Advertising Courses Online

Advertising has a long history in the marketing world. In whichever direction you look, you will encounter some form of advertisement in the form of banners, commercials, billboards, pop-ups, etc. We have come a long way from the days of traditional advertising to digital advertising. Yet what remains true is its continuing reign at the heart of the marketing industry.

Wherever you go today, businesses are constantly trying to draw your attention. In this competitive space, advertising has become an influential tool for businesses to promote their brand, goods, and services to the audience. Advertising is a form of paid promotion where the sponsor (generally, a business) controls the content and the message. The aim is to reach out to the audience and influence some facet of their attitude and behavior.

Let’s better understand advertising and its importance as a marketing tool.

Advertising has a history as long as civilizations and commercial activities. The earliest evidence of advertising has been traced back to the ancient civilization of Egypt. The written advertisement on papyrus found in the ruins of Thebes is known to be the first known written ad. The preserved ruins of Pompeii also show evidence of commerce, advertising, and even endorsement. Advertisements were manifest in diverse mediums such as wall paintings, oral advertising, and papyrus in the ancient world. It was the pre-printing era of advertising.

Modern advertising follows soon after with the advent of the printing press. It brought on the printing revolution and the systematic printing of uniform texts at an unthinkable rate. The invention of the Gutenberg press was the beginning of the printing revolution that, in turn, fundamentally transformed the advertising world.

Since then, there has been a rapid growth in newspaper and magazine publications beginning in London. Newspapers became a popular medium to make announcements promoting products through advertisements. Printed ads began to promote books and medicines.

As the nations’ economies expanded with the consumer society in the 19th century, advertising became increasingly popular, and newspapers continued to be the preferred medium for advertisers. The establishment of the first advertising agency in 1843 in Philadelphia, the US, founded by Volney Palmer, further changed how the industry functions.

As the products in the market were diversifying, producers and brands felt the need to establish their own brand identity. So arose brand advertising. The Sears direct mail campaign of 1892 is the first known instance of direct marketing in modern advertising. It helped generate brand awareness, recognition, and brand loyalty among consumers.

The 20th century saw the advertising industry expand further. It is known as the golden age of advertising. Print advertising countered challenges arising from other mediums- radio and television advertising. Advertising agencies began to play an even bigger role in the industry. The field’s reliance on professionals such as psychologists and researchers and big data made advertising a scientific exercise since this period.

Nonetheless, it was the 21st century that led to a tectonic shift in advertising. The World Wide Web took the globe by storm, and online advertising became the mainstay of the advertising industry. The origin of digital advertising can be traced back to the world’s first digital banner advertisements in October 1994. The HotWired (present-day Wired.com) ad campaign saw 14 corporations participate in revolutionizing online advertising. They included prominent corporations like Volvo, IBM, Club Med, and AT&T, to name a few.

The dynamism of online advertising came to fruition with social media advertising which took targeted advertising to new heights. Social media platforms have become ubiquitous in the digitally-driven world and are at the forefront of digital media advertising. Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are known for providing access to the target audience with accuracy and ease not possible before the advent of social media platforms.

We have come a long way from the word-of-mouth and papyrus advertising of the ancient world. Technological advancements like the printing revolution and the popularization of radio and television were boosts that introduced the golden age of advertising. But the Internet age has unleashed the full potential of advertising and its importance in a consumerist society.

Now that we have briefly outlined the long and illustrious history of advertising let’s understand what it means.

The term advertising comes from the Latin word ‘advertere’ that translates ‘to turn toward.’ Advertising is a marketing technique to communicate with an audience to promote and sell a good, service, brand, or idea. An advertiser aims to influence the audience to take action that is generally beneficial to the business. It is a promotional activity that may target a specific niche audience or the general public regarding the subject of the advert.

Technological innovations have led to the rapid growth of advertising. New technology has introduced new mediums for its transmission. An advertisement (adverts or ads, for short) may come in many forms- newspaper ads, banners, video ads, radio, television ads, magazine ads, social media endorsements, catalogs, and leaflets.

The advertiser (or sponsor) has absolute control over the advertisement’s content, no matter its form. It is their way of one-way communication with the audience through paid promotion. The advertising industry continues to consolidate its power with each historically significant transition that has taken place over its long history.

This ancient marketing technique continuously adapts and adopts new technologies to stay relevant and valuable. So let us learn more about the use of advertising.

