Outrageous Essay Topics for Classification and Division College Tips

Outrageous Essay Topics for Classification and Division College Tips How to Get Started with Essay Topics for Classification and Division College? Process explains how something is finished. A Real Estate company unlike any other centered on the mission of constructing a network of career-minded pros who strive to cultivate their company and their future. Possessing a Hearing Ear dog can many times be a life saver. In a way, pain is the best evil. Each playing season must be represented by each gender also. Then, there's the New York of the commuterthe city that's devoured by locusts daily and spat out each evening. Sometimes they can receive a small conceited as a result of the talent they were possessed with at birth. Anybody who has spent time with or around children will see that each one has a distinctive personality all their very own. Eventually people will observe you don't find out how to play and which you simply don't really care about what happens in the games. The point is to examine this whole for those parts which make this up, the parts which other people may not typically think about. It's wonderful to have a whole group of friends that you are able to go totally geek with. Mind that every one of the names should be of the very same kind of the word, for instance, all adjectives or nouns. Essay Topics for Classification and Division College Secrets For some time period, if only 3 nanoseconds, each person that has ever lived considers this thought entirely earnestly. The third temperament type is known as feisty. What makes both of these positions different from each other is that in most instances the power forward is looked on to handle the majority of the scoring duties and while the small forward is only a defensive specialist with a great deal of energy. The next step is to divide the subject into three distinct items within the extensive category which you have already chosen in step one. Some organisms can survive very high temperatures. All have their own special characteristics and are interesting and important in their very own way. Some bacteria can be beneficial to humans and other kinds are harmful. The secret to all sorts of synthesis is exactly the same. The information that you use to prepare your graphic organizer should depend on your own wisdom and experience of your subject. One of the most fascinating components of a classification essay is exploring the many ways which you can categorize the sections of your subject. Each detail is taken care of in the appropriate method. In your introduction, you could also wish to offer some particular descriptive or informative details to entice the interest of your readers and suggest the aim of the essay. Though some men and women cook for sustenance, others can't appear to earn a meal without reducing some form of wine into a sauce. Regardless of the sport, there's plenty of potential within this subject to explore why folks love sports so much. In case the owner tells the dogs to move forward when they're walking on the road, but there's a car coming, the dog isn't going to cross. Additional people drink for assorted reasons. The Downside Risk of Essay Topics for Classification and Division College A classification essay may be a good source of self-reflection. Now you could be thinking about how to compose a classification essay outline. The of classification or division essays usually contains the subject, and the way that it is classified. The classification essay format takes a framework, too. Let's begin with the principal principles that are critical for classification essay writing, so you may earn a conscious selection of topic in line with the categories you would like to cover. Don't forget that each statement you make in your essay has to be proved. No outside research ought to be used. Gloria Steinem after you have staggered past the phase of denial, you will likely be quite mad. The categories you select for your essay should be totally separate. If this is the case, you've got yourself an excellent topic. Making stream-of-consciousness lists might be useful method to explore a topic. The excellent topic for a classification essay ought to have some logical point, you could classify.

Essay on Public Education in America Challenges and...

There are numerous issues that plague the public education system. Several of the concerning challenges that it faces today are: The lack of familial support or guidance some students receive, the increase in the population of individuals that seem to undervalue the benefit of an education, and the test-centered curriculum structure that is applied in a majority of schools, within the system. There desperately needs to be an engagement of ideas to mend the problems that the education system faces. Not only would it allow students a better chance at exercising their full potential, but society as a whole, will reap the benefits of a well-rounded education for all. The lack of familial support, or guidance many students receive can lead to†¦show more content†¦Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Digest of Education Statistics, 2011 (NCES 2012-001), Chapter 3. Web. Date Accessed 2/7/2014 https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76). Many students are forced to work full time to support themselves, or their family. This could lead to an inability to balance all of the duties of work, home, and school, which often results in students dropping out. Some students are forced to utilize student loans. Students who work part time, and go to school full time may not be able to afford the cost of living on their own. If they do not have familial support to assist with this, they often have to turn to student loans to make up the difference. This results in many students acquiring a massive amount of debt prior to graduating, if they even graduate. Many students concerned with the amount of student loan debt already acquired, either place school on hold, or drop out permanently for fear of acquiring any more debt, and not being able to pay it back. There are a number of individuals who have been able to acquire employment, or perhaps even a professional entry-level position in a particular career, with just a high school diploma. Those who have been able to essentially work their way up in a particular field, may not necessarily need or want a degree. There are entrepreneurs asShow MoreRelated`` Reign Of Error Is American Education For The Lives Of Our Children? Essay1247 Words   |  5 PagesRavitch, an â€Å"educational historian†, answers four questions in her book, Reign of Error. Is American education in crisis? Is American education failing or declining? What is the evidence for reform being promoted by the government and adopted by many states? What should we do to improve our schools and the lives of our children? According to Ravitch, the â€Å"crisis† concerning American education is actually a myth. In this book, she addresses myth after myth providing adequate clarity and informationRead More The Inequality And Segregation Of The Public Educational System Essay1431 Words   |  6 PagesEducation is an important resource that is used in the contemporary world to succeed, as it diminishes the obstacles that are faced in life. It has enabled community members to prosper both socially and economically. However, in America, a nation that is the world’s superpower, fails to provide proper and equal education to its children. Many public schools across America lack the proper funding, qualified teachers, and necessities. The people affected by these problems belong in low-income communitiesRead MoreThe Flat World And Education1716 Words   |  7 Pages In their novels The Flat World and Education: How America s Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future and Education and Opportunity, both Hammond and McShane offer expert insight and solutions to repair America’s broken educational system. While the two authors have varying views regarding how to successfull y reform the system, both share a universal belief that America has failed to establish a system of education that prepares all children equally— especially children of color— for the rigorsRead MoreNo Secret That Education Is The Primary Foundation For Genuine Success751 Words   |  4 PagesDecember 10, 1838 ) It’s no secret that education is the primary foundation for genuine success in life. Therefore, it’s imperative for us to ameliorate our nation’s education system as much as possible for the future generations. For the most part, up until this point, most Americans who have pursued an education have done so through private means. I am by no means saying that free schooling in America today is non-existent, but it’s evident that the education provided by these institutions is inadequateRead MoreObtaining A College Degree Is Essential For Getting A Good Job1547 Words   |  7 Pagesessential for getting a good job in this country.† Approximately four out of five Americans claim that they lack the financial ability to afford a college education (Levaux). With the clear majority of Americans believing that having such an education is essential, discussion pertaining to the legitimacy of its cost is necessary. On average, public postsecondary school tuit ions are rising over twice as fast as inflation, and private postsecondary school tuitions are rising over two and a half timesRead MoreFirst Generation Immigrants and Education800 Words   |  4 PagesFirst Generation Immigrants and Education Immigration has a great impact on first generation immigrants. Studies show that acculturation and assimilation have wide-ranging effects on the groups involved, but mostly on the immigrants lives. There are positive and negative attributes. Attributes that are due to the issues associated with integrating cultures, and broadly related to the greater issue of immigration. The issues and discrimination towards first generation immigrants cause them to haveRead MoreThe Importance Of Education In Education1303 Words   |  6 Pagesbackgrounds receive a better education than low income students due to the fact that wealthy people tend to send their children to private institutions that have a different curriculum than public schools. This problem has limited American equity because â€Å"Only 28% of high school graduates from high-poverty schools enrolled in four-year universities, compared to 52% of graduates from low-poverty schools† (Chen, pg 3). This is a very important prob lem because the education system isn’t helping studentsRead MoreDavid K. Shipler s Work1696 Words   |  7 Pages David K. Shipler went on a journey trying to reveal the truth about Americas working poor. It was a little difficult trying to find different ways of getting enough information about the life of the poor, and getting them to feel comfortable explaining the stressful life that they lived in America the great. There were many different aspects and situations about people that were struggling to make it in America. David K. Shipler used many different research methods on this project, and wentRead MoreEssay The Passing on of Knowledge to Future Generations1304 Words   |  6 PagesFrom the dawn of time, education has been in existence in one form or another. Societies knew early on that to survive knowledge and experiences must be passed on to future generations. By passing on this knowledge people could take what others learned then build upon it. One such exa mple is of the man that invented the wheel. He probably never imagined that his idea would later become the means to assist man to soar high in the sky with the fowls of the air. This miraculous feat might never haveRead MoreArgumentative Essay: Educational Reform703 Words   |  3 PagesArgumentative Essay: Educational Reform Since the early 1980s, the issue of Americas faltering public school system has become a serious concern. The crisis in K-12 education is one of the biggest challenges facing the nation. There is a great deal of evidence to show this problem. The pathetically low results of American students through international test scores is one obvious fault. Another is the failure of many students to demonstrate their knowledge of basic skills and literacy. It

Comparing Romanticism in Plymouth Plantation, Birthmark,...

