Reference Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reference Paper - Essay Example Success stories are not created overnight and single-handedly and to say that most have been fashioned as a result of solitary efforts would be to make an assumption that has no basis in reality. The examples of this phenomenon abound in every walk of life. Movies and literature are teeming with success stories that talk of people and how the support that they received has played a great role in giving them the success that they have today. An excellent example of such a ‘person’ who achieved success as a result of the support that was given to him along his path to success is the character of â€Å"Babe† in the movie of the same name. Known as â€Å"Babe -the gallant pigâ€Å", this movie depicts the character of a pig who is raised on a farm owned by Farmer Hoggett, by a family of border collies and who aspires to be a sheep-dog one day. Babe is well liked by every animal on the farm as he is a friendly and polite animal, something which turns out to be the very secret behind his eventual success as a â€Å"sheep-dog†. The movie highlights the relationship that Babe has with most resident animals of the farm and how he is taught the value of politeness by â€Å"Maa†, the elderly ewe who also lives on the farm. The family of sheep dogs that raise Babe have a condescending attitude towards the other animals on the farm and they view most other animals as ‘stupid’. The ewe tells Babe that he too can become a sheep-dog and he can substitute his weaknesses by working on his strategy and ’asking’ the sheep to move, rather than to force them or to treat them roughly. As a result of this, babe, in spite of his small size and stature, is able to impress farmer Hogget with his abilities when he herds the chickens on the farm one day, separating the brown ones from the white. As a result of this, Farmer Hoggett decides to take Babe to the field the next day where he again impresses the farmer by his uncanny ability to guide and herd the sheep and in doing so, Babe

Ethical Issue corrupt FTO Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Issue corrupt FTO - Assignment Example This is whereby the police officers regularly avoid job responsibilities and commit administrative violations. The action of drinking alcohol by the field training officer is significant in relation to his personal accountability and professional accountability. The second ethical violation act committed by the field training officer entails the writing of a favorable evaluation. It is quite obvious that the evaluation is unfavorable and corrupt given that the rookie police officer had received a reprimand for an improper disposition of a traffic accident. In this regard, there are two ethical issues of classification pertaining to this act. Foremost, entails entitlement versus accountability. This comes about when an officer develops a great sense of victimization and increased resentment on administrators and supervisors that are in control over their jobs (Pollock, 96). In this regard, the officer develops a sense of entitlement or a mindset that officer should ‘stick together’ and accord themselves special treatment. The sense of entitlement bestows the belief that officers can operate within their own rules and can bend the law to suite them. Evidently, the field training officer habours a resentment against higher authorities by providing an evaluation that is favorable to the rookie officer despite the earlier reprimand of an improper disposition of a traffic accident. Moreover, the field training officer believes that victimization has been accorded to the rookie police officer through the reprimand given for the improper disposition. This false sense of entitlement and accountability triggers the unethical action by the field training officer in favor of the rookie police officer. The other ethical issue under scrutiny here is in regard to loyalty versus integrity. This is evident by the field officer action in giving a false and favorable evaluation for the rookie police officer. Evidently, the field

Adapting Global Marketing Strategies To The Indian Context

Adapting Global Marketing Strategies To The Indian Context In this report, we look at how the global marketing strategies should be adopted to suit the Indian Customers. We initially look at the Global marketing strategies which can help the marketing managers to boost their sales in different parts of the world. In these strategies, the report covers various aspects of the marketing mix like product, promotion, price, branding, distribution etc. Then the report explains about our country India in terms of its demographics, Culture, Rural/Urban Divide, the decision makers etc and covers the aspects which differentiate our country from the rest of the world. Then the report explains how the global marketing strategies should be adopted to the Indian context with respect to the global marketing strategies which was explained initially. Then the report takes the case study of HUL and how it has modified the marketing strategy to suit the Indian needs and the report critically analyzes the strategies adopted by HUL. Introduction This study examines the global marketing strategies and how those strategies should be adapted to the Indian customers. Then we take the case study of HUL and critically analyze the strategies which it followed. As Prospective future managers of Multi National FMCG Companies operating in India, we might often have to tackle situations where we have to adopt their marketing strategies to India. This study would be of help to the budding managers to prepare themselves to tackle the marketing challenges which they might face in their careers. HUL being one of the multinational companies which has been present in India for a long time and which has been able to capture the minds of each and every Indian serves as the perfect case study to analyze the marketing strategies followed by an MNC in India. In this report, we would be analyzing the strategies of HUL and critically analyze the marketing strategies which they adopted in India. Methodology Our study The Adaptation of Global Marketing Strategies to the Indian Context essentially has the following major parts to it: Understanding the Marketing strategies that firms undertake when they expand Globally: The Marketing Mix Consideration of Local factors (Political, Economic, Social etc) The considered differences from the domestic strategy Understanding the Target market i.e. India The Situation (Conditions Suitable/Unsuitable for marketing) Demography Evaluating the Potential Economic Status Identifying the major buyers (Middle Class in the Indian context) Understanding the specifics: How the Indian market is different and how differently do the consumers behave Combination: Going through the above 2 steps and finding out how to incorporate