For a marketing technique to survive over the centuries, it has to make itself invaluable. Advertising has done so, and it continues to adapt to changing times to remain useful.

Advertising has three main objectives- to inform, persuade, and remind. These objectives make advertising valuable in several ways, as we will find out in this section.

• Creates awareness- Advertising communicates to the audience about the existence of the brand, its products, and its services. It is the first step toward making the prospective consumer consider the subject of the advert in their buying decisions.

• Introduces new products and services- When new products and services come into the market, the consumer must be aware of them. Advertisements play a critical role here as they carry the information necessary to communicate effectively with the audience about the product or service to generate interest.

• Creates brand value and identity- In a competitive market, the consumer should be able to recognize and value a brand to motivate positive buying behavior. Through advertising, brands can successfully establish and consolidate their identity in the market by efficiently communicating their values and ideals.

• Differentiates brands- Apart from establishing brand identity, advertisements have become a tool to showcase the distinguishing characteristics of each business. They do so through advertising campaigns that communicate how the brand is different from all others, establishing a unique identity among the audience.

• Increases customer trust and brand loyalty- Advertising has become a mode of communication between a business and consumers to promote familiarity. Continuous communication with customers increases the visibility and recognition of a brand and its products. Consequently, this helps build trust and loyalty among consumers.

• Helps reach the target audience- The content and form of advertisement can help businesses or firms reach out to their target audience. It requires research and knowledge of the target audience to be effective. But targeted advertising is highly cost-efficient and beneficial as a marketing strategy.

• Increases sales- The primary objective of advertising is to motivate or persuade positive buying activity among the audience. The ultimate goal is to increase the bottom line, and advertising is the tool to achieve it.

• Cost-efficient- Advertising, especially multi-channel advertising, can reach a large audience and reduce the per-unit cost of marketing by capitalizing on the economies of scale. Knowing the ideal customer profile also helps reach out to the target audience most likely to buy the products or services.

Given the many uses of advertising, it is not surprising that both small and big businesses allocate substantial resources to advertising.

Now that we have covered the use of advertising, it's time to explore the different types of advertising. Today advertisers have a range of options to choose the type of advertising that would benefit them the most. They range from print advertising to broadcast and online advertising.

Here we outline some of the most important types of advertising. We first look at the classification of advertising based on its audience reach.

• Above-the-line advertising: This type of advertising is not for a target audience but a general audience. It includes television, radio, and newspaper advertisements.

• Below-the-line advertising: This type of advertising targets a specific target audience and includes in-store advertisements, billboards, and mailing lists.

• Through-the-line advertising: It includes strategies from both above and below-the-line advertising. It is often used during brand-building campaigns and employs personalized advertising strategies like cookies-based advertising.

Types of advertising are also differentiated based on the medium of advertising. They can be broadly classified as traditional and digital advertising.

Traditional advertising - This type of advertising uses traditional mediums to market to potential consumers like television, radio, newspapers, billboards, and pamphlets.

Broadcast advertising - It involves using mass communication media like television and radio to advertise the brand, products, or service. They are most likely to address the general audience. Nonetheless, it can be an expensive medium.

Direct mail advertising - In this type of advertising, the advertisement is mailed directly to the audience’s home or office as catalogs, brochures, and newsletters.

Print advertising - Before the emergence of digital advertising, print advertising was the most popular form of advertising, especially for small businesses. It includes magazine and newspaper advertisements, brochures, flyers, and leaflets.

Outdoor advertising (or out-of-home advertising) - Any form of advertising that you encounter outside your home is outdoor advertising. It includes billboards, transit ads, ads in venues with huge footfalls like sports stadiums, etc.

Digital advertising - Digital advertisement entails using the internet and social networking channels to communicate with the target audience. It became wildly popular with the invention of the World Wide Web.

Social media advertising - Social media platforms have an enormous reach. They have become essential for the advertising industry to reach a highly targeted audience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn all provide the means for big and small businesses to communicate with their existing and potential customer.

Display advertising - Pop-ups and banner ads on websites help businesses reach new audiences. These ads aim to convert the audience quickly through their call to action (CTA) feature

Native advertising - It is a type of advertising where the advert's content matches the website's general content. The advertisement is very subtle in presenting itself as an ad and takes away the disruptive element of advertising.

Mobile advertising - The pervasiveness of mobile phones in society has made them the most omnipotent medium to reach potential customers anywhere and anytime. A mobile device with network and internet connectivity can help businesses communicate with their audience through SMS, videos, display ads, search ads, video ads, and social media.

