AAAI Beginners Series

er... what exactly is an advertising agency?

1
 Advertising?!!
What's that?
someone once said that advertising is the most fun So what is advertising? Is it a science? Is it an art form? Is it

one can ever have with their clothes on. Fun aside, it also merely commerce made interesting? There are various schools of

performs one of the most important functions in society that thought, different opinions and diverse points of view. But all of

is to inform; it gives people the power of choice; the power of these collide into something that we all agree upon. That it is

knowledge that helps them make important decisions everyday. probably one of the most powerful influencers of human

Today, advertisements are everywhere. On television, on the behaviour since religion.

internet, radio, billboards and even on the empty coffee mug

Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an
on your desk. Advertising has successfully transcended from
identified sponsor. (Principles of Marketing: Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders and Wong)
one of the most interruptive commercial medium of modern

times to something that everyone wants a piece of. Not Advertising is the activity of attracting public attention to a product or business, as by paid announcements in the print, broadcast, or electronic media.
surprisingly, everybody has an opinion about advertising.

2
 The functions of an advertising agency:
• To accelerate economic growth and create
public awareness

What exactly is an
• To provide a total, professional, experienced
service which is very personal in its nature
• To take the advertiser's message and convert it
into an effective and memorable communication

advertising agency?
agenc
Getting the best out of advertising is a highly skilled job. Advertising has not only come to reflect pop culture but has also

It requires the inputs of experts in many different fields like become an important element of economic growth. Today, every

writers, artists, photographers, designers, television person connected with the Indian economy or public should be

production crews and many others. Even the biggest fully aware what advertising really is and why effective

advertisers cannot afford to employ all these experts. advertising campaigns can be performed by full-service

Almost all advertising is therefore arranged through an advertising agencies.

advertising agency which provides the necessary skill to turn

the message into a memorable and effective advertisement.

An advertising agency is a firm that specialises in the creation, design and placement of advertisements, and in the
planning and execution of promotional campaigns for products and services of their clients.

3
 Myth: An agency always
Who needs advertising? helps to sell a product
Advertising is primarily used as a tool by companies to: Government and autonomous bodies use advertising to: What does a professional advertising agency have that is If the advertising needs to be successful,

z Inform people about new products and services z Inform people about their policies unique? With professional talent and loads of communications’ the product needs to:

z Brand building z Promote birth control experience under their belts, agencies are perfectly suited z Solve a purpose

z To remind customers about their brand at the right time and place z Educate the masses on health care to take over their clients’ marketing communications problems z Fulfil a need

z To reinforce customer confidence in purchase z Prevent panic during natural disasters and help them with specialised services. But like everything it z Be satisfactory

z To build Corporate Identity z Dispel harmful rumours too has its limitations. Effective advertising can contribute z Have a credible proposition

z To help their sales force become more effective z Attract foreign investment immensely to the success of a product. Similarly, if the product is

z To give their brand and company a “personality” that makes it unique bad or something that the people cannot accept, then no amount

of advertising can save it.

Advertising is required because it explains

complex issues in ways that are interesting, Fact: Advertising can never
easy to understand and meaningful. succeed in selling something
which the public will not accept.

4
The parts of an agency How advertising works
Advertising agencies need to have a wide expertise in the area Media Planning: It is their job to ensure that the client's money
Client
of marketing and communications. Which is why they employ is spent efficiently to get maximum efficiency from a campaign.

specialists who can easily understand economic, demographic Account Planning: The planners come up with insights
Account Executive Account Planner
and psychographic data given to them. and are the 'futurologists' of the agency. They analyse markets

They add significant insights to this from their own experience and consumer behaviour and are the ones who write the briefs.

and data banks. Creative: Probably the most important set of people.
Research
The various departments of an agency can be classified as follows: They are the guys who write the ads and it is their work

Account Management: The face of the agency. These are the that the world gets to see.

people who meet the client on a day to day basis. It is their Digital Studio: Often called the DTP section, this set of Insight

responsibility to ensure that the work goes out on time and the people work on the final artworks that are sent to the

bills are paid. various publications for release.