Puritanism and Romanticism differ in style, religious references, and plot content. Puritanism began to flourish with strict God-fearing Calvinists who had fled to America to escape religious persecution in Europe. With writers such as William Bradford and Edward Taylor, Puritan literature focuses on Gods role in the lives of the people and adopts a simple religious style of writing. Romanticism was introduced to Americans in the nineteenth century, delivering a fresh literary and artistic style. This new literature pays more attention to the elements of tone, mood, and atmosphere, while also applying religion in the form of transcendentalism. These two types of literature are similar in the respect that they both encourage living†¦show more content†¦Bradford compares his peoples history to the history of the Israelites, quoting numerous Bible passages such as They fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven (Daniel 2:19). Bradford intended this document to be an in spiration to the younger generations to remind them of the hardships the original settlers endured, and how God had given them strength, playing an important role in their survival. He admitted that he wrote in a plain style, with singular regard unto the simple truth in all things (Fritsher 81). Bradford wrote not for dramatic affect, but rather to provide the reader with an accurate account of the troubles experienced by the pilgrims, and the role of God through their journey. With Romanticism came a new style of beliefs known as Transcendentalism. This is similar to Puritan beliefs in that it focuses on living simply. Romanticism deals with issues concerning the conflict between the spirit and the body, nature as being good or evil, experience as mystical, the nature of reality, and the equality of men. Romanticism supported abolition and believed in the manifest destiny of the United States. This literature pays close attention to setting, nature, nonconformity, and the mood and tone of a piece. Romantics also made use of gothic elements in their literature, such as the supernatural, abnormal psychology, mysticism, and spiritualism. Romantic poets were fond of musical rhythmic verse, and they liked to break free of forms, making

The Subculture I Choose Is Vampire Lifestyle - 843 Words

This essay is talk about the culture. The subculture I choose is Vampire Lifestyle. In this essay, I will talk about the theoretical perspective, what is culture and how it connect with counter culture, how it has been affected by the consumerism and how it held together by the cultural capital. I choose the symbolic interactionism for my theoretical perspective. From sociological perspective, symbolic interactionism most concerned with the face-to-face interaction between members of society. Symbolic interaction reminds us that culture is a human creation. In society, culture consists of the shared symbols and their definitions that people create to solve real-life problems. Culture define in many words. For example, particular patterns of behavior, the symbol, language, and way the people things, etc. My main point is symbol. Symbol is concert objet or abstract term. In another word, the meaning of the symbol is something that represent something. Culture is the primary means by wh ich human adapt to their environment (page no.69). In reality, we create culture to solve our real-life problems. There are three survival kits for culture. They are abstraction, cooperation and production. But, my focus is on the first two. Abstraction means ability to create general concepts that organize sensory experience in meaningful way. Abstraction is most pervasive type of symbol in human culture. Language is also an important to theShow MoreRelatedRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 PagesCataloging-in-Publication Data Edmonds, Ennis Barrington. Rastafari : from outcasts to culture bearers / Ennis Barrington Edmonds. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-513376-5 1. Rastafari movement. 2. Jamaica—Religious life and customs. I. Title. BL2532.R37 E36 2002 299†².676—dc21 2002074897 v To Donnaree, my wife, and Donnisa, my daughter, the two persons around whom my life revolves; and to the ancestors whose struggles have enabled us to survive and thrive This page

Descriptive Essay A Sigh - 1821 Words

Easing himself into the tub, Tom released a contented sigh. As the warm water washed over his tired body, he started to relax, the sensory gratification helping to mute the voices echoing inside his head. From its position on the bathroom vanity, a small transistor radio played an innocuous rock ballad, the low-quality tinny sound invoking memories of his childhood. He leaned back against the hard porcelain and hummed along to the tune, the familiarity of the song releasing a kaleidoscope of images into his head, each one carefully selected for maximum pleasure. It was the tonic he needed, and when the tension in his shoulders finally melted away, he closed his eyes and took a stroll down memory lane. A small smile tweaked the corners of†¦show more content†¦His dysfunctional relationship with his brother had become the norm, he knew what to expect, and although emotionally and physically damaging, he accepted it for what it was†¦his life. When his fingertips started to wrinkle, the young officer heaved himself out of the tub and grabbing a towel, he dried his battered flesh. He was looking forward to an early night so he could lose himself in the black and white images of his past. But no sooner had he slipped on his terry cloth robe than a cold draft swirled around his bare legs. He turned around, his brow creasing into a from. But when he saw his brother standing in the doorway, he managed a wan smile. â€Å"Hey, Will. Is something wrong?† Will’s eyes wandered over his sibling’s robe-clad body. â€Å"I was going to ask you the exact same thing. You hardly touched your pizza. Is everything okay, Tom-Tom?† Tears pricked at Tom’s eyes and looking away, he swallowed deeply, his Adam s apple bobbing with suppressed emotion. The tender concern in his brother’s voice was unexpected, and he fought to keep his composure. He blinked several times, his hands clenching and unclenching in a display of agitation. But he knew his fighting a losing battle. He was tired and emotional, and he longed to share the burden of his tumultuous day. His lower lip started to quiver, his face contorting into a mask of misery as his anguish spilled forthShow MoreRelatedHate Poem by Julie Sheehan790 Words   |  4 Pagesthe work of the â€Å"Hate Poem†. â€Å"Tone is an aspect of point of view since it has a great deal to do with the narrator. Tone is the narrator’s predominant attitude toward the subject, whether that subject is a place, event, character or idea† (Writing Essays about Literature, Kelley Griffith page 46). When analyzing the â€Å"Hate Poem† by Julie S heehan, â€Å"To understand the tone of the poem, we need to listen to the words, as we might listen to an actual conversation. The key is to hear not only what is beingRead MoreEssay on The Personality of Othello1053 Words   |  5 PagesWhereof by parcels she had something heard, But not (intentively.) I did consent, And often did beguile her of her tears When I did speak of some distressful stroke That my youth suffered. My story being done, She gave me for my pains a world of (sighs.) She swore, in faith, twas strange, twas passing strange, Twas pitiful, twas wondrous pitiful. She wished she had not heard it, yet she wished That heaven had made her such a man. She thanked me, And bade me, if I had a friend that lovedRead More ?An Interpretation of Paul Laurence Dunbar?s Poem Sympathy and We Wear the Mask?1194 Words   |  5 Pagescondition of African Americans in America was Paul Laurence Dunbar. Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the most prolific poets of his time. Paul Laurence Dunbar used vivid, descriptive and symbolic language to portray images in his poetry of the senseless prejudices and racism that African Americans faced in America. Throughout this essay I will discuss, describe and interpret Sympathy and We Wear the Mask. Both Sympathy and We Wear the Mask were written by Paul Laurence Dunbar. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ToRead MoreAn Interpretation of Paul Laurence Dunbars Poem Sympathy and We Wear the Mask1228 Words   |  5 Pagescondition of African Americans in America was Paul Laurence Dunbar. Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the most prolific poets of his time. Paul Laurence Dunbar used vivid, descriptive and symbolic language to portray images in his poetry of the senseless prejudices and racism that African Americans faced in America. Throughout this essay I will discuss, describe and interpret Sympathy and We Wear the Mask. Both Sympathy and We Wear the Mask were written by Paul Laurence Dunbar. To begin with, the poemRead MoreAnalysis of John Donnes Poem, The Flea Essay1399 Words   |  6 Pagesof love; in raising this conceit, we can see the unconventional way the speaker tries to sell his argument. He acts jealous of the flea because it received her blood â€Å"before it woo (1081).† The argument is not intense or angry; it ends with a mock sigh: â€Å"And this, alas, is more than we would do (1081).† The playful conceit of the first stanza lays the ground for the more outlandish claims of the second and third. The speaker next takes a more impassioned tone as he seeks to save the flea’s lifeRead MoreRobert Frost - Poetry Begins in Delight Ends in Wisdom - Essay2002 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"Poetry begins in delight and ends in wisdom† – Robert Frost Essay Danielle Sims Robert Frost was a poet who wrote traditional poetry that opposed the free verse styles and â€Å"no rules† system of the modernist poets who wrote at the same time in the early 1900s. His poetry is deceptively simple, commonly using colloquial language which flows just as naturally as speech. Whilst Frost is a poet who seems to be simplistic in his writing styles, his rhyming schemes are surprisingly sophisticated, oftenRead MoreRomeo and Juliet- Gcse Level3876 Words   |  16 PagesRomeo and Juliet essay In Romeo and Juliet we learn how Shakespeare uses vivid language to build character and depth in their roles. Shakespeare was a poet, playwright and an actor with a great love for language. Shakespeare was of great importance when it came down to the moulding and developing of the English language. Shakespeare had such an immense love for language that he created neologisms that we use in everyday life. Some of these neologisms he created include words such as puke, lonelyRead MoreHow Does A Middle Paragraph Differ From The Structure Of An Introductory Paragraph? Essay6292 Words   |  26 Pageswrite, longer paragraphs force the writer to think more, so that they will be able to cut out the parts that are unnecessary in the future. 4. In what way does the structure of a paragraph resemble the structure of a full essay? a. The structures of a paragraph and a full essay are similar because they both include a beginning, a middle, and an end. 5. What is the function of the first sentence in a paragraph? a. The first sentence in a paragraph is the topic sentence, which tells the reader aboutRead MoreDescriptive Writing Samples6140 Words   |  25 PagesGCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE UNIT 3: DESCRIPTIVE WRITING The Descriptive Writing task in Unit 3 is worth 7.5% of the subject award and is marked out of 20. The mark given for each of the examples provided is supported by comments related to the criteria given in the specification for (i) Content Organisation; (ii) Sentence Structure, Punctuation Spelling. A notional grade is indicated in each case, based on the way that the same mark scale for Writing has been used in the past, and consistent withRead Morethatcher4803 Words   |  20 Pagesthe natural (â€Å"brute†) beauty of the bird in flight is but a spark in comparison with the glory of Christ, whose grandeur and spiritual power are â€Å"a billion times told lovelier, more dangerous.† The first sentence of the sestet can read as either descriptive or imperative, or both. The idea is that something glorious happens when a being’s physical body, will, and action are all brought into accordance with God’s will, culminating in the perfect self-expression. Ho pkins, realizing that his own heart

Basf Marketing Report free essay sample

We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ® An Exemplar Marketing Company Executive Summary BASF the chemical company is a provider of chemicals that has operations on five continents selling intermediates to various different industries. Founded in Manheim Germany in 1865 BASF has continually been on the move growing its presence globally. Aggressive expansion in the 1960’s led to this global presence with continued growth into the Asian markets planned in the early 2000’s. In order to be known as â€Å"The† global chemical supplier BASF redefined its image by officially changing its name from â€Å"BASF† to â€Å"BASF the chemical company† in 2004. This bold statement is expressed in their brand, corporate identity and company logo. BASF has lived up to this goal establishing itself as the largest chemical company in the world. (1) BASF, which stands for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik (Baden Aniline and Soda Factory), has used its image marketing to evoke the concept that We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ®. BASF posted sales of 52. 6 billion euro in 2006 (1) placing itself above Dow Chemical, its closest competition, followed by companies Bayer AG and DuPont. BASF the chemical company markets a strategy in all its divisions called the â€Å"Verbund† concept, a German word meaning â€Å"linked†. This concept of total integration is how BASF aligns its businesses internally as well as with customers and suppliers. BASF has realized a competitive advantage by not only integrating but interlocking value chains. In the last three years practicing on the Verbund concept acquisitions like Engelhard Corporation, Degussa AG and Johnson Polymers have allowed BASF to further its vertical integration of its businesses. In 2007 BASF found its place at a rank of 81 on the Fortune Global 500 Companies list, up from 94 in 2006. In February of 2006 Fortune magazine performed a survey of U. S business professionals and BASF earned the distinction of being one of the 50 most admired companies in the world in a global comparison. Introduction When you say â€Å"BASF the chemical company† many people may not know the name but those who do can usually recite the slogan: We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ®. Even those that can recite the slogan can be quite challenged to give one example of a product that BASF makes. Given this you would be amazed at some of the everyday products that use BASF chemicals. The additive that thickens your shampoo, the Ibuprofen used in your pain medication, the Legos  ® your kids play with all have components supplied by BASF. The only reason an average person would hear of BASF is through their corporate level image advertising. How is it that a company whose products are never seen by the average consumer ends up as the worlds largest in its industry? How it is a company that many have not heard of could make acquisitions in the 1. 6 billion dollar range? How is it a company can post sales in the 52. 6 billion euro range and the average consumer does not know who they are yet there products are everywhere? The first team discussions on what company to do the report on a team member brought some information to the table. This information is that he works for the world’s largest chemical company and no one knew what the company truly makes provoking the questions from above. The challenge is to understand how a company markets itself to a global position without the normal consumers influence. Our team chose this company to look at a business that would perform its marketing in a different environment than the main stream consumer environment and to better understand how a company markets without being seen. This is a report on business to business marketing observations of BASF the chemical company. Table of Contents †¢Macro-Environment Context †¢Marketing, Research Customer Analysis †¢Segmentation Target Markets †¢Differentiation and Positioning †¢Marketing Decision Levers †¢Recommendations Macro-Environment Context BASF is the worlds leading chemical company. They offer intelligent solutions based on innovative products and top notch services to its customers globally. This is the basis of their mission statement and purpose as a company. Their mission is also to create opportunities for success through trusted and reliable partnerships. BASF visions of success include sustainable profitable performance, innovation for the success of customers, safety health and environmental responsibility, personal and professional confidence, mutual respect and open dialog as well as integrity. Creating a Sustainable Profitable Performance to BASF is the basis for all activities within the company. They are continually committed to the interest of their customers first and foremost. They take pride in rewarding their employees, shareholders and take the same stance with regards to society as a whole to better the environment around them for future generations. BASF takes pride in developing innovation for their customers to add continuous long term partnerships well into the future. Their trade mark statement of We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ® clearly states this philosophy. They derive nearly all of their business from Business to Business (B2B) sales. This makes innovation very important in all of their many niches in multiple markets they involve themselves in. Partnerships are valued within BASF and are built upon continually to mutually take advantage of highly scientific and technological advances. Due to the nature of the business, that being a chemical company, the environment must take precedence to ensure success. In this day and age, if your company doesn’t take steps to protect the environment that it is in, it won’t be in business long enough to matter. BASF takes safety, health, and environment responsibility to a level that supersedes that of