the Indian specifics within a companys marketing strategy while in international expansion phase A case study of Unilever: To substantiate our study we did a case study on Unilever to find out what Unilever did right and wrong in its Indian subsidiary: HUL ANALYSIS Marketing Globally In whichever part of the world a company operates, the objective of marketing is to create, communicate and deliver value to the customers. But the methodology by which this process is carried out should be adapted to the country in which the company operates to market the product effectively to the customers. It is imperative for any Global marketing manager to feel and touch the hearts of the local customers to make his/her brands a success in the country in which the company operates. In this section, we describe the various marketing strategies which can be employed for Global Marketing and then we will analyze how various elements of the marketing mix like Product, pricing, promotion, Branding and distribution should be fine tuned to suit various geographies/countries. Global marketing Strategies The application of various Marketing Strategies will depend upon the orientation of the company towards a particular market. i.e., how the firm views a particular market. The various marketing orientations are explained below followed by various ways to segment the markets internationally. Orientations The various orientations can be classified as A Chinese Coke Bill Board: Notice the use of Chinese language and ActorsProduction orientation wherein the company focuses on maximizing the efficiency or quality of the product with very little spend on marketing, E.g. commodities like oil etc Sales orientation wherein a firm sells abroad what it sells in the domestic market. E.g. products like laptops, Tennis rackets etc Customer Orientation wherein the company modifies its product as well as marketing strategies to suit the customers needs. E.g. Mac Donalds made modifications in its product line in India to suit the preferences of the Indian Customer. Strategic Orientation which combines all the above mentioned orientations. Here the Marketing managers make slight modifications to their core product or marketing strategy without deviating from their expertise. E.g., A Pantene Sachet is made to suit the customers in developing countries even though the core product, shampoo remains the same. Segmentation There are basically three approaches to segmentation which are mentioned below By Country: A firm may first select a country based on certain parameters like GDP growth, Per capita consumption etc and then decide upon which segments to target in the particular country and decide upon the marketing mix and the promotional strategies to target those segments By Segment: In this case, the company would look at the global customers as a whole and then segment them. After segmenting, the company would choose to enter those countries which has a substantial number of customers in that segment By Country and segment: In this case, the company would find out the multiple segments within all the countries, find out the similar segments in multiple countries which can be targeted and enter the countries in which the segments which can be targeted exist. Product Often in many cases, when a company introduces its product in a foreign market, it would have to make modifications in its products for various reasons some of which are listed below. Legal/Environmental standards Often Legal/Environmental requirements forces companies to make alteration in its products to suit a particular country. For e.g., Environment Safety standards set by some countries for automobiles make it necessary for any firm willing to enter into those countries to make necessary changes in their products. Packaging requirements Pepsi Bottles in Japan. Notice the unique flavors and shape to suit Japanese CustomersSome countries might have some rules which insist on displaying warning information as in the case of cigarettes or detailed information of the contents in case of food products. This might force companies to use different countries. Language also could force companies to use different packaging for different countries. Social/Cultural Considerations Often companies would have to make minor modifications in the product for various countries to accommodate the social and cultural preferences of the country. For e.g, it is said The japanese eat with their eyes. So many firms improves the aesthetic dimension in their food products to attract Japanese customers. Economic Considerations Economic considerations like Income, Infrastructure etc forces companies to make changes in their product. For e.g, Nokia made some models meant for the developing countries to suit their rugged terrains. Decision on Product Alteration To decide whether a product should be altered for a particular country or not, the company should estimate the incremental profit which can be bought in by product alterations and the cost involved in alterations. If the incremental profit is higher than the cost involved, the company should go for the product alteration. Global Pricing Strategies Pricing, One of the elements of the marketing mix is very essential to ensure that it can generate sufficient sales for the company and able to provide sufficient margins for the company. When compared to pricing a product domestically, International pricing is much more complex due to the following factors Government Regulations: Government regulations like Tariffs, Quota, Price Ceiling and Floors makes it difficult for firms to price a product uniformly across the globe. Market Diversity: The diversity of markets among various countries can be taken advantage of to price a product at a premium in some markets. For e.g., Gold Jewellery is much admired in India than in other parts of the world and hence can be sold at a premium. Price Escalation due to Exports: When a company exports a product to another country, various costs like shipping costs, customs duty etc might result in escalation of costs. To retain the price competency, the company might have to sell its products to the intermediaries at a lower cost. Forex Volatility: When a firm sells its products abroad, it is exposed to the risk of the foreign currency losing its value in future. In a monopolistic market, the firm can manage the volatility by increasing the prices in such cases. But in highly competitive markets, firms should go for currency derivatives to manage the currency risk. Pricing Strategies In pricing a product, the company should take into account the competitive scenario in the target market. If its less competitive, the firm can have much discretion in setting prices. It can use the following strategies in such market Skimming strategy: This strategy involves charging a high price for the product to target the customers willing to pay the premium and