Creative Brief

Creative Director

Campaign

5
Ok, now what's a brand? Can you really "build" brands?
Step 1: Defining the message.
A brand is not just a logo.
Why should consumers care? What is different about the product?
By creating a logo one cannot create a brand. A logo is merely an aspect of a brand.
e.g. It is about high performance outdoor apparel (Woodland);
A brand as a whole encompasses the physical attributes of a logo and encompasses the life of
It is about strength and durability (Ambuja Cement);
the company, its employees and its audience. Brand building is about product
Step 2: Building the image.
A Brand is an experience. An experience gained from a company and its services or products. identification and trust.
How does your difference translate into the image? Both
Brands have personality. It has a specific group of people it wants to get to know and
visually and verbally it needs to consistently communicate
befriend, but is open to all.
To start building a brand one has to start by defining the the company’s message and value.
Brands are powerful. It can influence someone to buy into its personality rather than the product.
target customer group and its needs and expectations and go on Step 3: Marketing the image.
Brands are consistent. They need to talk the same language across all communication.
to realistically assess how well the brand currently meets them. How aggressively can the word be spread? The advertising

campaign needs to establish the image.

Simply put, a brand is a set of associations: Efforts need to be taken to fashion an image around the brand Step 4: Living the message.
• That is related to a brand or company name
that is not only consistent with its core benefits but one that Is the message real? Can the consumer identify with it? Is the
• That has a special place in consumer’s memory
• That helps the consumer understand the following: also credibly promises to bring about excitement and promise being delivered? Does the consumer expectation meet
- What the brand or company is
satisfaction to the consumer. satisfaction on usage or association with the brand?
- Why it is potentially relevant to them
- How it is different or similar to other products made by the firm
- How it is similar or different from competitor's products

6
 "Break ke baad!"
Advertising in India
In the beginning. In the 70s and 80s, Doordarshan
was the only TV channel in India. Being the only carrier,
it had a mix of programmes for both the urban and rural audiences
and agencies had to live with the fact. Though Doordarshan
promised exceptional reach, in the coming years it fell
woefully inadequate to the needs and wants of the advertisers.
The Second Wave. The advent of Satellite Television saw the
advertising industry undergo a sea change in the early 90s.
While the satellite channels had limited reach they could
target very niche audiences at half the cost. It also opened a
whole new world in terms of quality of production, content
and tonality - something that advertising professional
watched with keen interest.
A decade and a half later, the kind of work that Indian
agencies are producing is at par and some even better
than their foreign counterparts.
Advertising and Society
Balbir Pasha
and Mala D
or how advertising
can make history
Success after success of Indian Agencies at International
Awards like Cannes, AdFest and the New York Festivals have
made Advertising a sought after profession in India today
with a high demand for talented individuals.
Advertising in India Today. Advertising in India today has
evolved into an highly evocative and arresting medium of Family Planning is
portraying society. It has value-added tremendously to the the most successful
quality of television programming in the country and has campaign for a
social cause by any
brought with it a new generation of ideas that can only
advertising agency.
contribute towards the progress of the nation.
How did a small pill change the future of a country? Simple,
through advertising.
The Government of India has for a long time relied considerably
on the talents of the Advertising Agency and the Advertising
Agencies Association of India for social causes. One of the
biggest success stories has been the story of the simple birth
control pill. A poor country like India faces a major problem
with overpopulation.
The Mala D commercials and the family planning campaign
popularised in the 80s by advertising agencies to educate
the masses were extremely successful.
One of the biggest problems facing India today, is the rising
number of HIV and AIDS related cases. Again illiteracy was the
core of the problem. That unsafe sex is one of the most potent
ways for it to spread was a fact unknown amongst the masses.
The Balbir Pasha campaign did wonders to spread awareness
about the problem.
Since the inception of the the advertising agencies they have
donated crores of rupees worth of time and services to make
the crusade a success.
7
Advertising and Society Brand India
The hu man condition The pulse of a nation

Advertising agencies have always played a pivotal role in Each subsequent report of the National Council of Applied
improving general human condition the world over. In India Economic Research shows that the quality of life in India is

too, it has been tremendously successful in educating the constantly improving at the grassroots level.

