Advertising Theory

Hierarchy Of Effects Model:

Robert C. Lavidge and G.A. Steiner, 1961

this is a model that shows the steps between knowing nothing of the product, and going out to purchase it, each step is equally important as they are each neccesary for the end result of a purchase.
Awareness
Knowledge
Liking
Preference
Conviction
Purchase

1. awareness

If most of the target audience is unaware of the object, the communicator’s task is to build awareness, perhaps just name recognition, with simple messages repeating the product name. Consumers must become aware of the brand.

2. knowledge

Once they are aware of the brand  they need to learn a bit more about it, what does it do? what are it's values? target market?

3. liking

The target audience must then connect with it, through carefully pitched adverts, if they do not, there is a serious problem.

4. preference

the audience may like it, but not prefer it to others. This involves clever advertising pushing the products competitive advantages, which may be price, quality, reliability.

5. conviction

this is much like preference, but rather than just preferring the brand, the audience is convicted to it, so it is the first and sometimes only brand they would consider

6. purchase

some audience may think your brand is definitely the best, and be convicted to it, but may not still buy it. For example, whilst most people will agree the Apple Ipad is the best brand of tablets, and they are convicted entirely to apple as the better brand, so they would definitely choose the Apple version, many people will not buy because of the price. Purchase is the most important step, and the business must push for it by offering product trials or special deals to push the audience that one step further towards buying the product.

so advertising is thought to work and follow a certain sequence where the prospect is moved through a series of stages from unawareness to the purchase of the product.

Advertising cannot make immediate behavioral responses, but a series of mental effects must occur with the fulfillment at each stage before progress to the next stage is possible. In this way, a successful advert may not simply sell a product, it may help to complete any of these stages to build the consumer base towards purchase. This is just one theory, it is very simplistic and is only a guide for how advertising might affect customers' actions.

Means-End Theory
This approach suggests that an advertisement should contain a message or means that leads the consumer to a desired end state. People buy features that bring them benefits that get them closer to valued end states. Underlying values are the motivating factor in a consumer purchase. Therefore effective marketing messages that sell will connect a benefit to values like security, achievement, belonging, fun, enjoyment. The key stages in the formulation of this concept are: need identification, idea development to fulfil the need, product development to substantiate the idea and the product’s market introduction, communicating the fulfilment of the need Central here is the ability to ‘‘translate’’the subjective consumer needs (e.g. healthy, convenient) into objective product specifications, in order to, through the creation of the product, fulfil these needs. This is clearly seen in adverts of the "problem is fixed by product" style, where the audience can see the product giving a real benefit relating to the things i mentioned earlier, such as security and enjoyment.

These theories try to understand and make sense of the way in which adverts communicate with audiences and eventually convince consumers to buy a product or service. The hierarchy of effects model is more of a framework for how a successful ad campaign or series of them may convince consumers, means-end theory however explains more why consumers interact with adverts and buy into them, because of psychological needs that connect to the advert, such as security and achievement. I may look deeper into these theories at a later date, or a few more theories, to really understand how adverts work in the minds of consumers and the psychology behind them, as if i want to make a successful advert i must have built in the right marketing messages to achieve sales of the product, if it were on sale.