Paid search advertising (or pay-per-click advertising) - Businesses can bid on specific keywords to appear at the top of search results when consumers enter them in the search engine. The business has to pay only when a person clicks on the ad.

The objective of an advertisement is abundantly clear- promote and sell a product, service, brand, or idea. So how does advertising go about fulfilling the intent of the advertiser?

1. Recognizability - The first step that enables advertising to work is creating awareness of a business and its products among the audience. This first step in the sales funnel results from sharing information about the subject of the advert with the audience.

2. Research - For advertising to work, it is critical to research the audience, their interests, and the content they are actively searching for. Advertisements often share informative content that is of value to the consumer and promotes the subject of the advert.

3. Persuasion - The content of an advertisement should be able to persuade the audience to see value in the product and make a compelling argument in favor of purchasing the product.

4. Emotional appeal - The dimension of advertising relies on capitalizing on the audience’s emotions to influence them to act. The idea is to evoke a positive emotional response to the brand or product through the ad.

5. Engagement - A positive association with a brand or business can create long-term relationships with its audience. Advertising can play a vital role here in shaping these positive associations.

The objectives of advertising are three-fold- to inform, persuade, and remind. Let us look at each in some detail.

Inform - Advertisers concern themselves with generating awareness about a brand, its products, and services with an audience. It helps get the exposure that aids in developing brand recognition and image.

Persuade - Advertisements aim to persuade the audience to take specific actions. It may involve persuading them to buy the company’s products or services or even building and modifying the brand’s image.

Remind - Brands seek to retain customers by drawing attention to themselves and their products through advertising. They reinforce the brand values and remind the audience of their existing line of goods and services.

Together, these three objectives align to grow the business and establish an identity that separates them from competitors.

There are many advantages of advertising. It is a highly effective tool for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Its long history is evidence of the many benefits advertising has to offer.

Let us explore them.

• Vast audience reach - Through advertising, businesses can reach a large audience in a short period.

• Reduces cost-per-unit - The ability to reach a large or targeted audience through mass media can help reduce the cost involved in marketing. Businesses can optimize their resources by capitalizing on economies of scale.

• Builds brand image - The advertiser is in control of the message of the ad and so can influence the audience’s perception of the brand.

• Increases sales - Advertisements are the medium of informing the audience regarding a product, service, or idea. The informative content helps by generating interest in the subject of the ad and thus, increasing the conversion rates that boost sales.

• Helps introduce new products - Newly launched products benefit from an introduction through ads. Customers will be more receptive and willing to buy new products they are aware of and regarding which they have some information.

• Educates the customer - Advertising is an efficient means of educating existing and prospective customers regarding the products on offer. Ads can simultaneously distinguish the product from its peers and inform the customers why it is better.

• Expands customer base - Advertising helps attract new customers by commanding their attention through persuasive and informative content

As with any marketing tool, advertising has disadvantages too.

• Increases costs - Advertisements can be very costly and add to the product price.

• Misleads the audience- False or misleading advertisements can damage consumers’ trust. Advertisers make false or exaggerated claims regarding their products which is detrimental to the consumer.

• Promotes impulse buying - Ads promote consumerist tendencies among the audience that creates false needs. It leads to impulsive buying and wastefulness on the buyers’ end.

• Promotes monopoly - There are barriers to entry in advertising. Businesses that have capitalized on the benefits of advertising can block the entrance of their competitors, especially those who cannot afford a widespread marketing campaign.

• Confuses the consumer - The audience is bombarded with ads regularly. Companies competing in the same product category make very similar claims. It can confuse and stress the audience when selecting the right product for themselves.

The scope of advertising is immense in creating a one-way communication with the audience to promote and sell a product, service, or idea. The scope of advertising can depend on the following factors -

• By budget
• By deliverables
• By allocating type of deliverables
• By advertising strategy.

The scope of advertising additionally covers the following grounds-

• Institutional advertising promotes a business’ ideas and image.
• Product advertising focuses on the uses and characteristics of the product.
• Advocacy advertising promotes a brand’s position regarding certain public interests and issues.
• Pioneer advertising broadcasts pioneering or new companies and new products.
• Comparative advertising highlights the comparative aspects of two or more companies and/or their products.
• Direct action advertising seeks to affect immediate buying on the end of the consumer.
• Shortage advertising is resorted to when there is a short supply of specific products in the market.

