businesses to highlight qualities that set them apart from competitors, like dependability, low prices, or good customer service.
- Different kinds of institutional ads
- The first kind of institutional advertising is found in print and online. This includes advertising the brand in newspapers, magazines, emails, text messages, and other places.
- The second type of institutional advertising is infomercials and commercials that are made just for the institution and air on TV and radio.
- Pros of Advertising in Institutions
- 1. Make more people aware of the group
- Building the organization’s image through institutional advertising helps people know about the brand. For example, if a company that sells high-end home goods wants to attract high-income customers, it will make an ad with several symbols of luxury, such as fine wine or fancy homes. This will attract its target customers, who will then buy their expensive goods.
- 2. Making a name for yourself
- One theme should be used for all institutional advertising in order to build a strong brand identity. One example of this would be a brand that wants to appeal to modern workers. It would send a mixed message to the demographic consumer if its ads also included symbols of men or children, which would make the ads less effective.
- 3. Dealing with a bad attitude
- One of the best ways to change people’s negative views of consumers is through institutional advertising. A lot of businesses use this type of advertising to correct a bad image of their business. One great example is ITC. In the above example, it used institutional advertising to change how people thought about its tobacco products.
- 4. Come up with a sneaky sales pitch
- A subtle sales pitch can also be made with the help of institutional advertising. People who are meant to be interested in the company’s products don’t realise that they are being indirectly drawn to them by this kind of advertising.
- Disadvantages of Institutional advertising
- Since institutional advertising only aims to promote the organisation as a whole and not any specific product, some experts are of the opinion that they simply add to the advertising cost of the organisation without substantial returns on investment in the short run.
- Institutional advertising and product advertising are similar in the characteristic that they tend to mislead consumers. Hence, consumers might feel cheated by the organisation.
Institutional advertising might sometimes lead to Monopoly in the market. When an organisation of a single industry starts to aggressively pursue institutional advertising, it might lead to a situation where it starts ruling over its competitors and thus creates the monopoly. This might become dangerous for the market.