economic considerations. BASF makes their products environmentally friendly for future generations by supporting the Responsible Care TM initiatives. BASF puts itself among the best in the world by fostering group-wide diversity personal and professional competencies. They feel that diversity leads to global success and capitalizes on competition by offering many differing views. They encourage employees to be creative and utilize their potential for common success. In addition they treat everyone fairly and with mutual respect. They try to keep open dialog with all employees, customers, stockholders and relevant groups within society to keep all on a level playing field. The last core value that BASF incorporates is Integrity. The company acts with respect to their words and values. They comply with all laws and respect all good business practices in the many countries that they operate. BASF has a great strategy that includes 4 simple strategic initiatives. They earn a premium on their capital, they help their customer be more successful, they form the best team in the industry, and they ensure sustainable development. All of which are conveyed in the visions for the company same as above. The strategic initiatives are the product of years of providing excellent products at a competitive price to all of its customers. Politically speaking, BASF is globally involved. Based in Germany and intertwined within business all around the world it would be impossible to not be involved in politics. It takes a great stance on political issues to continue its success in business and to show continued enthusiasm in protecting the environment. With regards to the Environment, BASF strives to be the best and let the world know that this is an important issue. Environmental issues in past years have shown light on companies that make their business creating and working with chemicals. BASF cannot escape the microscope of this issue. They comply with all government regulations in all countries it does business to ensure their future. They support the Responsible Care TM initiatives and keep them at the forefront of their values. Environmental issues to BASF ties directly to their social responsibility. The people at BASF value their own lives as much as their neighbors and support this by their integrity. They treat those around the world with the same respect that they feel they would want, regardless of what they are doing. Be it they are selling products to another company or creating a new product, social responsibility is never taken lightly. Technologically BASF prides itself in being the best for themselves and those they do business. They invest millions upon millions to ensure success in the ever changing markets all over the globe. They pass their technological advances on to their customers to ensure continued success and lasting partnerships. Technological advances in the chemical field have undoubtedly kept BASF at the top for so many years. Given a clear SWOT analysis of BASF from any level of the organization, the business unit, the product line or the specific product yields a clear image of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats all over the globe. SWOT analyses are often used during sales meetings to identify opportunities in the market. They have proven themselves over and over by being a superior company throughout all markets. A tried and true philosophy rooted in the company’s vision and values brings this out in them. They continually identify trends in the industry and counter the changes all the time. In addition they analyze their competition whenever possible to capitalize on those before them. BASF analyzes itself through multiple management channels to ensure continued innovation and profit for its customers, employees and shareholders. Teams all around the globe research the firm’s present and future clients to build lasting relationships and capitalize on hidden opportunities to improve themselves. Their strengths encompass being a globally prestigious brand, a large market share, and universally known for its social and environmental activities. Opportunities lie within possible joint product lines with other companies and customers. Weaknesses of BASF are global spreading in the way of having employees all over the world and keeping focus on attainable goals. They are influential in just about all markets and run the risk of being thin in a small amount of them. Threats within the chemical market could be the continual need to stay environmentally friendly. This can add costs and reduce focus on core assets of the business. While everyone wants to stay â€Å"green†, it comes at a price and that has to be economically accounted for keeping the cost benefit ratio at an equilibrium that is good for all. Marketing Research Customer Analysis BASF being a company that markets its goods and services to organizational firms primarily focuses on the practice of business marketing and being a company that produces no real end product the analysis of normal consumer behavior is not widely used. The success of a business to business marketing plan is in the hands of an organizations purchasing group. These groups that make the purchasing decisions for organizations usually have numerous deliverables that could drive the individual market. One group may see delivery performance as a key factor in their purchasing decisions, the next market segment may see price, value added services or warranty as the key elements. Because of this BASF must continually scan the environment of each of its individual segments and markets using a multidomestic marketing strategy. Being a global provider of chemicals the use a multidomestic marketing strategy helps in the sale of their diverse array of products dependant upon the particular market and the unique region. Marketing research in a commodity based business like the chemical business is primarily based on the use of combination of secondary data analysis and a small amount of primary data gathering and mainly environmental scanning. Scanning the environment and staying on top of the latest social, economic, technological, competitive and regulatory forces help BASF form its global strategy in marketing. This strategy then flows down to the different divisions using more practical marketing research tools to grow the business. Being a business to business company means marketing research is primarily secondary data. BASF globally uses SAP business software. The information gathered in this software is used to formulate sales forecast based off past performance. It is also used to analyze what products are moving and which are not giving key indicators of what products or even divisions are the Stars which are the Dogs, Cash Cows and Question marks. Corporate sales, procurement and logistic systems like WorldAccount or Ensphere ® are also used to gather this data to better service the customer. Trade magazines and publications are used by many of the divisions to gather data in the development of marketing plans. Here is an example from one of the divisions; BASF Industrial Coatings uses trade publications like Metalmag and Construction News to analyze industry trends. Along with trade magazines industry web sites provide information as well. Sites like the one listed below provide valuable information to keep BASF on top of the industry and what’s the voice of the customer. These sites are for the Industrial Coatings division. http://www. coolmetalroofing. org (cool metal roofing coalition) http://www. coolroofs. org (cool roof rating council) http://www. metalconstruction. org (metal construction association) http://www. themetalinitiative. com http://www. designandbuildwithmetal. com (new website lots of pertinent info). Although this is just one division of BASF the same practices reflect across the different divisions. Although not highly used, BASF does a small amount of primary data gathering. In the different divisions web polls, new product or service trials and focus groups have been used to gather information about the voice of the customer. Companies like Ducker Worldwide have performed â€Å"Voice of the Customer Focus Groups† to gather information on the performance of BASF as compared to their competition. Trials include potential new products or services that are either presented or given to a customer to test the markets interest in such goods. These goods or services are run through a customer in the industry to collect information on what the markets tolerance is for such goods or services. Regulatory, social, economic, competitive and technological forces help steer the marketing plan of the various BASF divisions. Through environmental scanning in each of these unique regions BASF collects data. The data is then analyzed to focus on trends in the global market. This data is then used to help direct the company and marketing plan. Canada has had legislation banning/limiting the use and importing of the chemicals such as Isophorone. Isophorone is a distillate of acetone a chemical used in inks, coatings and copolymers. This markets regulatory force led to a change in the components used in coatings sold into Canada. This led to the marketing of â€Å"Isophrone Free† coatings. This information was gathered and then marketed through brochures and fliers as well as the face to face interactions of the BASF sales force with their Canadian customers. With the ever increasing focus on the health of our environment, not only locally but globally, BASF has recognized this social pressure and focused an incredible amount of energy on marketing to the â€Å"Green Movement†. A mere visit to the BASF web site will show the amount of energy being placed upon marketing to the environment. This Green Marketing can be seen in headlines like â€Å"Intelligent solutions for climate protection†, â€Å"Sustainable development†, â€Å"Eco-Efficiency† and â€Å"Climate Protection† on the lead in page of their web site. BASF is currently marketing its association with world wide movement â€Å"Eco- Efficiency Analysis†. Figure 1. Eco-Efficiency Analysis comparing BASF Ibuprofen to competition This term that was coined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in its 1992 publication Changing Course looks at the overall footprint of a product from â€Å"cradle to grave†. Realizing the negative image of chemicals and their effect on the environment BASF uses Eco-Efficiency certification to market and sell the total impact a product will have on the environment. The hope is that their product will stand out as environmentally better than the competitions (Figure 1). This certification is being offered on many of its product lines across the globe. Products like Ultradur  ® high Speed easy flow plastic, Ecoflex  ® biodegradable packaging material carry the Eco-Efficiency seal. Other products like or Ultra-cool  ® paints with UV resistant pigments to reduce heat transfer in buildings carry the Energy Star certification. All these have come from environmental scanning. Ultra cool was marketed well enough that it pre-dated any legislation that followed. California’s â€Å"Title 24 Energy Code† now mandates solar reflective coatings used in construction. In the metal roofing industry BASF was the only company producing â€Å"cool† coatings that could meet this legislation and they were producing it before the legislation was enacted. Since then all major suppliers of paint for metal roofing have developed and now market â€Å"cool† coatings. This market segment did not exist until the development of BASFs Ultra-cool ® coatings. This is a testament to the effects of collecting marketing data using environmental scanning, product development and marketing. In scanning the economic climate BASF has gathered data for years on the benefits of their concept Verbund also known as total integration. The Verbund concept has been marketed through every division of BASF the chemical company. There is a â€Å"Purchasing Verbund†, â€Å"Safety Verbund†, a â€Å"Production Verbund† and many more. Calculations show that the Verbund saves BASF about EUR 500 million each year at the company’s Ludwigshafen site alone. Environmental scanning of the economic climate continues on â€Å"The Source† BASF’s Intranet. On â€Å"The Source† is a link to Key Economic Indicators (Figure 2) allowing real time look at the current up to date economic forces that could affect sales. There are tabs for each of the major regions that BASF operates US, Mexico, Canada, Germany etc. All this data gathered to help direct Marketing Figure 2. BASF Intranet link to Key Economic Indicators allowing BASF to focus its marketing plan Competitive forces have led BASF to further practice its Verbund concept and have three major acquisitions over the last few years. These recent acquisitions have led to BASF being portrayed as a bull in the chemical market(5) Engelhard Corporation manufacturing catalytic converters, Johnson Polymer growing the company’s access to a vast array of resin technologies and Degussa in construction chemicals were all acquisitions based off of the vertical integration concept of Verbund. Decisions brought by environmental scanning. Scanning the market for technology trends has played a large part in how BASF has placed itself in the market. E-commerce is one of BASF’s primary means of doing business. An example of reverse marketing is the procurement division requiring that suppliers be E- commerce savvy and able to use programs like WorldAccount, ChemConnect or Elemica as well as Extranet solutions through their purchasing portal (3. b) BASF requires suppliers to have a high degree of e-readiness. WorldAccount is a global integrated extranet platform which serves as the basis for various BASF regional portals. Information is gathered from transaction over this media to be used in analysis for marketing decisions. All these factors from environmental scanning play a part in how BASF does its marketing research. As state in â€Å"Elements† a quarterly publication to BASF employees and retirees, â€Å"In order to ensure that BASF products are suited to market demands, the company constantly analyzes industry trends and incorporating specific knowledge into its research and development† (elements summer 2007) Segmentation Target Markets Joe Breunig, executive vice president of BASF Corporation, explains that before 1986 the company was a â€Å"patchwork company,† comprised of a chemicals division, a coatings division, and a fibers division (Breunig 9). Worldwide, BASF employs over 82,000, and in 2004, the company earned over 50 billion euros. As a business to business organization, BASF utilizes segmentation in order to reach businesses of all types. BASF contributes cutting edge segmentation to the economic market. The main segments of BASF include chemicals, plastics, agricultural products nutrition, performance products, and oil gas. The wide diversity within each of these marketing segments greatly expands the company’s global reach. From its headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF has spread its product segments to all areas of the world. The chemical segment of BASF caters to such industries as automobiles, pharmaceuticals, textiles and construction. Examples of chemicals that frame this segment include acids, petrochemicals, inorganics, glues and impregnating resins, amines and polyalcohols. The plastic segment of BASF includes engineering plastics, caprolactam and nylon, styrene, and polyurethane basic materials and polyurethane systems. BASF is one of the world’s largest producers of styrenics, which are used in many household items. Many manufacturers and plastic molders all over the globe are supplied by the plastic segment of BASF. Another segment of BASF is the agricultural products and nutrition segment. This segment supplies chemicals for food processing, human and animal nutrition products, personal care products, pharmaceuticals and farming industries. Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, UV absorbers, vitamins and pharmaceutical active ingredients are also some examples of products from the agricultural products and nutrition segment. The performance segment provides high quality functional polymers, chemicals and coatings. Industries that may purchase from this particular segment include the paper, construction, automotive, leather, packaging, printing and coating industries. Examples of customer purchases would be leather, textiles, and paper chemicals, monomers, raw materials for adhesives and detergents, lubricant and fuel additives, superabsorbers, and refinish coatings for automotive OEM (original equipment manufacturer). The last segment, oil and gas, conducts explorations for natural gas and crude oil. It also produces crude oil, and markets and trades natural gas throughout Europe. BASF works with OAO Gazprom, the largest global producer of natural gas. With over a three billions euro investment in natural gas pipeline and storage construction, BASF (subsidiary Wintershall/AG) and Gazprom have jointly placed themselves in the lead of the natural gas markets in Europe. In its efforts to provide cutting edge chemicals and products to other businesses, BASF invested 920 million euros for technological research in five areas including plant biotechnology, white biotechnology, raw material change, energy management, and nanotechnology. Over half of this research funding is allocated to the biotechnology fields. BASF uses these research strategies in order to target the most lucrative markets. The target markets within BASF’s plastic segment include, electrical appliances and electronics, machines and industrial applications, automotive engineering, cosmetics packaging, household, communication/consumer electronics/computer, sports and leisure, construction and hardware, medical technology, machines and industrial applications, and packaging and films. Some of the major products that BASF sells to these target plastic markets include styrenics, foams, biodegradable plastics, and engineering plastics. The target markets within the agricultural segment of BASF include mainly farmers, but other markets nclude forestry, public health, turf, and ornamental growers. Some products that BASF sells to these industries include herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Another area where BASF has target markets is within their chemicals segment. They market their chemicals to a vast array of industries including automotive, food services, medical supplies/medical equipment ser vices, construction, and electronics. Within this segment, BASF markets such products as ammonia, glue, fertilizer, bleaching agents, fiber optics, and alkali metal specialty products. The target markets within the performance products segment of BASF include the textile industry, construction businesses, the automotive industry, packaging manufactures, and the chemical industry. Products marketed in these industries include moisture free packaging materials, coatings for paper and automobiles, adhesives, antistatic agents, and detergents and cleaners. Differentiation and Positioning The Verbund concept at BASF which translates to total integration is what sets it apart from the competition. This concept is applied all across the board from research and development all the way down to safety. What it means is that BASF will customize a product and/or service and present it to their client in a way that will work for them. For example the coating division of BASF has a product called Ultra-Cool ® which is used on roofs. It was developed with larger businesses in mind to help reduce cooling costs and improve the environment at the same time. They then supplied this product along with the knowledge of the benefits it provides in the form of a sales person. Instead of just handing off a product, it is this total integration in the process that is exemplified by the Verbund concept. Below is a diagram of this concept from the research and development division. Figure 3 The central circle of this diagram represents the central research laboratories located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The boxes represent the decentralized laboratories located in other parts of Germany, the United States and Japan. By having the decentralized laboratories in locations such as universities and research institutes, they are able to obtain new technology and fresh knowledge and ideas to create better products. These innovations can then be passed on to businesses that can use them in the local areas. Another aspect of the Verbund concept is customer service. There are representative all over the world that work one-on-one with BASF clients from the very start. It is an intentional move on the part of BASF because they know that if they offer outstanding service along with the product, the customer will put them first in their minds. This strategy is working for them and it shows in the numbers as they are the number one chemical company in the world. The following is and example of a possible positioning statement for BASF: For the business of any size that needs a chemical based product that is kinder to the environment, BASF is the leader in the chemical industry and offers innovative products at a fair price to increase the efficiency of your business. Unlike The Dow Chemical Company, BASF not only delivers the product, but also includes service from a BASF trained employee to answer all of your questions. Marketing Decision Levers Product BASF is a chemical company that offers a wide range of products for different industries as well as uses. BASFs products include chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals as well as crude oil and natural gas. BASF believes that their technological competence and cost leadership is an excellent marketing position which became the cornerstone of their success with their products. BASF’s chemical line consists of inorganics, catalyst, petrochemicals, trioxane, and intermediates. The inorganics division offers a wide range of inorganic chemicals and specialties which is mostly based on natural gas and a variety of metal compounds. The basic chemicals and specialties are sold to industries worldwide. Catalysts are a substance which provides an acceleration of a chemical reaction. Petrochemicals are chemical products that are made from raw materials of petroleum or other sources such as coal or natural gas. 1,3,5-Trioxane is a stable cyclic trimer (a reaction product) that can be used in a wide variety of applications with different product such as cleaning products, energy products, electronics, biosphere products, metal protection and material. Benefits from using this product are getting rid of waste water. Intermediates are all of the substances generated during the conversion of some reactant to a product and is used for the succeeding step. BASF sells intermediates that serve as the starting line for the manufacture of several products such as detergents, plastics, textile fibers, colors and coating, drugs and crop protection agents. BASF’s line of intermediates includes amines, diols, polyalcohol, acids and specialties. Their Agricultural and Nutrition line includes agricultural products, cosmetic ingredients/aroma chemicals, nutrition and pharma solutions. The agricultural products offer fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. The main agricultural products offered are F500 (pyraclostrobin), Boscalid, Fipronil and the Clearfield production system. The cosmetic ingredients/aroma chemicals offered are used in cosmetics and perfumes within various companies. The nutrition products offered are vitamins, carotenoids, enzymes and organic acids. They are divided into two categories: Human nutrition (Nutritional ingredients for the dietary supplement, beverage, and food industry) and Animal Nutrition (Feed additives for all major species of farm and domestic animals). Pharma solutions help pharmacies become more successful. They provide pharmaceutical ingrediants as well as provide support for the production of their drugs. The plastics department offers stryrenics (which is a plastic used for their impact resistance), foams (often used in packaging), biodegradable plastics, engineering plastics (often used in in the automotive and industrial realms) and polyurethanes. These can be used for automotive construction, electrical engineering , communication, packaging toys, sports and leisure, household items, mechanical engineering, construction, and medical technology. BASF’s performance chemicals includes coatings (paints that protect surfaces and give them color), construction chemicals (sports and industrial flooring, exterior insulation, building products, facade systems, and wood preserving agents), performance chemicals (these are used for coatings, plastics, automotive and refinery industry, detergents and formulators, textiles and leather), and functional polymers (these can be used as dispersions, melts, granules or solutions. It basically has an unlimited potential). Price All of these wide variety of products would make you think that there are a lot of different prices to consider when purchasing from BASF. Because the products they offer are mostly raw materials, the prices of their products change with the economy. When the price of oil goes up, their prices for materials related to that product go up as well. They don’t base their prices off of any index or manufacturer recommendation. This price fluctuation does not affect the quality of their services as there is really no comparison by price to judge whether or not the product is quality. The price that BASF offers for it’s products does not affect consumer perceptions of their company. It seems that along with the business of providing chemicals, they also bring along the feeling of connecting with their customer on a higher level. That overrules the price effect on a consumers decision to go with BASF. BASF does not use the concept of off-peak pricing, which consists of charging different prices during different times of the day, week, or month. This usually reflects the varying demands of the services or products offered. BASF would not benefit from this tactic because the only reason their price changes would be due to the economy and their resources. They do not have a peak time or an off-peak time of demands for their products because they are raw materials and chemicals. The chemicals that BASF offers are in need to make finished products by many different companies at all times of the year. Place BASF uses the e-commerce network widely to reach their customers and suppliers. E-commerce is the electronic handling of business transactions with purchases and production. They conduct most of their transactions through the web in which a customer can log into their personal account and purchase their products through what they call WorldAccount. BASF uses the new internet e-commerce world as a way to make communication faster, more effective, and more direct. It allows customers to have service 24/7, get precise product information, have orders processed faster as well as keep current data on all of your orders. BASF found that the e-commerce way of providing products was the best way allowing more detail and service to be provided to the customer. BASF also has a good representation with production and sales facilities in all of the economic regions. They are located in five continents which are Europe (which is their home market), North America, Asia, Africa and South America. They have more than 100 large sites throughout the world which allows them to be closer to their customers in 170 countries and supply them with their products in a reliable manner. BASF has verbund sites located in Germany (Ludwigshafen), Belgium (Antwerp), Freeport Texas, Louisiana, Malaysia (Kuantan), and China (Nanjing). The term verbund is a German word and means â€Å"linked† or â€Å"integrated†. These verbund facilities make use of integration production processes which makes it less expensive to manufacture the products. This allows BASF to supply a wide variety of different sectors. BASF also operates important production sites which are located in Germany (Schwarzheide), Spain (Tarragona), Port Arthur, Texas, Mexico (Altamira), Brazil (Guaratingueta), China (Shanghai), Japan, (Yokkaichi) and Korea (Ulsan). The use of these multiple locations makes BASF a company that one can rely on almost anywhere you are located. This allows the company to become inseparable from their customers making it more convenient to do business with them in person, as well as through their online stores. Promotion The main idea about BASF’s promotional campaign in Europe is to show that certain things would not exist without their chemicals. It aids you in the course of life and without them, certain things would not be attainable for you. Their main slogan is â€Å"Invisible Contribution. Visible Success. They are aiming to show you that BASF is often working behind the scenes to make their invisible contribution that creates a visible success for their customers through using their chemicals to create the end product. Their image campaign in Europe(which is made up of television commercials and print ads) is directed at the opinion leaders. These are members of society who lead others and shape the views of the general public. The campaign has been covered in Germany, France, Great Britian, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands through newspapers and lifestyle magazines (such as business, news and science magazines). Their television ads are broadcast during scientific and sport programs, new bulletins, films and television series and is aimed at a wide target audience in Europe. They feature different ads for each type of chemical that they provide which include television ads for the paper industry, the semiconductor industry, water treatment, house construction, sports and leisure, road construction, agricultural products, extreme sports, automotive industry, bridge construction, sun protection, fuel, and plasticizers. They are making sure that they cover each kind of service that they offer by showing this wide variety of television and print ads. BASF uses a discrete way of creating publicity for themselves. When you are on their website for Europe advertising you have the opportunity to download their several different print ad campaigns and use them how you would like. They also offer the option for you to purchase either a postcard or poster of the ad. Publicity is something that is nonpersonal and an indirectly paid presentation of an organization, good or service. In this case, the customer, or fan of BASF, is paying for the poster or postcard, and in turn when sending that postcard or putting up that poster, they are providing no personal advertising that was not directly paid for by BASF. It is a pretty creative way of getting a profit and recognition while allowing their customer’s to do the advertising for them. In this case, the publicity works for them. When it comes to advertising in America, the rules are a little different than they are in Europe. Their main theme is that they are helping to make products better. Their main focus is to show how their chemicals can make your everyday life better here and around the world by creating remarkable and visible changes in many of the most important industries. Their slogan is â€Å"We dont make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.  ®Ã¢â‚¬ . This slogan, according to BASF, has made them the most recognized of any chemical company in North America. The purpose of the several different TV ads allow you to see that they don’t make the finished product, they just provide the quality ingredients to make the best products. It also allows you to see that there are countless uses of the BASF materials that allows you to enjoy life. Just as their slogan says, in most of their TV ads they tell you that they don’t make the product, they just make the product itself better. For example, â€Å"We don’t make the helmet, We make it tougher† is a slogan used in a commercial about their Ultramid polymide nylon that provides hardness and abrasion resistance commonly used in helmets. Along with their TV and print ads, BASF is moving into a more innovational way of advertising to keep up with the demands of advertising and today’s technology. They offer through their website Podcasts. These podcasts include an audible innovation magazine of BASF that offers monthly topics on how chemistry and chemicals will design and shape our future. The other podcast available through the BASF website is â€Å"The Chemical Reporter†. This podcast is for the curious person that has questions about chemistry in your everyday life. This podcast offers answer in their weekly episodes. You can download this to your iTunes account or as an MP3 file for you MP3 player. Another innovation offered is to receive all news alerts and press releases through a RSS feed free of charge. This allows a customer to receive up-to-date news about BASF in a very quick and comfortable way (at your own computer). The only draw back is that you have to download and RSS-reader, but once you have you can select from several different news topics about BASF available online at their website. I’m sure these new innovations are there to create a buzz and traffic to their website. Recommendations The success of BASF marketing can be seen in there continual growth globally. To make recommendations would be easier if we were to look at one division of the company. Either due to market conditions or poor market strategy planning not all the divisions of BASF can be doing well at any given time. The American auto industry is in a state of flux with ever present pressures from the global market. Although divisionally BASF will feel these pressures globally their affiliation with non-US auto makers absorb some of this industries variation, this allowing time for the US market to be analyzed and adjustments to be made. Pure recommendations would have to come from some direct market analysis based off of the division of the company. BASF has done a great job in their Verbund concept. Being a supplier, the concept of interlocking processes or systems creates a relationship with the customer that is hard, or sometimes inefficient to break. From this alignment with cusotmers long term relationships are established. BASF could draw better on global technologies. In looking through the BASF corporate web site many of the technologies that are seen are from different countries. Online information on the use of these products in a specific country could not be confirmed or denied as a potential customer it would have been nice to know that they are available domestically. One observation is that BASF although a hidden part of many â€Å"name brand† products does not benefit from any of their customers successes. Co-branding could lock in the business through the social pressures felt by dropping BASF as a supplier in favor of an alternative. One flaw of focusing on the Verbund concept to lock in customer loyalty is it makes social pressure less of a final end consumer pressure and more of an industry pressure which in the end may not affect sales. In not hurting sales the decision to drop BASF is less of an issue of end unit sales and more of an internal issue of efficiency. Companies like Dow and DuPont often add their name to products in advertising. One example is LineX. LineX is a truck bed liner that is spray applied. This product uses BASF chemicals yet it is DuPont that benefits from co branding with LineX. LineX advertises on their website the following â€Å"LineX, fortified with DuPont Kevlar†. This co-branding is getting the name DuPont and their product Kevlar out to the end consumer. Thus if the customer is happy with the bed liner they may be happy with a product like â€Å"Suave shampoo with DuPont thickening agent† when it should be â€Å"Suave shampoo with BASF thickening agent†. This co-branding would broaden BASF’s evoked set and lock in customer relationships. BASF should capitalize on their success more publicly. The successes of BASF can only be found through their website. These high points in the story of BASF would help establish the confidence that a purchasing group would have in dealing with a stable successful company like BASF. One last recommendation would be to sponsor more events. Dow and DuPont get much of there brand awareness from the sponsorship of events like racing. BASF does a limited amount of this and mostly on a divisional basis. Sponsoring events would get the BASF name out there making it more of an everyday name than it is today.