then lowering the price over the time. Penetration strategy: This strategy involves introducing the product at a low price to penetrate the market Cost-plus strategy: This involves pricing the product at a particular price so as to maintain a desirable margin. Pricing should also take into account the stereo types customers have about products originating from certain countries. For e,g a German Car would be able to command a premium which a car manufacturer from a developing country would not be able to. Firms should also ensure that the price difference between two countries should not be higher than the cost involved in bringing the product to the higher priced country from the lower priced country as a spillover might occur otherwise. Global Promotion Strategies Promotion refers to the communication of messages intended to increase the sales of the product. In the case of Global promotion, managers often have to decide on the following strategies Push/Pull Strategy A push strategy refers to promoting the product by using direct selling strategies like distributing brochures, promotion via salesman, promotion at mass gatherings by distributing free samples. A Pull strategy refers to promotion by using the medium like newspaper, television, magazines etc. The decision of push/pull should be made taking into account various factors like the reach of mass media like TV, how educated the customers are and the distribution network. Higher spend on pull strategy is recommended when the reach of the mass media is high and the customers are well educated. Higher spend on push strategy is recommended in countries where the distribution network is well developed, customers are not highly educated and the reach of mass media is less. It is always advisable to go for a mix of both strategies. Standardization Vs Localization In many of the ads, some amount of localization would be required for various countries as the languages and the culture differs between countries. But at the same time, firms should ensure that it doesnt create confusion in the minds of the customers by portraying itself differently in different countries. It is preferable to localize the constituents of promotion like language, actors etc but it is preferable to keep the theme consistent across countries. The firms can also use some mediums like product placement in Hollywood movies to effectively promote the brand across the entire globe in an effective manner. For e.g. the recent movie Iron Man 2 featured an assortment of 54 brands in it. The firms should also consider the legality and the culture of the country into account when designing ads. For e.g. display of nudity or violence will not go well with all cultures and governments. Global Branding Strategies Product Placement of Honey Puffs in the movie Kick Ass released in 2010A Brand represents an identifying mark for products or services of a company. Consumers develop a perception about various brands and the firms can use this brand perception of the customers to their advantage. But in international marketing, linguistic issues as well as cultural issues can make it difficult for firms to maintain a uniform brand identity throughout the globe. For e.g. some of the brand names might resemble abusive words in certain languages which might force the firms to tweak their brand names to suit the local customer. Also in case of acquisitions, the acquiring company might choose to go by the domestic brand identity to retain the goodwill which was created over the years. E.g. Citibank after the acquisition of Banamex in Mexico decided to retain the brand identity of Banamex which proved to be a successful strategy. International Distribution Strategies A company can benefit from a great product and a great marketing campaign to support the product only if there is a good distribution system in place to make the product available to the customer. A firm might either go for standardizing or localizing the distribution system in different countries. But standardization would work only in those countries where the distribution structure is similar. Else, a localized distribution system is preferred. For e.g. In Developed countries most of the FMCG sales would happen via big retail chains whereas in developing countries, small kirana stores play a critical role in distributing the products to the nook and corner of the country. In International distribution, most firms also have to make the decision of whether to outsource distribution or do it on its own. The following guidelines should be followed for making the decision on outsourcing distribution Political Stability: When entering a country where political stability is less, it would be advisable to outsource distribution rather than investing in own distribution network Product Characteristics: In the case of complex or high technology products which require good after sales service, it is desirable to have the firms own distribution network. When planning to enter a country, the firms should also take into account the hidden costs involved in distribution like the infrastructure of the country, the number of distribution levels, inefficiencies in retail networks, inventory stock outs etc. Gap Analysis Gap AnalysisAfter entering a country, if a company finds it not being able to achieve the expected sales, it can use Gap Analysis to take corrective actions necessary to improve its sales. The Company should first estimate the market potential for its products which is represented by the total height of all the boxes. The height till point X represents the actual sales of all the firms combined. The bottom most box represent the companys current sales. The difference between X and Y represents the sales lost to competitors. Usage gap represents the difference between the sales potential and the actual sales of the product. If the usage gap is high, the company can improve its sales by making the public more aware of the product in general. The Distribution gap represents the sales lost to its competitors because the firm is not able to distribute in certain locations which is serviced by its competitors. If the distribution gap is high, the company can improve its sales by widening its distribution network. The product line gap represents the sales lost to its competitors because the competitors are able to come up with product variations which the company unable to. This gap can be closed by investing in R D, understanding the customer needs and promoting innovation in its local organization. Finally, Competitive gap is the loss in sales which cannot be explained due to the other two reasons. This could be because the competitors have better marketing campaigns, has better good will or is able to sell it at a lower price. Investing in marketing promotions and lowering prices would be of help in closing this gap. The Indian Context Quick Facts India An Overview