Magic of Advertising
Every year, more than USD 500 billion is spent on advertising worldwide. Many researchers believe that the most powerful form of art is advertising as, for many people, an advertisement is an important part of marketing which directly serves business interests and contributes to their development.
Many years have passed since the creation of the very first advertising slogan. With time, the new environment has created new technologies which have meant that new requirements have also emerged in the market. According to experts, advertising space in the 21st century is focused on being much closer to potential customers which involves an in-depth study of their interest and tastes while striving for their maximal involvement with an immediate impression of brand experiences. Also with time, technologies for creating advertisments have changed as well alongside changes in the tempo of modern life and living which have created new directions in advertising.
Nowadays, creators of advertisements are facing great challenges. Modern technology helps them study a customer’s biography, age, gender, experience and social activities in order to find out the brands he prefers, the frequency of visiting particular websites and so on… What remains unchanged is the fact that business without advertisement is rarely successful.
“Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time” – Henry Ford
How advertising helps business?
- Sales – advertisements are often guarantees of sales. They provide potential customers with information about the company’s products or services.
- News – it offers a specific advertising message and provides information about discounts as well as special offers, for example.
- Activity – advertisements often help businesses inform potential customers about what they are doing.
- Emotional dependence – Through advertising, it is possible to change people’s attitudes toward a product and break stereotypes or even change a person’s worldviews.
- Positioning – to define a place in a special market.
- Competitiveness – Healthy competition with others and the chance to earn more benefits.
In Georgia, the first printed advertisement appeared in 1861 and the first television advertisement was shown in 1950. Billboard advertising came after. Advertising campaigns became a strategic part for every business, a great many advertising agencies opened and the demand for their services increased. Nowadays, one of the stimuli for the promotion and development of the advertising sphere is the Cannes Lions creative festival. Business Georgia is interested in what is happening in the field of advertising and interviewed a representative of the festival, Ako Akhalaia.
What contribution does the advertising festival make for a country’s development?
For today’s situation, it is the world’s most prestigious festival for creative industries. It is called a world championship and is recognized the world over. Nowadays, creative industries play an important role with their creative people working within and whose vision and abilities are able to create wealth or financial income. As for Georgian designers, producers, copywriters, art directors and innovators, receiving orders from foreign clients is important as this underlines their abilities, especially when their work appears in such festivals such as the Cannes Lion. This festival promotes competition among advertising agencies within our country and awareness is raised beyond our borders and this is something which contributes to Georgia’s economic development.
Is Georgian advertising changing as compared to previous years?
The advertising market is developing in many directions and we are trying to keep the pace with global challenges. A clear example is that in previous years there were a few advertising agencies but nowadays we have 20. If Georgian brands appear in advertisements outside of the country, this means that the demand for Georgian advertising agencies is greater today. As for technology, we are slightly behind as compared to other countries because we are mostly oriented toward traditional advertising.
What is the main problem in this sphere?
There was a big problem concerning advertising attitudes but this is slowly disappearing. If earlier businessmen were less aware of the role of marketing and advertising agencies, nowadays they believe that the idea and the concept are worth paying money for. Other major problems are found in the lack of professional staff. This sphere needs experienced people who can work effectively and make sure they are constantly developing than those who are self-taught.
Is there any mechanism to control advertising (content)?
Georgia has a law on advertising. It governs the legal relations involved in the production, placement and dissemination of advertisements on the commodity (works and services) and financial markets (including the securities market) of Georgia. But on the other hand, advertisement is a creative product which can be compared to the human body, let us say, which loves freedom and may be effected badly by any sort of restriction. The customers themselves should decide to like or not to like any specific advertisement.
Which project has been the best since 2016?
I can name the Techno Park, Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank advertising campaigns. Some of the best were the Leavingstone project, “ikanos” commercials, whose video director was Giorgi Popiashvili. I can also name the Natakhtari beer advertisement called “Limitless Friends” which was created by the Leavingstone and Film Asylum team. It is first Georgian advertisement which was shot in Tbilisi and Sokhumi.
Eka Kipiani is one of the most successful creative directors in Georgia. She is a representative of the JWT Metro advertising agency whose list of advertising campaigns is quite long.
We interviewed Eka Kipiani and she gave us some useful tips.
What impact does modern technology have on advertising?
Advertising space is not only video advertisement. Communication is the main idea. All of the new methods that are created are important. We can use any innovative method in advertising such as, for example, graphic space, animation or even something new in technical aspects in programming. Nowadays, virtual realities are mostly used in advertisements such as (Augmented Reality) Pokémon Go which is a reality game. This means that the application takes this world in which we live and adds a new virtual layer. It is a new layer added to our world by Smart phones. It is a part of the Pokémon franchise created by Nintendo in 1996. After the game was released, company’s market value increased by USD 9 billion.
In addition to technology, what other changes are taking place in the field of advertising and what is happening on the Georgian market?
With the help of technology, communication is changing and people have other needs. Nowadays, brand price and popularity is less important. The cost or how much something addresses the world’s problems are more important. Advertising has a connection with people and is involved in a variety of aspects of civil activism. The advertisement has acquired a general liability function.
However, the main problem is to work out a bold strategy and brand quality. Customers should pay more attention to branding. – as to export good product is simpler, our main problem is that we mostly are working on standard brand strategies. As well, we do not have a database, according to this client can decide. Research is rarely done. The other side of this is the lack of resources. It is impossible to pay staff accordingly when you have a small budget.
Which advertisements or advertising agency is the best on the international market?
From year to year, attitudes toward agencies change. However, the droga5 agency remains our favorite. There is also an independent video called “Do Not Read” and another one of my favorite advertisements is “Under Armour | Rule Yourself | by Michael Phelps casting as well as advertising by Harvey Nichols.
During the interviews, we learned that modern Georgian advertisements are mostly video types followed by print advertisements although less attention is paid to the print format. Creative advertising agencies try to make an impact on their customers and establish emotional contact which is a very good strategy because
“They may forget what you said — but they will never forget how you made them feel.” These words belong to Carl W. Buechner
