Advertising Strategy Outline

Author: Alexandra Conomos, Advertising Account Manager for Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine.

An advertising strategy is devised by an advertising agency on behalf of a client, in order to promote a product or service. The end result becomes an advertisement of some sort which works as a key communication tool with the product's target audience.

An advertising strategy encompasses a variety of elements, such as the research behind the product, a brand analysis, advertising objectives, a key proposition, creative executions and a media plan. Usually the advertising agency will begin by researching the product thoroughly. In doing this they will analyse the company, the products competitors, the state of the market, and the target audience. Once they understand the product, and more importantly the brand, a set of objectives can be devised which set out the goals of the strategy. The objective may be to increase sales by a certain percentage, or to strengthen brand awareness (there are lots of reasons!)

From this objective, a key proposition will be determined. This will sum up the strategy in one line, and will be given to the creative team as their brief. The creative team will then translate the key proposition into a series of creative executions, for example, a few versions of a magazine ad or different takes of a television ad. The best ads will be chosen and produced, before the media department decide for the client where the ads should be placed (in order to ensure they achieve maximum exposure to the target audience).

This entire process will usually be undertaken by the one advertising agency, which allows the client to develop a good rapport with the one team. Sometimes a post analysis of the ad is undertaken to determine how successful it has been and whether it has fulfilled the original objectives. This feedback allows the client to see what works for their product, and becomes a springboard for future campaigns.

'Copyright 2003 Youth 2 Youth'

Disclaimer: This article is for your information, but it may not apply to or be suitable for your situation, so seek professional advice. Youth 2 Youth cannot be held liable for anything resulting from how you use the information provided in this article.