A population in excess of 1 billion The 4th largest economy in the world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) The largest democracy with a stable government An independent judiciary system Plentiful natural Resources A private sector that can return significant gains on foreign direct investment Strong Entrepreneurship interest among Indians World class quality products across domains India An Overview A population in excess of 1 billion The 4th largest economy in the world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) The largest democracy with a stable government An independent judiciary system Plentiful natural Resources A private sector that can return significant gains on foreign direct investment Strong Entrepreneurship interest among Indians World class quality products across domains India on the Upsurge Indias huge population: A Huge Market as well? Figure 1 India PopulationIndia, with a population of 1.14 billion people (According to World Bank estimates), is the second most populated country in the world. This huge population means a huge market size for most multinational firms wishing to expand its operations in India. This however, has only partial merit. Though the number of people living in the country is large, we have to consider other factors as well. Only 64% of the people are in the age group 15-64. This makes this group the only active buyers. There are other factors which need to be looked at as well, when evaluating a potential market: The Purchasing Power of the inhabitants, their buying thought process and educational status etc. Nevertheless, India, in spite of all these factors, still provides a huge market place for firms to sell their products in. Literacy Rates: The Educated Buyer Literacy rates in India are rising as can be seen from the figure. India is striving hard to provide good education to children. Setting up premier educational institutes like the IIMs, IITs and NITs has given an impetus to the education levels in the nation. Kerala has become the first state to achieve 100% literacy. Indian scholars have achieved a name for themselves globally. Figure 2 India Literacy Rates (%)We can therefore say that though a lot still needs to be done in the educational sphere, India is well on its way to claim a strong position in international terms. The impact that education has on consumer behaviour is immense. A literate consumer is an informed consumer. He can easily read between the lines and establish on his own whether a particular product will be beneficia or not. With the immense choice available in the market, an informed customer can always make an educated choice. He will also be open to new ideas, new technologies and new products and will be able to adapt to them easily. Economic Conditions: Ability to buy India has been witnessing massive drops in unemployment rate which rings in good news for global marketers as well. Decrease in unemployment would mean an increase in living standards which would in turn mean that people have the ability to buy more. Marketers have an opportunity to sell more to Indian customers. With drop in unemployment rate, the sectors most likely to grow are those dealing with basic necessities. Figure 3 India: Unemployment Rate (%)Therefore the retail sector is likely to grow the most, riding high on growth in FMCG. Along with increased purchasing power at an individual level, the overall economic growth has a huge impact on the ability to buy. Indian GDP, in purchasing power parity terms, has been on the upsurge except for the past two years (which was majorly due to the global economic downturn and the sub-prime crisis). An improving economy of a country also indicates the improved buyer status of its residents. Figure 4 India GDP (PPP) (Billion $) Thus, we can see that with the factors of population, literacy and rising economic status on its side, India presents itself as a lucrative market for firms, national as well as international. Consumer Behaviour in India: Unique Patterns India as a market, though lucrative, poses challenges of its own. The consumption behavior of Indians in some manners is quite similar to other countries, but the culture and diversity in India pose specific problem statements that are unique to India. Impact of Cultural Diversity India is a country immersed in diversity. The sheer difference in the people of India, based on caste, creed, religion, gender, economic status etc, makes the life of a marketer very difficult. It is his responsibility that a perfect product mix, customized to the satisfaction of each and every member of the society (as a potential buyer) reaches the market. For example, some part of the population is non-vegetarian while others (Jains, some Hindus) are Vegetarian. Nestle produces its 2-minute instant noodles called Maggi in vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian (Chicken) variants to cater to all segments of the market. Females/ Housewives as decision makers Women in India are the major decision makers for all consumer purchases even though it might be men who do the actual buying. Ultimately it is the women who use most of the consumer products, Washing Soap, Detergent, Cosmetics etc. It is therefore important to understand the needs of the female customers before coming up with a marketing strategy. Rise of the Middle Class The major drivers of the Indian Economy are, without a doubt, people from the Middle Class. The Indian middle class has been growing and according to studies by McKinsey it will grow to 40-60% of the population. The Low-Income classes hardly have the purchasing power to drive an economy while Higher Classes are more into personalized buying rather than standardized retail shopping. The Middle Class, on the other hand, has become more empowered. With an upswing in educational status, decrease in unemployment, and rise in average annual incomes, the Middle Class has higher disposable incomes which it uses to increase its standard of living by purchasing more and more. This is virtually a retailers dream come true! Brand Loyalty versus Desire for new options Traditionally, Indian customers have been very loyal to their brand. We all would have seen their grandparents, or granduncles/aunts buying the same brand of Toothpaste or Hair Oil from the market even though better products exist on the shelves. This was very helpful for established brands to retain their customer and posed difficulties (in terms of entry barriers) for upcoming and small firms. This mentality is changing fast. The new generation, or the Gen-Y, is very brand conscious and evaluates all its options before making any purchase. They keep in mind their notion of Cool before buying a thing as simple as a toothbrush. Brand Loyalty is a thing of the past. Kids and Teens today will change their brand as fast as the wind. Shift from Kirana Shops to Large retailers The