Effect of Advertisement free essay sample

INTRODUCTION It has been wrongly assumed that the advertising function is of recent origin. Evidences suggest that the Romans practiced advertising; but the earliest indication of its use in this country dates back to the middle Ages, when the use of the surname indicated a man’s occupation. The next stage in the evolution of advertising was the use of signs as a visual expression of the tradesman’s function and a means of locating the source of goods. This method is still in common use. The seller in primitive times relied upon his loud voice to attract attention and inform consumers of the availability of his services. If there were many competitors, he relied upon his own personal magnetism to attract attention to his merchandise. Often it became necessary for him to resort to persuasion to pinpoint the advantages of his products. Thus, the seller was doing the complete promotion job himself. Development of retail stores, made the traders to be more concerned about attracting business. Informing customers of the availability of supplies was highly important. Some types of outside promotion were necessary. Signs on stores and in prominent places around the city and notices in printed matters were sometimes used. When customers were finally attracted to the store and satisfied with the service at least once, they were still subjected to competitive influences; therefore, the merchant’s signs and advertisements reminded customers of the continuing availability of his services. Sometimes traders would talk to present and former customers in the streets, or join social organizations in order to have continuing contacts with present and potential customers. As the markets grew larger and the number of customers increased, the importance of attracting them also grew. Increasing reliance was placed on advertising methods of informing about the availability of the products. These advertising methods were more economical in reaching large numbers of consumers. While these advertising methods were useful for informing and reminding and reminding, they could not do the whole promotional job. They were used only to reach each consumer personally. The merchant still used personal persuasion once the customers were attracted to his store. The invention of hand press increased the potentialities of advertising. By Shakespeare’s times, posters had made their appearance, and assumed the function of fostering demand for existing products. Another important event was the emergence of the pamphlet as an advertising medium. The early examples of these pamphlets disclose their sponsorship by companies want to generate goodwill for their activities. The low cost of posters and handbills encouraged a number of publishers to experiment with other methods. RESEARCH OBECTIVES HISTORY OF ADVERTISEMENT Archaeologists have found evidence of advertising dating back to the 3000s bc, among the Babylonians. One of the first known methods of advertising was the outdoor display, usually an eye-catching sign painted on the wall of a building. Archaeologists have uncovered many such signs, notably in the ruins of ancient Rome and Pompeii. An outdoor advertisement excavated in Rome offers property for rent, and one found painted on a wall in Pompeii calls the attention of travelers to a tavern situated in another town. In medieval times word-of-mouth praise of products gave rise to a simple but effective form of advertising, the use of so-called town criers. The criers were citizens who read public notices aloud and were also employed by merchants to shout the praises of their wares. Later they became familiar figures on the streets of colonial American settlements. The town criers were forerunners of the modern announcer who delivers radio and television commercials. Although graphic forms of advertising appeared early in history, printed advertising made little headway until the invention of the movable-type printing press by German printer Johannes Gutenberg about 1450. This invention made the mass distribution of posters and circulars possible. The first advertisement in English appeared in 1472 in the form of a handbill announcing a prayer book for sale. Two hundred years later, the first newspaper ad was published offering a reward for the return of 12 stolen horses. In the American colonies, the Boston News-Letter, the first regularly published newspaper in America, began carrying ads in 1704, and about 25 years later Benjamin Franklin made ads more readable by using large headlines. In the United States, the advertising profession began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1841 when Volney B. Palmer set up shop as an advertising agent, the forerunner of the advertising agency. Agents contracted with newspapers for large amounts of advertising space at discount rates and then resold the space to advertisers at a higher rate. The ads themselves were created by the advertisers. In 1869 Francis Ayer bought out Palmer and founded N. W. Ayer Son, an agency that still exists today. Ayer transformed the standard agent practice by billing advertisers exactly what he paid to publishers plus an agreed upon commission. Soon Ayer was not only selling space but was also conducting market research and writing the advertising copy. Advertising agencies initially focused on print. But the introduction of radio created a new opportunity and by the end of the 1920s, advertising had established itself in radio to such an extent that advertisers were producing many of their own programs. The early 1930s ushered in dozens of radio dramatic series that were known as soap operas because they were sponsored by soap companies. Television had been introduced in 1940, but because of the high cost of TV sets and the lack of programming, it was not immediately embraced. As the American economy soared in the 1950s, so did the sale of TV sets and the advertising that paid for the popular new shows. Soon TV far surpassed radio as an advertising medium. The tone of the advertising was also changing. No longer did advertising simply present the product benefit. Instead it began to create a product image. Bill Bernbach, founder of Doyle Dane Bernbach in New York City; Leo Burnett, founder of the Leo Burnett agency in Chicago, Illinois; and David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy Mather in New York City, all came to prominence in the late 1950s and 1960s and led what has been called the creative revolution. Bernbachs agency captured the spirit of the new age. Bernbach believed that advertising had to be creative and artistic or it would bore people. He also believed that good advertising began with respect for the publics intelligence. The ads his agency created were understated, sophisticated, and witty. For example, when Bernbachs agency picked up the account for the Henry S. Levy Bakery in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, the agency created an ad that entertained New Yorkers and provided fodder for many conversations. The ad showed a Native American eating a slice of the bakerys rye bread with the headline, You dont have to be Jewish to love Levys. But it was the advertising for Volkswagen that made the agencys reputation. At a time when American cars were getting bigger and bigger and the advertising for them trumpeted that bigger was better, Doyle Dane Bernbach created a magazine ad that showed a small picture of the Volkswagen Beetle surrounded by a sea of white space with the headline, think small. An equally unconventional ad carried the headline lemon beneath a photo of an apparently flawed Volkswagen. The ads copy explained that this Volkswagen missed the boat. The chrome strip on the glove compartment is blemished and must be replaced†¦We pluck the lemons; you get the plums. In an era of hype and bombast, the Volkswagen ads stood out because they admitted failure in a witty way and gave facts in a believable manner that underlined the cars strengths. This wit together with a conversational and believable style was a hallmark of the advertising created by Doyle Dane Bernbach and that style became highly influential. The creative foundation established by Bernbach and others has been critical to the success of contemporary advertising. The introduction of the TV remote control and access to hundreds of cable channels mean that today advertising must interest and entertain consumers or else they will simply use the remote to change the channel. New digital devices even threaten to make it possible to edit out commercials. The development of interactive television, combining the functions of a computer with access to high-speed transmission over cable lines or optical fibers, will likely enable consumers to select from a vast video library. Consumers will be able to determine not only when they watch something, but also, to a greater extent than ever before, what they will watch. Some industry observers believe that as consumers gain greater control over their viewing activities, they will find it easier to avoid advertising. DEFINITION OF ADVERTISING The word advertising originates from a Latin word advertise, which means to turn to. The dictionary meaning of the term is â€Å"to give public notice or to announce publicly†. Advertising may be defined as the process of buying sponsor-identified media space or time in order to promote a product or an idea. The American Marketing Association, Chicago, has defined advertising as â€Å"any form of non-personal presentation or promotion of ideas, goods or services, by an identified sponsor. † What Advertisement Is? Advertisement is a mass communicating of information intended to persuade buyers to by products with a view to maximizing a company’s profits. The elements of advertising are: (i) It is a mass communication reaching a large group of consumers. (ii) It makes mass production possible. (iii) It is non-personal communication, for it is not delivered by an actual person, nor is it addressed to a specific person. iv) It is a commercial communication because it is used to help assure the advertiser of a long business life with profitable sales. (v) Advertising can be economical, for it reaches large groups of people. This keeps the cost per message low. (vi) The communication is speedy, permitting an advertiser to speak to millions of buyers in a matter of a few hours. (v ii) Advertising is identified communication. The advertiser signs his name to his advertisement for the purpose of publicizing his identity. What is Included in Advertising? i) The information in an advertisement should benefit the buyers. It should give them a more satisfactory expenditure of their rupees. (ii) It should suggest better solutions to their problems. (iii) The content of the advertisement is within the control of the advertiser, not the medium. (iv) Advertising without persuasion is ineffective. The advertisement that fails to influence anyone, either immediately or in the future, is a waste of money. (v) The function of advertising is to increase the profitable sales volume. That is, advertising expenses should not increase disproportionately. Advertising includes the following forms of messages: The messages carried in- ? Newspapers and magazines; ? On radio and television broadcasts; ? Circular of all kinds, (whether distributed by mail, by person, thorough tradesmen, or by inserts in packages); ? Dealer help materials, ? Window display and counter – display materials and efforts; ? Store signs, motion pictures used for advertising, ? Novelties bearing advertising messages and Signature of the advertiser, ? Label stags and other literature accompanying the merchandise. What is excluded from Advertising? Advertising is not an exact science. An advertiser’s circumstances are never identical with those of another; he cannot predict with accuracy what results his future advertising efforts will produce. (i) Advertising is not a game, because if advertising is done properly, both the buyer and the seller benefit from it. (ii) Advertising is not a toy. Advertiser cannot afford to play with advertising. Advertising funds come from sales revenue and must be used to increase sales revenue. (iii) Advertisements are not designed to deceive. The desire and hope for repeat sales insures a high degree of honesty in advertising. The activities excluded from advertising are:  ¬ The offering of premiums to stimulate the sale of products;  ¬ The use of exhibitions and demonstrations at fairs, show and conventions;  ¬ The use of samples and activities, involving news releases and the activities of personal selling forces;  ¬ The payment of advertising allowances which are not used for advertising;  ¬ The entertainment of customers Advertising Objectives Each advertisement is a specific communication that must be effective, not just for one customer, but for many target buyers. This means that specific objectives should be set for each particular advertisement campaign. Advertising is a form of promotion and like a promotion; the objectives of advertising should be specific. This requires that the target consumers should be specifically identified and that the effect which advertising is intended to have upon the consumer should be clearly indicated. The objectives of advertising were traditionally stated in terms of direct sales. Now, it is to view advertising as having communication objectives that seek to inform persuade and remind potential customers of the worth of the product. Advertising seeks to condition the consumer so that he/she may have a favourable reaction to the promotional message. Advertising objectives serve as guidelines for the planning and implementation of the entire advertising programme. The basic objectives of an advertising programme may be listed as below: (i) To stimulate sales amongst present, former and future consumers. It involves a decision regarding the media, e. g. , TV rather than print ; (ii) To communicate with consumers. This involves decision regarding copy ; (iii) To retain the loyalty of present and former consumers. Advertising may be used to reassure buyers that they have made the best purchase, thus building loyalty to the brand name or the firm. (iv) To increase support. Advertising impliedly bolsters the morale of the sales force and of distributors, wholesalers, and retailers, ; it thus contributes to enthusiasts and confidence attitude in the organizational. : (v) To project an image. Advertising is used to promote an overall image of respect and trust for an organization. This message is aimed not only at consumers, but also at the government, shareholders, and the general public. Importance of Advertising Generally, advertising is a relatively low-cost method of conveying selling messages to numerous prospective customers. It can secure leads for salesmen and middlemen by convincing readers to request more information and by identifying outlets handling the product. It can force middlemen to stock the product by building consumer interest. It can help train dealers salesmen in product uses and applications. It can build dealer and consumer confidence in the company and its products by building familiarity. Advertising is to stimulate market demand. While sometimes advertising alone may succeed in achieving buyer acceptance, preference, or even demand for the product, it is seldom solely relied upon. Advertising is efficiently used with at least one other sales method, such as personal selling or point-of-purchase display, to directly move customers to buying action. Advertising has become increasingly important to business enterprises –both large and small. Outlay on advertising certainly is the voucher. Non-business enterprises have also recognized the importance of advertising. The attempt by army recruitment is bases on a substantial advertising campaign, stressing the advantages of a military career. The health department popularizes family planning through advertising Labour organizations have also used advertising to make their viewpoints known to