The modern world is a highly competitive space. Today’s consumerist society offers numerous choices to consumers. Businesses must compete with each other to grow their business and retain their existing customers. As a result, advertising has become an essential marketing tool for companies by which they establish their brand image and distinguish themselves from their competitors.

Advertising performs several functions that contribute significantly to businesses in the modern world. Let’s outline why advertising is so significant in the contemporary world.

• Ads create awareness and educate the audience about the products and services available.
• Advertising is essential to generating brand awareness and communicating the vision and values of a business.
• It can significantly impact the sales of goods and services.
• Ads help launch new products and services.
• Big and small businesses alike can adopt any of the numerous forms and mediums of advertising available depending on their requirements.
• Ads can increase goodwill regarding a company through effective messaging.
• Advertising can reach out to the general population or niche groups depending on the ideal customer profile of the business.
• It promotes large-scale production that can bring down the cost of production.

Introduction to Advertising

1.Last-click attribution

A last-click attribution model is when the last or final touchpoint in the consumer’s journey is attributed as being the ultimate factor influencing the conversion of a lead to an actual buyer. The final touchpoint before a customer makes a purchase may be anything like a blog, web page, display banner, etc.

2. Multi-touch attribution

Also known as multi-channel attribution, this model seeks to analyze the contribution of the multiple touchpoints which the customer interacts with before making their purchase. The aim is to decipher which channels or campaigns contributed to the conversion process

3. Return on Investment (ROI)

It is a financial metric to understand the ratio between the net income (over some time) and investment. It evaluates the performance and profitability of the investment.

4. Market penetration

It measures the total volume of a product or service successfully sold compared to the estimated total value of the existing market of said product or service.

5. Maturity stage

The maturity stage in a product’s life cycle follows the growth stage. At this stage of maturity, the sales of the product or service level off, and companies may begin to reduce prices to stay competitive. Companies focus on differentiating their product from their competitors rather than creating awareness. This stage represents the height of the product’s adoption.

6. Market Saturation

It is a situation in which the sales volume of a product or service stagnates due to achieving maximum sales volume in a given market condition. No new customers can be added to the customer base as all potential customers have already undergone conversion to actual buyers

7. Customer value proposition (CVP)

A customer value proposition is a marketing statement that outlines why a customer should buy a company’s product or services instead of their competitor’s. It is a statement of the value a company will provide its customer in return for their payment for a product or service.

8. Click-through rate (CTR)

CTR is the ratio of clicks to impressions in advertising. It measures the number of users who click on an ad to the total number of people who view the page, advertisement, or email.

9. Call to action (CTA)

CTA is a marketing term that refers to a marketing tactic that encourages the audience to take immediate action that aligns with the advertiser’s campaign.

I bet you can not elude this!

1. Advertising is the best way to communicate with customers.

For any business, keeping an open channel for communication with their customers is vital to building and maintaining a relationship. Advertising bridges this gap between the business and its consumers. Companies can share and communicate any message with a large audience through multiple mediums and forms of advertising. Advertisers control the ad’s content and even target specific audiences through it. Ads serve the functions of educating, informing, and generating awareness regarding products, services, and brands. They are the best way to communicate with customers.

2. Advertising helps inform the customers about the brands available in the market and the variety of valuable products.

Advertisements contain informative content regarding the brands and their products and services available in the market. Advertising is the best way to inform and educate customers regarding the values and beliefs of brands, the products available in the market, and information about their features and uses. In a competitive market, sharing valuable content that the customers find relevant can establish the brand and its products in the market. It can help differentiate them from their competitors and increase their market share.

3. Advertising is for everybody, including kids, young and old.

Age is no bar to an audience in advertising. Ads can be for the general audience or tailored to a specific age group. The messaging of the advertising reflects the audience it wants to address. The objective of the brand and the subject determine who the ad is addressing. Today, everyone is a prospective customer, and the advertising industry recognizes this truth. Consequently, ads cater to members of all age groups.

4. Nowadays, the advent of modern technologies like mobile, marketing, etc., has made advertising much easier.

Advertising has adapted and adopted modern technologies to remain relevant. Technological innovations have always been advantageous to the growth of the advertising industry. Today, the Internet and new digital technologies contribute to making advertising easier. The reach and ubiquity of modern technologies like smartphones, laptops, etc., have given advertisers access to prospective customers at all times. The mediums and forms of advertising have exploded, providing advertisers with new formats and avenues to explore to communicate with the audience.