increase in the number of options that are available to the consumer, in terms of brand, product quality, colors, packaging and what not, has created another paradigm shift in consumer behavior. Gone are the days of the Kirana Shops with limited varieties of products stored on their shelves. People these days want to have the entire range of products in front of their eyes so that they can pick and choose. They want to experience the product by holding it in their hands before making the final decision whether to buy or not. This has created solid opportunity for FMCG companies so that they can showcase their product and make sure their product catches the customers eye. They no longer have to be at the mercy of established players for market share. Durability as a necessary quality Indian customers have traditionally desired durable and rugged products. They buy products with the intention of long time use and do not believe much in use-and-throw items. For example, it is only recently that the use and throw paper cups and plates are catching on. Indians generally dont prefer them as they find them to be more expensive. Another example would be the case of the Nokia-1100 phone, marketed with the tagline Made for India. Nokia 1100 was a sturdy phone, waterproof rubber coated and stain resistant, ideal for Indian farmers and truck drivers who do rough work every day and stand a chance of spoiling their phone. Larger/Joint Families and Bulk Purchases Families in India are larger compared to their international counterparts. Some of the households run as joint families. The major effect that this has is bulk buying. People will buy goods for the entire family in one shot. This means that companies need to come up with large, super saver packs for their products. On the other hand, there exist a significant number of students, bachelors and small households that prefer smaller packaging and refills. The challenge for firms is to establish the right package size and the amount to produce in each size. Impulsive buying With increased disposable income due to higher salaries, newly earning professionals (people straight out of college) tend to do a lot of impulsive shopping i.e. buying something that is not required only because it caught your eye. With more and more youngsters joining the impulsive buyers brigade, India is a sellers heaven. Adapting to The Indian context Core Product Basic Product Expected Product Augmented Product Potential Product India, as a market, poses unique opportunities and challenges to companies contemplating an entry. With a rapidly growing middle class and a promising growth rate, India is a lucrative destination for companies facing saturation in demand back home. A foray in Indian market, on the other hand, is not without its own perils. Companies who have ignored the unique Indian context in its marketing strategy have failed miserably while those who have given due attention to its type and taste have reaped enormous profits. Following are some of the factors which differentiate Indian context from the global one and must be taken into account by companies before entering Indian markets: India lives in villages: With 85% of India living in villages having about half of Indias buying potential, a company planning an entry in India(particularly FMCG) has to strategize for rural marketing. It cant think of succeeding by focusing on metros alone. All 4Ps need to be customized while tapping this market: Product: As per Kotler, there are various levels of product offering as one adds value to the core product (shown in the adj. fig) With low per capita incomes and a widening economic disparity between urban and rural India, the rural customer is highly price conscious and looks for the basic features. So, only basic or expected product should be marketed in rural India. Moreover the rural customer looks for durability and sturdiness in the product Promotion: An advertisement designed to promote a product in a metro or an urban set up needs to be customized to rural audience for it be effective in appeal to rural customers. Moreover, traditional media needs to be employed to make the advertisement reach rural audience. The use of numerous languages and dialects across the country warrants further customization of the promotion program .Literacy level being very low in rural India, conveying the message to the rural customer requires an entirely different approach. Pricing: With a highly price sensitive population, companies usually resort to aggressive pricing to succeed in rural markets. They yearn to achieve huge volumes to offset the low margins. Place: Distribution poses a serious challenge while marketing in rural India. To make more ground-contacts with the rural customers some channels which can be used are RMVS (Rural Marketing Vehicles) which are basically company delivery vans which are used both for promotion and sales. As per Indian Market Research Bureau, annual sales at melas in Indian rural countryside is around 3500 crore which offer a lucrative marketing ground for companies having rural aspirations. Infrastructure: As compared to western countries, India has a poor logistics infrastructure posing as a serious supply chain bottleneck. The distribution system has to be adapted to take care of this constraint .Inventory levels down the value chain cannot be allowed to go too low. While companies can reap the benefits of keeping a lean inventory in countries where there is a strong logistics network. By proper use of technology like monitoring POS data and analyzing it centrally, however, can give a competitive advantage in such situations. Other infrastructural issues include power deficit and poor internet penetration. The Cultural Aspect: As per Carl Jung Culture is the collective unconscious that is built over centuries and passed from generation to generation. Failure to appreciate the cultural differences between markets can make even behemoths to fail miserably(e.g. Disneyland in Germany).To complicate the situation more, the heterogeneity in India with respect to culture is immense and moving from one corner of the country to another is like changing a nation. No doubt there are commonalities as well. Let us evaluate India on Hofstedes cultural dimensions(which by large is the most widely accepted model for studying cultural differences) All these differences have huge implications on marketing strategy of a company e.g. an advertisement designed for a population having high masculinity index may not appeal an audience with low masculinity Index. Segmentation and Demographics: The usual demographic bases of segmentation like age, income, education etc. progressed to non demographic bases like values ,tastes and preferences .Rediscovering the elementary bases of segmentation taking into account the ground level realities can work wonders instead e.g. Introduction of Emami Fair and Handsome for men was based on the discovery that men were using the fairness cream meant for women and hence there was an unmet demand. Another example is the introduction of Allen Solly Women by Madura Garments based