the public at large. Advertising assumes real economic importance too. Advertising strategies that increase the number of units sold stimulate economies in the production process. The production cost per unit of output is lowered. It in turn leads to lower prices. Lower consumer prices then allow these products to become available to more people. Similarly, the price of newspapers, professional sports, radio and TV programmes, and the like might be prohibitive without advertising. In short, advertising pays for many of the enjoyable entertainment and educational aspects of contemporary life. Advertising has become an important factor in the campaigns to achieve such societal-oriented objectives such as the discontinuance of smoking, family planning, physical fitness, and the elimination of drug abuse. Though in India, advertising was accepted as a potent and recognized means of promotion only 25 years ago, its growing productive capacity and output necessitates the finding of consumers and advertising plays an important role in this process. Advertising helps to increase mass marketing while helping the consumer to choose from amongst the variety of products offered for his selection. In India, advertising as a profession is in its infancy. Because of this fact, there is a tremendous scope for development so that it may be productively used for the benefit of producers, traders, consumers, and the country’s economy. CLASSIFICATION AND TYPES OF ADVERTISING 1. Product – Related Advertising A. Pioneering Advertising B. Competitive Advertising C. Retentive Advertising 2. Public Service Advertising 3. Functional Classification A. Advertising Based on Demand Influence Level. A. Primary Demand (Stimulation) B. Selective Demand (Stimulation) B. Institutional Advertising C. Product Advertising A. Informative Product Advertising B. Persuasive Product Advertising C. Reminder-Oriented Product Advertising 4. Advertising based on Product Life Cycle A. Consumer Advertising B. Industrial Advertising 5. Trade Advertising A. Retail Advertising B. Wholesale Advertising 6. Advertising Based on Area of operation A. National advertising B. Local advertising C. Regional advertising 7. Advertising According to Medium Utilized 1. Product – Related Advertising It is concerned with conveying information about and selling a product or service. Product advertising is of three types, viz. , A. Pioneering Advertising B. Competitive Advertising C. Retentive Advertising A. Pioneering Advertising: This type of advertising is used in the introductory stages in the life cycle of a product. It is concerned with developing a â€Å"primary† demand. It conveys information about, and selling a product category rather than a specific brand. For example, the initial advertisement for black – and – white television and color television. Such advertisements appeal to the consumer’s emotions and rational motives. B. Competitive Advertising: It is useful when the product has reached the market-growth and especially the market-maturity stage. It stimulates â€Å"selective† demand. It seeks to sell a specific brand rather than a general product category. It is of two types: A. Direct Type: It seeks to stimulate immediate buying action. B. Indirect Type: It attempts to pinpoint the virtues of the product in the expectation that the consumer’s action will be affected by it when he is ready to buy. Example: Airline advertising. Air India attempts to bid for the consumer’s patronage either immediately direct action-in which case, it provides prices, time tables and phone numbers on which the customer may call for reservations; or eventually – indirect action – when it suggests that you mention Air India’s name when talking to your travel agent. C. Retentive Advertising: This may be useful when the product has achieved a favourable status in the market – that is, maturity or declining stage. Generally in such times, the advertiser wants to keep his product’s name before the public. A much softer selling approach is used, or only the name may be mentioned in â€Å"reminder† type advertising. 2. Public Service Advertising This is directed at the social welfare of a community or a nation. The effectiveness of product service advertisements may be measured in terms of the goodwill they generate in favour of the sponsoring organization. Advertisements on not mixing drinking and driving are a good example of public service advertising. In this type of advertising, the objective is to put across a message intended to change attitudes or behaviour and benefit the public at large. 3. Functional Classification Advertising may be classified according to the functions which it is intended to fulfil. (i) Advertising may be used to stimulate either the primary demand or the selective demand. (ii) It may promote either the brand or the firm selling that brand. (iii) It may try to cause indirect action or direct action. i. Advertising Based on Demand Influence Level. A. Primary Demand Stimulation Primary demand is demand for the product or service rather than for a particular brand. It is intended to affect the demand for a type of product, and not the brand of that product. Some advertise to stimulate primary demand. When a product is new, primary demand stimulation is appropriate. At this time, the marketer must inform consumers of the existence of the new item and convince them of the benefits flowing from its use. When primary demand has been stimulated and competitors have entered the market, the advertising strategy may be to stimulate the selective demand. B. Selective Demand Stimulation This demand is for a particular brand such as Charminar cigarettes, Surf detergent powder, or Vimal fabrics. To establish a differential advantage and to acquire an acceptable sort of market, selective demand advertising is attempted. It is not to stimulate the demand for the product or service. The advertiser attempts to differentiate his brand and to increase the total amount of consumption of that product. Competitive advertising stimulates selective demand. It may be of either the direct or the indirect type. i. Institutional Advertising Institutional Advertising may be formative, persuasive or reminder oriented in character. Institutional advertising is used extensively during periods of product shortages in order to keep the name of the company before the public. It aims at building for a firm a Positive public image in the eyes of shareholders, employees, suppliers, legislators, or the general public. This sells only the name and prestige of the company. This type of advertising is used frequently by large companies whose products are well known. HMT or DCM, for example, does considerable institutional advertising of its name, emphasizing the quality and research behind its products. Institutional advertisements are at consumers or focus them upon other groups, such as voters, government officials, suppliers, financial institutions, etc. If it is effective, the target groups will respond with goodwill towards, and confidence in the sponsor. It is also a useful method or introducing sales persons and new product to consumers. It does not attempt to sell a particular product; it benefits the organization as a whole. It notifies the consumers that the company is a responsible business entity and is patriotic; that its management takes ecologically responsible action, is an affair- motive action employer, supports the socialistic pattern of society or provides employment opportunities in the community. When Indian Oil advertisements describe the company’s general activities, such as public service work, this may be referred to as institutional advertising because it is intended to build an overall favorable attitude towards the company and its family of products. HMT once told the story of the small-scale industries supplying it with component parts, thus indicating how it aided the development of ancillary industries. iii. Product Advertising Most advertising is product advertising, designed to promote the sale or reputation of a particular product or service that the organization sells. Indane’s Cooking Gas is a case in point. The marketer may use such promotion to generate exposure attention, comprehension, attitude change or action for an offering. It deals with the non-personal selling of a particular good or service. It is of three types as follows:- A. Informative Product Advertising B. Persuasive Product Advertising C. Reminder-Oriented Product Advertising A. Informative Product Advertising: This form of advertising tends to characterize the promotion of any new type of product to develop an initial demand. It is usually done in the introductory stages of the product life cycle. It was the original approach to advertising. B. Persuasive Product Advertising: Persuasive product advertising is to develop demand for a particular product or brand. It is a type of promotion used in the growth period and, to some extent, in the maturity period of the product life cycle. C. Reminder-Oriented Product Advertising: The goal of this type of advertising is to reinforce previous promotional activity by keeping the brand name in front of the public. It is used in the maturity period as well as throughout the declining phase of the product life cycle. 4. Advertising based on Product Life Cycle A. Consumer Advertising B. Industrial Advertising A. Consumer Advertising Most of the consumer goods producers engage in consumer product advertising. Marketers of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, scooters, detergents and soaps, cigarettes and alcoholic beverages are examples. Baring a few, all these products are all package goods that the consumer will often buy during the year. There is a heavy competition among the advertisers to establish an advantage for their particular brand. B. Industrial Advertising Industrial executives have little confidence in advertising. They rely on this form of promotion merely out of fear that their competitors may benefit if they stop their advertising efforts. The task of the industrial advertiser is complicated by the multiple buying influence characteristics like, the derived demand, etc. The objectives vary according to the firm and the situation. They are: ? To inform, ? To bring in orders, ? To induce inquiries, ? To get the advertiser’s name on the buyer’s list of sources, ? To provide support for the salesman, ? To reduce selling costs, ? To help get items in the news column of a publication, ? To establish recognition for the firm or its product, ? To motivate distributors, ? To recognition for the firm or its products, ? To motivate distributors, to create or change a company’s image, ? To create or change a buyer’s attitude, and The basic appeals tend to increase the rupee profits of the buyer or help in achieving his non-monetary objectives. Trade journals are the media most generally used followed by catalogues, direct mail communication, exhibits, and general management publications. Advertising agencies are much less useful in industrial advertising. 5. Trade Advertising A. Retail Advertising B. Wholesale Advertising A. Retail Advertising This may be defined as â€Å"covering all advertising by the stores that sell goods directly to the consuming public. It includes, also advertising by establishments that sell services to the public, such as beauty shops, petrol pumps and banks. Advertising agencies are rarely used. The store personnel are usually given this responsibility as an added task to be performed, together with their normal functions. The result is that advertising is often relegated to a secondary position in a retail store. One aspect of retail advertising is co-operative advertising. It refers to advertising costs between retailers and manufacturers. From the retailer’s point of view, co-operativ e advertising permits a store to secure additional advertising that would not otherwise have been available. B. Wholesale Advertising Wholesalers are, generally, not advertising minded, either for themselves or for their suppliers. They would benefit from adopting some of the image-making techniques used by retailers – the need for developing an overall promotional strategy. They also need to make a greater use of supplier promotion materials and programs in a way advantageous to them. 6. Advertising based on Area of Operation It is classified as follow: A. National Advertising B. Regional Advertising C. Local Advertising A. National advertising It is practiced by many firms in our country. It encourages the consumer to buy their product wherever they are sold. Most national advertisements concentrate on the overall image and desirability of the product. The famous national advertisers are: Hindustan Levers DCM ITC Jay Engineering TISCO B. Regional advertising It is geographical alternative for organizations. For example, Amrit Vanaspati based in Rajpura claims to be the leading hydrogenated oil producer in the Punjab. But, until recently, it mainly confined itself to one of the vegetable oil brands distribution to Malihabad district (in U. P. near Lucknow). C. Local advertising It is generally done by retailers rather than manufacturers. These advertisements save the customer time and money by passing along specific information about products, prices, location, and so on. Retailer advertisements usually provide specific goods sales during weekends in various sectors. 7. Advertising According to Medium The most common classification of advertising is by the medium used. For example: TV, radio, magazine, outdoor, business periodical, newspaper and direct mail advertising. This classification is so common in use that it is mentioned here only for the sake of completeness. Measuring Advertising Effectiveness All advertising efforts are directed mainly towards the achievement ofbusiness, marketing and advertising objectives i. e. , to increase the sales turnover and thus to market the maximum profit. The advertiser spends lakhs of rupees in to this advertising activity. In the background of all these efforts, is an attempt to attract the customer towards the product through advertising. As soon as the advertising campaign is over, a need is generally arisen to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. Whether, it has achieved the desired results i. e. esired sales profitability or results in terms the change in customer’ behaviour in favour of the company’s product which will naturally, affect the future sale of the product. In order to measure the effectiveness of advertising copy, two types of tests pre tests and post tests- can be undertaken. Pre tests are generally conducted in the beginning of the creation process or at the end of cr eation process or production stage. There are several pre and post tests techniques to measure the effectiveness of the advertising copy. The effectiveness of advertising in a particular media may also be measured in any of the following ways – a) By giving different addresses to different media, (b) Different newspapers may be selected for advertisements of different departments, (c) Coupon blank etc. May be provided with the advertisement or (d) Enquiry from consumers should mention the name of the source of information. The technique is known as keying the advertising. Thus in measuring the effectiveness of advertising we include measuring of the effectiveness of advertising campaign, advertising copy and the effectiveness of individual media. This chapter deals these three problems. Importance of measuring the Effectiveness of Advertising 1) It acts as a Safety measure Testing effectiveness of advertising helps in finding out ineffective advertisement and advertising camp aigns. It facilitates timely adjustments in advertising to make advertising consumer oriented and result oriented. Thus waste of money in faulty advertising can be avoided. (2) Provides feedback for remedial measures Testing effectiveness of advertising provides useful information to the advertisers to take remedial steps against ineffective advertisements. (3) Avoids