Advertising Courses can be either in the form of online or offline courses. Let us understand what the two modes of learning mean.

• Offline course - In this mode of learning, classes take place in person at a given location and following a fixed schedule. The teacher or instructor determines the pace of learning.

• Online course - They rely on digital tools and methods. The classes take place virtually independent of any fixed location or time. Students rather than teachers determine the pace of learning.

Now let us outline why advertising courses online are better than offline ones.

Flexibility - Online advertising classes afford flexibility of time and location. The lessons are accessible to students from anywhere and at any time.

The pace of learning - The learner controls the learning speed. They can allocate time to different sections depending on their individual needs.

Cost-effective - Online courses are less expensive than offline ones. It also includes the transportation costs and cost of resources that are non-existent or negligible in an online course.

Reusable course material - Course material is readily accessible to students who can reuse it multiple times. They can also download resources and lectures for future reference from the internet.

Increases choice - A student can opt to enroll in any university or college course regardless of the location. As a result, the options available to students are vastly more numerous than offline ones.

The syllabus of advertising courses can vary depending on who they are for and the purpose of the course. Nonetheless, all of them deal with the fundamentals of advertising.

Here we outline the basic syllabus of advertising courses.

• Introduction to Advertising
• History of Advertising
• Advertising in Economy,
• Advertising and Marketing,
• The Advertising Business,
• Advertising Sales and Media Planning
• Communication Theories Concepts and Process
• Creativity and Campaign Planning
• Advertising Theories
• Social, Ethical, and Legal aspects of Advertising
• Market research – Quantitative and Qualitative
• Consumer behavior – Human Science, Semiology
• Principles of Marketing and marketing strategy
• Branding –Strategy and research, DNA, Loyalty, Design, Diversification
• Digital Marketing
• Direct Marketing
• Introduction to Typography
• Principles of Design Setting Advertising
• Developing Advertising Strategy
• Introduction to copywriting, Message
• Making Radio Commercials
• Television Advertising
• Internet & Interactive Media
• Mobile Advertising

Advertising courses also offer specializations in conjunction with other related courses like- media and advertising courses, advertising and public relations courses, marketing and advertising courses, and advertising and marketing management courses.

The advertising industry is booming. The crucial role of advertising in business growth is a well-established fact. Digital advertising has played a critical role in the meteoric rise of the advertising industry. The potential of social media advertising has been phenomenal in opening new avenues of advertising for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Global advertising spending is expected to grow by around 10% in 2022. In India, e-commerce advertising spending is expected to grow by 36% in 2022. Social media and online videos remain the frontrunners in digital media advertising. The Indian advertising industry is expected to increase its revenue by 15% in 2022. According to a report by FICCI and EY, the Indian advertising sector is positioned to reach its 1 trillion mark in advertising revenue by 2024.

The growth of the advertising industry in India is the reason behind the accelerating demand for advertising programs and advertising certification. The advertising is here to stay for good. The recognition of the business world has made it a lucrative sector for those who want to advance their career. All businesses rely on advertising making advertising professionals a much sought-after asset.

The demand for courses related to advertising is immense. Free advertising courses and free online advertising courses with certificates are extremely popular. Advertising certificates can immensely help in professional growth. Knowledge of the fundamentals of advertising is easily transferable across industries giving professionals the flexibility to move across jobs.

Factors on which Advertising Specialist salary in India depend

Several factors can affect the salary of an Advertising Specialist in India. Let’s explore some of them.

Location of employment - The place of occupation plays an essential role in determining the salary package of an Advertising Specialist. Here are some salary packages based on the city of employment.

1. Mumbai, Maharashtra- INR 4,96,293 per annum

2. Chennai, Tamil Nadu- INR 4,57,256 per annum

3.Hyderabad, Telangana- INR 3,53,625 per annum

4. Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu- INR 2,19,236 per annum

5. Cuttack, Odisha- INR 2,11,859 per annum
Work experience - Industry experience is consequential in determining the pay package of an Advertising Specialist. Like all professions, more work experience translates to a higher salary package.

Sector or field of employment - Advertising Specialists are employable across industries. They may hold positions in advertising agencies, digital marketing firms, industry-specific marketing teams, etc. The sector they are working in can influence their salary package.

Employer - The company that an Advertising Specialist works for plays a significant role in their pay package. The size and reputation of the employer will affect how much they pay compared to the industry average.