TQM in Accounting Essays -- essays research papers

Accounting 43 Cost Accounting Costs of Total Quality Management Submitted By: August 4, 2004 Morris De Rosa Total Quality Management or TQM is a management strategy to embed awareness of quality in all organizational processes. The philosophy of TQM goes back to the 1940’s when Dr. Deming started his quality endeavors in Japan. TQM is an approach for continuously improving the quality of goods and services delivered through the participation of all levels and functions of the organization. TQM aims to do things right the first time, rather fix problems after they emerge or fester. ‘TQM is a management philosophy which seeks to integrate all organizational functions (marketing, finance, design, engineering, production and customer service†¦) to focus on meeting customers’ needs and organizational objectives)’ (Hammett 1). TQM may operate within quality circles which encourage the meeting of minds of the workforce to improve production and reduce waste. In a manufacturing organization, TQM generally starts by sampling a random selection of the product. The sam ple is then tested for things that matter to the real customers. The causes of any failures are isolated, secondary measures of the production process are designed, and then the causes of the failure are corrected. The statistical distributions of important measurements are tracked. When parts' measures drift out of the error band, the process is fixed. The error band is usually tighter than the failure band. The production process is thereby fixed before failing parts can be produced. It's important to record not just the measurement ranges, but what failures caused them to be chosen (Barfield 306). In that way, cheaper fixes can be substituted later, (say, when the product is redesigned), with no loss of quality. After TQM has been in use, it's very common for parts to be redesigned so that critical measurements either cease to exist, or become much wider. It took a while to develop tests to find emergent problems. One popular test is a "life test" in which the sample pr oduct is operated until a part fails. Another po... ...ld 318). The costs of a quality system must be managed so a reasonable value-to-price-relationship can be achieved. High quality will help a company increase profits through lower costs. It is critical that management focus on long term objectives instead of taking a limited outlook on growth and market share. The strategy of focusing on the customer and quality will equate to greater market share and higher profits. Reducing costs should be part of the continuous improvement process. Strategic cost management is the process of utilizing cost information to formulate and communicate strategies to all levels of the organization. A balance must be obtained to provide the customer with a quality product at a cost that provides for a profit for the company. The potential customer is becoming more and more conscious of quality. It makes sense for a business to cut their costs by improving the quality of the product thereby enhancing the appeal of a product or service in the market pla ce. The challenge is for each business to strive for the kind of business culture that will succeed in spite of the unknown and the unknowable. The quality management philosophy searches for this culture. TQM in Accounting Essays -- essays research papers Accounting 43 Cost Accounting Costs of Total Quality Management Submitted By: August 4, 2004 Morris De Rosa Total Quality Management or TQM is a management strategy to embed awareness of quality in all organizational processes. The philosophy of TQM goes back to the 1940’s when Dr. Deming started his quality endeavors in Japan. TQM is an approach for continuously improving the quality of goods and services delivered through the participation of all levels and functions of the organization. TQM aims to do things right the first time, rather fix problems after they emerge or fester. ‘TQM is a management philosophy which seeks to integrate all organizational functions (marketing, finance, design, engineering, production and customer service†¦) to focus on meeting customers’ needs and organizational objectives)’ (Hammett 1). TQM may operate within quality circles which encourage the meeting of minds of the workforce to improve production and reduce waste. In a manufacturing organization, TQM generally starts by sampling a random selection of the product. The sam ple is then tested for things that matter to the real customers. The causes of any failures are isolated, secondary measures of the production process are designed, and then the causes of the failure are corrected. The statistical distributions of important measurements are tracked. When parts' measures drift out of the error band, the process is fixed. The error band is usually tighter than the failure band. The production process is thereby fixed before failing parts can be produced. It's important to record not just the measurement ranges, but what failures caused them to be chosen (Barfield 306). In that way, cheaper fixes can be substituted later, (say, when the product is redesigned), with no loss of quality. After TQM has been in use, it's very common for parts to be redesigned so that critical measurements either cease to exist, or become much wider. It took a while to develop tests to find emergent problems. One popular test is a "life test" in which the sample pr oduct is operated until a part fails. Another po... ...ld 318). The costs of a quality system must be managed so a reasonable value-to-price-relationship can be achieved. High quality will help a company increase profits through lower costs. It is critical that management focus on long term objectives instead of taking a limited outlook on growth and market share. The strategy of focusing on the customer and quality will equate to greater market share and higher profits. Reducing costs should be part of the continuous improvement process. Strategic cost management is the process of utilizing cost information to formulate and communicate strategies to all levels of the organization. A balance must be obtained to provide the customer with a quality product at a cost that provides for a profit for the company. The potential customer is becoming more and more conscious of quality. It makes sense for a business to cut their costs by improving the quality of the product thereby enhancing the appeal of a product or service in the market pla ce. The challenge is for each business to strive for the kind of business culture that will succeed in spite of the unknown and the unknowable. The quality management philosophy searches for this culture.