possible failure Advertisers are not sure of results of advertising from a particular advertising campaign. Evaluating advertising effectives helps in estimating the results in order to avoid complete loss. (4) To justify the Investment in Advertising The expenditure on advertisement is considered to be an investment. The investment in advertising is a marketing investment and its objectives should be spelt out clearly indicating the results expected from the campaign. The rate and size of return should be determined in advance. If the expected rate of return is achieved in terms of additional profits, the advertisement can be considered as effective one. 5) To know the communication Effect The effectiveness of the advertisement can be measured in terms of their communication effects on the target consumers or audience. The main purpose of advertising is communicated the general public, and existing and prospective consumers, various information about the product and the company. It is therefore desirable to seek post measurements of advertising in order to determine whether advertisement have been seen or heard or in other words whether they have communicated the theme, message or appeal of the advertising. (6) Compare two markets Under this procedure, advertising is published in test markets and results are contrasted with other. Markets – so called control markets – which have had the regular advertising program. The measurements made to determine results may be measurements of change in sales, change in consumer attitudes, changes in dealer display and so on depending upon the objectives sought by the advertiser. METHODS OF MEASURING ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS Advertising is aimed at improving the sales volume of a concern so its effectiveness can be evaluated by its impact on sales. Most of the managers elieve that the advertisement directly affects the sales volume and hence they evaluate the effectiveness of the advertising campaign by the increase in the sales volume. There may be two types measures i) Direct measures: and ii) Indirect measures:- (1) Direct Measures of Advertising Effectiveness Under direct measures, a relationship between advertising and sales is established. A comparison of sales of two periods or two periods or two markets may be done and the corresponding changes may be noted. The following are some of the methods that are generally used in measuring that advertising effects. (a) Historical Sales Method Some insights into the effectiveness of past advertising may be obtained by measuring the relationship between the advertising expenditure and the total sales of the product. A multiple regression analysis of advertising expenditure and sales over several time periods may be calculated. It would show how the changes in advertising expenditure have corresponding changes in sales volume. This technique estimates the contribution that advertising has made to explaining in a co relational manner rather than a casual sales, the variation in sales over the time periods covered in the study (b) Experimental Control The other measure of advertising effectiveness is the method of experimental control where a casual relationship between advertising and sales is established. This method is quite expensive when related to other advertising effectiveness measures yet it is possible to isolate advertising contribution to sales. Moreover this can be done as a pre-test to aid advertising in choosing between alternative creative designs. Media schedules expenditure levels or some combination of these advertising decision areas. One experimental approach to measuring the sales effectiveness of advertising is test marketing. (i) Before-after with Control Group Design This classic design uses several test and control cities in this design two types of cities are selected. Cities in which advertising campaigns are affected may be named as test cities and other cities may be called central cities. First of all, the normal sales level is calculated for both type of cities prior to advertising campaign, and then the advertising campaign is presented to the test cities and not the central cities. The effect of advertising campaign, can then, be measured by subtracting the amount of post campaign figure of sale from the pre campaign sale figures in test cities (ii) Multivariable Experimental Designs While the experimental design discussed above yields a reasonably accurate estimate of the effects of the advertising on sales, it is not successful in explaining the success or failure of the campaign itself. Multivariable designs Produce these explanations and are, therefore used by some very large firm because of their diagnostic value. The power of this multivariable factorial design is explained by G. H. Brown, former Fords Director of Marketing Research. For any single medium, eight possible geographic areas have been exposed and eight have not been exposed. Thus, in this experimental model it is possible to evaluate how each individual medium behaves alone and in all possible to evaluate how each individual medium behaves alone and in all possible combinations with other media. (2) Indirect Measures As it is very difficult to measure the direct effect of advertising on company’s profits or sales, most firms rely heavily on indirect measures. These measures do not evaluate the effects of advertisements directing on sales or profits but all other factors such as customer awareness or attitude or customer recall of advertising message affect the sales or profits or goals of the business indirectly. Despite the uncertainties about the relationship between the intermediate effects of advertising and the ultimate results, there is no other alternative but to use indirect measures. The most commonly used measures are – (i) Exposure to Advertisement In order to be effective, the advertisement must gain exposure. The management is concerned about the number of target audiences who see or hear the organization message set in the advertisement. Without exposure, advertisement is bound to failure. Marketers or advertisers may obtain an idea of exposure generated by the medium by examining its circulation or audience data which reveal the number of copies of the magazine, newspaper or journal sold the number of persons passing the billboards or riding in transit facilities, or the number of persons living in the televiewing or radio listening area, and the number of persons switching on their T. V. nd radio sets at various points of time. This number can be estimated by interviewing the numbers of the audience for different media. (ii) Attention or Recall of Advertising Message Content This is one of the widely used measures of advertising results. Under this measure, a recall of the message content among a specified group or groups or prospective customers is measured within 24 hours of the expo sure of the advertisement. Attention value is the chief quality of the advertising copy the advertisements cannot be said to be effective unless they attract the attention of the target consumers. There are two methods for evaluating the attention getting value of the advertisements. One is pre-test and the other is post-test. In a pre-test evaluation, the consumers are asked to indicate the extent to which they recognise or recall the advertisement, they have already seen. This test is conducted in the laboratory setting. Here consumers read, hear or listen to the advertisement and then researchers ask question regarding the advertisement just to test the recall and then evaluate it. In post-test method, the consumers are asked questions about the indication of recognition or recall after the advertisement has been run. These measures assume that customers can recall or recognize what they have viewed or listened to. Various mechanical devices are being used in the western countries which provide indices of attention such as eye-camera etc. (iii) Brand Awareness The marketers who rely heavily on advertising often appraise its effectiveness by measuring the customer’s awareness about the particular product or brand. The assumption of this type of measure is that there is a direct relationship between the advertisements and the awareness. This type of measure is also subject to the same criticisms as is applicable to direct measures of effectiveness (sales measures because awareness is also not the direct result of the advertisements. It is also affected by many other factors. But, for new products, changes in awareness can often be attributed to the influence of advertising. (iv) Comprehension Consumers generally use advertisements as a means of obtaining information about the product, brand or the manufacturer. They cannot be informed unless they comprehend the message (grasp the message mentally and understand it fully). Various tests for valuating comprehension are available – One is recall tests – an indicator of comprehension because it is evident that consumers recall what they comprehend. Another measure of the variable is to ask questions about subjects how much they have comprehended a message they have recently heard or seen. One may employ somewhat imprecise test of the comprehension of a newspaper and radio advertisement. One may ask typical target consumers from time to time such questions like ‘what did you think of our new commercial? ’ and ‘Did it get the message across’? The answers of these questions will provide sufficient insight into advertising decision making. (v) Attitude Change Since advertising is considered to be one way of influencing the state of the mind of the audience towards a product, service or organisation, the results are very often measured in terms of attitudes among groups exposed to advertising communication. Several measures are used ranging from asking the questions about willingness to buy the likelihood of buying to the measurement of the extent to which specific attributes (such as modern or new) are associated with a product. vi) Action One objective of advertisement may be assumed to be to stimulate action or behavior. The action or intention to take an action may be measured on the intention to buy measuring instrument. Under this type of measure, consumers are asked to respond why they are interested in purchasing the product or brand. One type of action that advertisers attempt to induce is buying behavior. The assum ption is that if an increase in sales follows a decrease in advertising expenditure, the change in sales levels are good indicators of the effectiveness of advertising. Logic suggests that easurement of sales is preferable to other measurements. Thus, these above measures (direct or indirect) are used to evaluate the effectiveness of advertisements. It seems from the analysis of the above methods of measuring effectiveness that directly or indirectly changes in sales or profits are taken as the measuring rod of the effectiveness of the advertising. COMMUNICATION EFFECTS OF ADVERTISEMENT The management should attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the advertising campaign if the firm’s advertising goals are to be achieved and the ad effectiveness is to be increased. By regular evaluation of the effectiveness, the short comings and the plus points would be revealed and the management would be able to improve the campaign by negating the shortcomings and retaining the favorable point. For this purpose, it is very necessary to know how advertising affects the buyer’s behaviors. But this is very difficult task because measurements are imperfect and imprecise. The effectiveness of advertising can be measured by the extent, it to which it achieves the objectives set for it. If it succeeds in attaining the objectives. Advertising can be said to be effective otherwise it will be a waste of money and time. In this sense, advertising can be recognized as a business activity like other activities. In a very real sense the integrity of promotional activities rests on how well those activities work. An advertising budget that is spent on some poorly defined task or on undefined tasks may be regarded as an economic waste as compared to that spent to achieve the well defined objectives for which the results can be measured. Any social institution upon which a significant portion of our total productive efforts is expanded should be able to point to its specific accomplishment. Indeed, it is a source of discomfort that specific results of advertising activities have not always been subject to precise measurement. Both practitioners and critics feel that promotional activities should only be accepted as socio – economic – institution with full right and privileges â€Å"when the means exist to prove that advertising super are productive rupees’ It is undoubtedly a source of embarrassment that we cannot exactly measure the effectiveness of advertising in definitive terms. The exact result of advertisement expenditure is very difficult to predict because. (a) The reaction of consumer – buyers to the advertising efforts cannot be known in advance. (b) The reaction of competitors in the field cannot be guessed in anticipation and (c) The unexpected events (such as change in social and economic environment and the government policies etc. ) cannot be accurately anticipated. Such events may influence the results of the advertising eff orts. If we take a hypothetical case of a retailer who contract to spent Rs. 5000 on advertisement with a local newspaper for a special sales even. The advertisement is seen and the response is much greater than it is anticipated. What caused the success of sale? They message theme colors etc. , of the advertisement or the low prices quoted during the sale of the superior quality of the product or absence of competition in the market on the day or the favorable. Weather conditions or the goodwill of the firm etc. The overwhelming success of the sale is the joint result of all the above variables and it is quite impossible to isolate the role of any one variable. It is so because the cause and effect – relationship cannot be established in advance when a multitude of variable impinge upon a particular event. It is entirely possible that a poor advertising support may push up the sale because everything else falls into its proper place or the reverse may be possible. But it does not mean that that we cannot measure the effects of particulars advertising effort. The advertising executives are much concerned about the assessment of the effectiveness of the advertising efforts. For this purpose, the management needs answers to such questions as: was the advertising campaign really successful in attaining the advertising goals? Were our T. V. ommercials as good as those of our competitors? Will the print advertisement, which we have designed, make consumers aware of our new product? To get answers of these questions, various tests of effectiveness (Pre- tests and post – tests ) are deeded to determine whether proposed advertisement should be used, and if they are not satisfactory how they might be improved, and whether on going campaign should be stopped continued or changed. Pre- test s are conducted before exposing target consumers to the advertisements and post tests after consumers have been exposed to them. As indicated earlier, the advertisers are interested in knowing what they are getting for their advertising rupees, So they test the proposed advertisement with pre test and measure the actual results with a post test. In the past, protesting was done by the advertising agencies but now the advertisers have been taking an increasingly active role in protesting process. Pre test may be done either before an advertisement has been designed or executed after it is ready for public distribution or at both points. During protesting there is often research on three vital questions:- (i) Do consumers feel that the advertisement communicates something desirable about the product? (ii) Does the message have an exclusive appeal that differentiates the product from that of the