Define the Characteristics and Objectives of Advertising

Below mentioned are the important characteristics and features of advertising:

• Persuasion of buyers: Advertising compliments or may substitute for personal selling. To persuade the buyers the advertiser makes his products buyer satisfying. It is an art of influencing the human action to possess one’s product.
• Matter of Record: It is a matter of record furnishing information for the benefit of buyers. It guides or helps buyers to make satisfactory purchases. The contents of an advertisement are what the advertiser wants to communicate.
• Paid form of Publicity: Advertising is a paid form and hence commercial in nature. Thus, any sponsored communication designed to influence buyer’s behavior is advertising because advertiser pays for it.
• Non-Personal Communication: It is a mass non-personal communication, reaching large groups of buyers. It is not delivered by actual person. It is not addressed to a person. Whatever be the form of advertisement-spoken, written or visual, it is directed at a mass audience and not at the individual as in personal selling.
• Identifiable with the Sponsor: Advertising is identifiable with its sponsoring authority or advertiser. It discloses or identifies the source of opinions and ideas, it presents.

Objects of Advertising
The main objective of advertising is to communicate about the product and service to the prospective customer. Its long term objective is to generate profit to the firm. General object of advertising is to inform the customers about the attributes and uses of the product.
The objectives of advertising can be discussed through the following points:

• It leads to Creation of demand
• To educate customer
• To expand the markets for new buyers.
• To face the competition.
• To announce a new product or service.
• To prepare ground for new product.
• To create or enhance good will.
• To intimate customers about new uses of the products.
• To induce potential customers to buy.
• To develop servicing link between manufacturer & customers.
• Barring new entrants.
• To neutralize competitors’ advertising
• To create brand preference
• To announce product modification
• To make special offers through sales promotion.
• To announce location of dealers and retailers.
• To pacify stockists and dealers.

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