public about cancer and its prevention, AIDS, TB and a host of The role of advertising here is of supreme importance.

other situations that demand mass scale communication. Literacy is on the rise and more and more of the middle

Fact is that today advertising has become a reflection of human class are being exposed to the wonders of modern living.

life, whatever state it may be in. If times are good, it celebrates. Almost simultaneously, the banking and financial sector

If not, it mourns. From creating ads that call for donations to continues to bolster the economy with products and services

actually working towards the fulfillment of various causes, that are beneficial to the rising needs of the working class.

advertising professionals are a set of people who need to be in The urban population, meanwhile, is displaying an evolved

constant touch with the human condition. They are not and sensibility that's more attuned to that of the global citizen.

cannot ever be mutually exclusive. It is in this way that advertising agencies help the Government to

take care of its various agendas across the length and the breadth

of the country. This is how they help a nation get rid of illiteracy,

hunger and unemployment. This is how they build a nation.

8
Our members
A K & I Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Advertising Avenues
Advertising & Marketing Associates
Advertising & Sales Promotion Company
Adwit (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Akshara Advertising
Ambience Publicis Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Ankur Media Pvt. Ltd.
Anugrah Madison Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Avishkar Advertising Services
B Y Padhye Publicity Pvt. Ltd.
Bates India Pvt. Ltd.
BEI Confluence Communication Ltd.
Bidhan Advertising & Marketing Pvt. Ltd.
Brand David Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Canco Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Capital Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Catalyst Advertising & Marketing Pvt. Ltd.
Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Cornerstone Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Crayons Advertising Ltd.
DaCunha Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Dattaram Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Dentsu Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Dentsu Marcom Pvt. Ltd.
Equus Advertising Company Ltd.
Euro RSCG Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Everest Brand Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
FCB-Ulka Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
The Flagship Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Fusion Advertising Services
Grey Worldwide (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Impressions Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Inter Publicity Pvt. Ltd.
Interface Communications Pvt. Ltd.
JWT
Jaya Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Jaytiyaar Services
L A Advertisers
Leo Burnett
Lintas India Pvt. Ltd.
MAA Communications Bozell Ltd.
Madison Communications Pvt. Ltd. Quadrant Communications Ltd.
Magnum Intergrafiks Pvt. Ltd. R K Swamy BBDO Pvt. Ltd.
Mass Marketing & Advertising Services Pvt. Ltd. Radeus Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
McCann-Erickson India Ltd. Raka Advertising & Marketing Pvt. Ltd.
Mechanix Marketing Associates Rashtriya Advertising Agency
Mindset: E.Y.W Advertising Pvt. Ltd. Ratan Batra Pvt. Ltd.
Mudra Communications Pvt. Ltd. Rediffusion-DY&R Pvt. Ltd.
Multimedia Aquarius Pvt. Ltd. Roger Pereira Communications Pvt. Ltd.
National Publicity Service Saatchi & Saatchi Pvt. Ltd.
Navnitlal & Co. Sai Advertisers
Network Advertising Pvt. Ltd. Seasons Advertising Associates
Newfields Advertising Pvt. Ltd. Shantilal G Shah & Co.
Ogilvy & Mather Ltd. Situations Advertising & Marketing Services Pvt. Ltd.
Overture Communications Pvt. Ltd. Standard Publicity Pvt. Ltd.
Parichay Advertising Sunflower Marketing & Advertising
Pen A Trait Communications (India) Pvt. Ltd. 3 Brothers & Fils
Percept H Pvt. Ltd. TBWA Anthem Pvt. Ltd.
Pinnacle Advertising Pvt. Ltd. Triton Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Prem Associates Advertising & Marketing TV Ads
Pressman Advertising & Marketing Ltd. Vidit Advertising
Publicis (India) Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Advertising Agencies Association of India
35, Maker Tower 'F', 3rd Floor, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005.
Tel: (022) 2218 2164 / 2218 7609 Fax: (022) 2218 9590 Email: aaai@vsnl.com
www.aaaindia.org