Engl 135 Advanced Composition

Running Head: RAPE VICTIMS IN KOSOVO DURING WAR Rape Victims in Kosovo during War Manjola Cuka ENGL 135 Advanced Composition Catherine Davis April 20, 2009 DeVry University, We all are aware of the suffering that war brings in people’s lives. War means losing everything you hold dear. War means losing your childhood home, war means losing your husband, wife, child, brother, and sister. During the war in Kosovo there were a number of brutal actions performed towards the Kosovo population physically and emotionally.The Serbs knew exactly what these people valued the most in their lives. That is honor. Among other inhuman and degrading acts executed towards the Kosovo people during the war, the Serbs used rape as a tool to destroy not only the women as individuals but also their families to the core. According to McKinsey (1993), there were an estimated twenty thousand females raped during the war in Kosovo. That is a large number considering that population of Kosovo is a little over two million people. The Kosovo population had been trying to gain their independence for almost a decade.They were only asking for their rights: the freedom of speech, the right to send the children to schools where they can learn their own language, the freedom of media, and the freedom of living in their own country without fear. This is their country and they were only asking for what was theirs. According to the U. S State Department report (1999), the Serbs started an â€Å"ethnic cleansing† campaign that was meant to remove all the non Serb population out of the country. The most gruesome acts towards these people started to get worse after NATO troops bombed the Serb military points on March 24, 1999.Serbs decided to punish the people by forcing them out of their homes, burning their houses, torturing them, raping them, and killing them. Rape was the main weapon used against the Kosovo women to terrorize and weaken the entire population. Shenon (1999), reports on these gruesome activities that were taking place in Kosovo: â€Å"The department's report said that refugee accounts suggested that Serbian forces had executed more than 4,000 Kosovars, and that surveillance photographs taken either by satellites or airplanes had identified seven possible sites of mass graves.The report said that rapes of Albanian women were being reported in increasing numbers, with systematic mass rapes apparently carried out in the cities of Djakovica and Pec. † To understand the consequences that rape has in the lives of the Kosovo people, we have to understand how they are raised and the beliefs that are engraved in them throughout the years. The people of Kosovo value family and country more than their own lives. The young girls are raised to believe that their role in the world is to get married, have children, and take care of the chores around the house.There is a distinguished difference the way these people lived their lives. Men were the bread wi nners and women were there to raise the children and take care of the house. If there was male company in the house, the females would only serve them and go to their rooms until the company left. One of Dr. Alakija (2000) reports explains how a team of males was greeted only by Kosovo males, and when a team of females went to investigate they were greeted by females. It is not appropriate for strange males to discuss with the Kosovo females even to get their testimony.Another important part of these people’s lives is marriage. Dating outside marriage is prohibited in their culture and the girl should not lose their virginity until she gets married. The girls that had pre marital relationships are called unfit for any man to marry. So after knowing these facts we can only imagine, what rape means to these people. The women lose their purity after being touched by another man even though it is not their fault. No man would come close to them for the rest of their lives. They w ould live the rest of their days hating themselves and wishing they were dead.The Kosovo women were raped and tortured systematically in front of their loved ones ruining them physically and emotionally for the rest of their lives. There are statements of pregnant women who were raped and beaten by either gunpoint or by being tortured. The physical pain these women endured can never be compared with the emotional and mental damage they went through. There is not a bigger humiliation than being raped in front of your father, your mother, your brother, your uncle, and your children. How can someone be the same after going through something like that?These women were raped in front of their children, no matter what age. It is heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time how these individuals would put children and mothers in these inhuman situations. One of the many rape victims explained how helpless she was when being held down by multiple individuals while another was raping her. This is how she describes her torment: â€Å"I could not resist, I could not fight against them,† the witness, a woman identified as N. S. , testified. †I could not resist because the others were holding me while my children were watching† (Sullivan, 2000).Another horrific fact during the war was that the Serbs raped these women with the intention to make them pregnant. There are two reasons the Serbs impregnated the Kosovo women: one was to dishonor them and their families for life and second one to increase the Serb population with their children. According to BBC News (2000), only the month of January of 2000, there were one hundred rape babies born. That is a large number for this small community. How were these women able to live every day knowing that inside them was the child of the enemy.The enemy that killed their man, the enemy that kicked them out of their own homes, the enemy that raped them in front of their loved ones. As Both (2001), noted â€Å"Th e term ‘genocidal rape’ is both emotionally and politically loaded, but is does seem to accurately reflect the realities felt by some if not all raped women in the conflict. As we saw above, some raped Muslim women reported that their attackers claimed that they were intending to impregnate them to create Serbian babies, and that some women were held captive for a period of weeks to ensure that they did not abort the child they had conceived in rape† (p. 4). Honor is the most valuable virtue in the Kosovo society. Serbs knew they would humiliate and degrade not only the Kosovo women but their families and their loved ones. After being raped these women would never speak of the ordeal they went through and would hide it from everyone if they could. These women would rather be dead then share their torment with someone else especially if it was someone they did not know. They would