competitors? (iii) Is the advertisement believable? Although a lot of money is spent on protesting yet the advertisers like to confirm the results by post testing of their promotional campaigns due to the following reasons:- (i) There is a need produce more effective advertising by retaining the good and removing the bad. ii) The advertising executives can prove to the satisfaction of the management that a higher advertising budget will benefit the firm. (iii) There is a need for measuring the results to determine the level of expenditure that is most promising. Most research focuses on the communication effect rather than sales effect because it is a long run process. In the short run, however sales may be slight and importan t but in the long run its effects ob brands and companies may be of great importance. Indirectly it will affect the sales in the long run, by changing the consumer awareness and attitude. The advertisers are therefore, concerned with their impact on consumer awareness and attitude. The communication effect on sales may be presented in the following figure:- Communication Effect on Sales Awareness v Attitude v Trial v Satisfaction v Purchases or repurchase Awareness builds a favorable or at least a curious attitude towards the product which leads to experimentation. If consumer is satisfied with the trial he may decide to purchase the product. There are many critical and unresolved issues in determining how to test the communication effects of advertising. Among these are:- 1) Exposure Conditions – Should advertising be tested under realistic conditions or under more controlled laboratory conditions? (2) Execution – Protesting a finished advertisement as an expensive and time consuming. Does protesting a preliminary execution produce accurate and useful data? (3) Quality Vs. Quantity Data- Quantitative data are the easiest and the almost precise measureme nt. But qualitative data collected through interviews may provide information that short answer questions never can. Many types of advertising tests are conducted (different methods of pre tests and post – test are given in question number) In T. V. ommercials are tested by inviting a group of people to the studio to view a program. The audience is then surveyed about the commercials. Print advertisements are tested through dummy magazine portfolio tests. Compunction Effectiveness Vs Sales Effectiveness It is easier to assess the communication effect of advertising than the sales effect. Many firms try to measure the effectiveness of advertising in terms of sales results but this practice is always misleading. Since, the effect is the result of so many variables, a distinct effect of advertising on sales cannot be correctly measured, Although there may be some exceptions. For example direct mail advertising can effectively be measured by the inquiries received. But in many situations the exact relationship between advertising activity and sales cannot be established satisfactorily. We can correctly assume that some sales will occur even though there is no advertising or little advertising or conversely there will be no increase in sales after the point of saturation is reached or it may be that sales will show a decreasing trend at this point in spite of large amount of expenditure on advertising is done. It is so because advertising is no the only variable that effect the sales. Thus, we may conduct that sales effect of advertising is difficult to measure because a number of variables affect the quantum of tales and the contribution of advertisement cannot be measured separately unless all other variables are presumed to be constant. This situation is quite hypothetical and almost nonexistent. Added to this is the fact that advertisement itself is made of a variety of variables such as media, messages, colours, page or time of the day, locations, the size of the headline and the appeals used. Thus even if the advertising variable is separated this would still not answer the question about the effectiveness of the individual components of the advertising campaign. So advertisers try to measure the communication effect of the advertising. Suitability In small business firms where the marketing research resources are limited advertising managers may decide on less expensive and less relevant measures. The big business house, which has more access to research, may decide on the more relevant and expensive measures. Factors Affecting Advertising The final external factor in the planning framework concerns environmental factor social, legal, and global. Law forbids deceptive advertising. One solution is to create brand advertising that is vague and contains little specific information. However, such an approach can result not only in ineffective advertising; by it can lessen the social value of advertising by reducing the amount for useful information that it provides to society. Thus, and advertiser who attempts to provide specific, relevant information must be well aware of advertising regulation. Even more difficult consideration for people involved in the advertising effort is broad social and economic issues. Another concern is that advertising, especially when it is more irritating than entertaining, is an intrusion into an already excessively polluted environment. A whole set of rules is emerging to cover advertising directed at children, and advertising for products such as alcohol and cigarettes, and the use of environmental and health claims in advertising. Thus advertising has a tremendous impact on international marketing and the two concepts therefore go hand in hand and are dependent on each other. IMPACT OF ADVERTISEMENT Advertising has an important effect on a country’s economy, society, culture, and political system. This is especially true in the United States where the advertising industry plays such a prominent role. 1. Economic Impact Most economists believe that advertising has a positive impact on the economy because it stimulates demand for products and services, strengthening the economy by promoting the sale of goods and services. Manufacturers know that advertising can help sell a new product quickly, enabling them to recoup the costs of developing new products. By stimulating the development of new products, advertising helps increase competition. Many economists believe that increased competition leads to lower prices, thereby benefiting consumers and the economy as a whole. These economists also argue that by interesting consumers in purchasing goods, advertising enables manufacturers and others to sell their products in larger quantities. The increased volume of sales enables companies to produce individual units at lower costs and therefore, sell them at a lower price. Advertising thus benefits consumers by helping lower prices. Other economists, however, believe that advertising is wasteful. They argue that the cost of advertising adds to the cost of goods and that most advertising simply encourages consumers to buy one brand rather than another. According to this view, advertising simply moves sales from one company to another, rather than increasing sales overall and thereby benefiting the economy as a whole. 2. Social Impact Advertising can have wide-ranging repercussions on a society. Some critics suggest that advertising promotes a materialistic way of life by leading people to believe that happiness is achieved by purchasing products. They argue that advertising creates a consumer culture in which buying exciting new products becomes the foundation of the societys values, pleasures, and goals. Other critics express concern over the way advertising has affected women and racial minority groups. Ads in the 1950s depicted women primarily as decoration or sex objects. Although millions of women worked outside the home in the 1960s, ads continued to focus on their role as homemakers. Whether owing to the feminist movement or to womens increasing economic power, after the 1960s it became more common to see women depicted in professional roles. However, many ads today still emphasize a woman’s sexuality. The way advertising has depicted racial minorities has also been harmful. Prior to 1960, African Americans were usually shown in a subordinate position. Due to the influence of the civil rights movement, however, advertisers by the 1980s had begun to depict African Americans as students, professionals, or business people. However, many African American organizations and community activists continue to object to the way that alcohol and tobacco companies have seemingly targeted low-income minority communities with a heavy preponderance of outdoor advertising for their products. As ads have begun to more fully reflect the lives of women and African Americans in the United States, increasing attention has been paid to the way in which advertising shows other ethnic groups, including Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and Eastern Europeans. There is still considerable debate over how advertising influences public perception of gender and of particular ethnic groups. Advertising has a major social impact by helping sustain mass communications media and making them relatively inexpensive, if not free, to the public. Newspapers, magazines, radio, and broadcast television all receive their primary income from advertising. Without advertising, many of these forms of mass communication might not exist to the extent that they do today, or they might be considerably more expensive, offer less variety, or even be subject to government control through subsidies. In-depth news programs, a diversity of magazines, and free entertainment might no longer be widely available. At the same time, however, some critics warn that because advertising plays such a major economic role, it may exercise undue influence on the news media and thereby curtail the free flow of information in a free society. Reporters and editors, for example, may be hesitant to develop a news story that criticizes a major advertiser. As a result, society might not be alerted to harmful or potentially harmful conduct by the advertiser. Most members of the news media deny that pressure from an advertiser prevents them from pursuing news stories involving that dvertiser, but some members of the media acknowledge that they might not be inclined to investigate an issue aggressively if it threatened to offend a major advertiser. Advertisers may affect media programming in other ways, too, critics charge. For example, companies that sponsor TV programs prefer relatively wholesome, noncontroversial programming to avoid offending a mass audience. This preference causes TV networks to emphasize this type of programming. The result is that society may be denied the benefits of being able to view challenging or highly original entertainment programs or news programs on controversial issues. Because advertisers are especially interested in attracting the 18 to 34 year olds who account for most consumer spending, television shows are often developed with this audience in mind. If the ratings show that a program is not attracting large audiences, particularly among 18 to 34 year olds, advertisers often withdraw support, which causes a program to be canceled. As a result, shows that are more likely to interest and to be of value to older audiences are not produced. The impact of television on young children has received much attention. Research suggests that children see television advertising as just another form of programming and react uncritically to its messages, which makes them especially vulnerable to advertising. There is also concern about the way in which adolescent girls respond to advertising that features beautiful, thin models. Research indicates that many adolescent girls are unduly influenced by this standard of beauty, become dissatisfied with their own bodies, and may develop eating disorders in pursuit of a thin figure. New research suggests that adolescent boys are also being influenced by advertising images of bulked-up, buffed bodies. As a result, many become dissatisfied with their own body image, devote large amounts of time to weightlifting, and may even take drugs that have harmful side effects in order to develop more muscle. Those over the age of 60 are thought to be less influenced by advertising, but some elderly people no longer process messages as easily as younger people, making them more susceptible to questionable advertising claims. 3. Political Impact Advertising is now a major component of political campaigns and therefore has a big influence on the democratic process itself. In 1998 more han $467 million was spent on election campaigns in the United States. That amount of spending placed political advertising in the ranks of the country’s 30 leading advertisers that year. Political advertising is a relatively new development in U. S. history. Advertising professionals did not become involved in electoral campaigns until the 1950s. But since then, political advertising has grown in sophistic ation and complexity. Political advertising enables candidates to convey their positions on important issues and to acquaint voters with their accomplishments and personalities. Television advertising is especially effective for candidates running for national or statewide office because it can reach so many people at once. Candidates can also use advertising to respond effectively to the charges of their opponents. Various campaign finance reform proposals, however, have tried to address the impact of television advertising on political campaigning. Because of the high cost of television ads, the costs of political campaigns have skyrocketed, making it necessary for candidates to raise money continually, even after they have been elected to office. Critics say this factor jeopardizes the democratic process by making elected officials beholden to wealthy contributors and by making it more likely that only the wealthy will run for office. Some reform proposals have called for free airtime, but television and radio networks have resisted this idea. Critics of political advertising also charge that the 30-second television spot has become more important to a political campaign than a thorough discussion of the issues. As a result, voters are bombarded with image advertising rather than being acquainted with the candidate’s positions. They contend that this practice is harmful to good government. Issues are simplified, and candidates are â€Å"packaged and sold† much like a consumer product, thereby distorting the political process. 4. Cultural Impact Advertising can affect cultural values. Some advertising messages, for example, encourage aggressive individualism, which may clash with the traditional cultural values of a country where the collective or group is emphasized over the individual or humility or modesty is preferred to aggressiveness. With the globalization of the world economy, multinational corporations often use the same advertising to sell to consumers around the world. Some critics argue that advertising messages are thus helping to break down distinct cultural differences and traditional values, causing the world to become increasingly homogeneous. Many advertising campaigns, however, have universal appeal, overriding cultural differences, or they contribute to culture in a positive way. Humor in advertising has made many ad campaigns widely popular, in some cases achieving the status of folklore or taking on new life in another arena. For example, a popular ad campaign for a fast-food chain with the slogan â€Å"Where’s the beef? † became part of the 1980 Democratic presidential primary campaign between Gary Hart and Walter Mondale. The ad ridiculed a competitor by depicting a small hamburger patty dwarfed by a huge bun. During a primary debate one of the candidates used the ad slogan to suggest that his opponent’s campaign lacked substance. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design |: Descriptive | |Data Source |: Primary data | | |: Secondary data | |