rather keep the pain to themselves if that was an option. It was not enough they suff ered rom the torture that was used against them, but they had to live in fear of losing everything they held dear even though this was not their fault. The raped Kosovo women would not share these ordeals with their own families for the fear of bringing shame to their entire family. The husband would leave the wife if they found out she was raped. Here is one example of a husband that suspects his young wife was raped: â€Å"Mr. Thaqi says his wife, who did not want her name published, denies the rape because †she doesn't dare tell that kind of story. ‘ If she admitted it to him, he said, †I would ask for a divorce — even if I had 20 children. † As his wife listened, silent and shamefaced, in a corner of their empty home, looted of all furniture and possessions by the Serbs, Mr. Thaqi added: †I don't hate her, but the story is before my eyes. I feel very cold toward her. † Kissing her, he said, †is like kissing a dead body† (Bu miller, 1999). It is not hard enough that they were raped and humiliated but they have to live with the shame for the rest of their lives. Most of these women lock themselves in their parents’ homes until they die either by choice or they are forced.It is heartbreaking how the community and their families expect them to commit suicide for something that was not their fault. Serbs knew that by raping the women they would destroy their families. What other method could be better then destroy a country to its core? These women live the rest of their lives excluded from the outside world wishing they were dead. The husbands live the rest of their lives wishing their wives were dead. Their parents live their lives wishing their daughter was dead. In the Kosovo culture rape carries a very strong social taboo and shame keeps victims silent.The women and men of Kosovo are not as afraid of death as they are of rape. â€Å"Rape is a deeply sensitive subject in ethnic Albanian Kosovo, a Muslim and largely traditional society, where a sexual assault can permanently stigmatize a woman, shaming her family and ruining her marriage or prospects of marriage. Gathering first-hand accounts of rape has proved very difficult for war crimes investigators, and the scale of sexual assaults here may never be fully known† (Finn, 1999). They cannot tolerate the thought of their women being touched by another man.This degrading act not only humiliates the women but it demoralizes the men that are fighting in the mountains. That was one of the biggest war strategies the Serbs used to defeat the Kosovo people. And this was one more reason the women keep the rape secret. They want their husbands, their fathers, and their brothers to fight for their country instead of carrying the family shame in their shoulders. The world came together to help the rape victims with everything they needed. The biggest issue the humanitarian organizations  were facing  was the non cooperatio n from the victims and their families.Under no circumstances they would admit they were raped unless there were witnesses to testify to that. Even then it would be very difficult to treat these patients. Knowing the consequences of admitting they were raped, what mother would risk losing her children to get medical treatment? How can they put their own well being before their children? They considered themselves dead anyway. They would rather live in pain for the rest of their lives with their children around them, then medically treated and have lost their families.They would shut down and most of the time they would deny they were raped. There are a large number of cases that are not officially reported as we have seen in different reports: â€Å"Rape: There are numerous accounts indicating that the organized and individual rape of Kosovar Albanian women by Serbian forces was widespread. For example, Serbian forces systematically raped women in Djakovica and Pec, and in some case s rounded up women and took them to hotels where they were raped by troops under encouragement of their commanders.Rape is most likely an underreported atrocity because of the stigma attached to the victims in traditional Kosovar Albanian society† (U. S State Department Report, 1999) It is unthinkable in some cultures to comprehend how these families treat the rape victims, particularly these women that were forced into these acts and had no other choice. Instead of embracing them and try to help them get through these tough times, they throw them in the streets and also blame them for the shame they bring to the family. There is no mercy for the raped victims.What can be worse than having your own parents, the ones that gave you life, the ones that raised and nurtured you, wish you were dead? These rape victims find their way out by shutting down or by going in the mountains and join the man in the fight for their freedom. They have no life next to their own family. They choo se to leave and fight to get away from the staring eyes of their neighbors and everyone else that gets in contact with them. The biggest reason is to take their humiliation with them and spare their family the shame and embarrassment.Here are the words of a father of a rape victim: â€Å"I have given her to the KLA so she can do to the Serbs what they have done to us,† Haxhi Lokaj said of his daughter, who has been sent to fight with the rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army. â€Å"She will probably be killed, but that would be for the best,† the 40-year-old father said with more resignation than sorrow. â€Å"She would have no future anyway after what they did to her† he continued (Williams, 1999). There are different approaches the enemy uses to destroy a population to the core in the time of war.Serbs used the most degrading act to ruin the Kosovo families for life. That was rape. Death does not come close to the pain and the outcome that rape brings in these peoples’ lives. If the women and men died protecting their country, fighting for their rights, or protecting themselves from being abused, they would be praised. In contrary if the women were raped but survived, for no fault of their own, they were the humiliation of their family and the whole community. Compassion for the rape victims does not exist.It will take a long time and a few generations for these people to start living a full life. It will not be easy for these memories to be erased from their minds. References Alakija, P (2000). The ravages of war. Retrieved April 21, 2009 from http://www. cmaj. ca/cgi/content/full/163/9/1148 BBC News. (2000). Women scarred by Kosovo atrocities. Retrieved April 17, 2009 from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe/716701. stmBooth, K (2001). The Kosovo tragedy: the human rights dimensions. (1st Ed. ) Oxford: Routledge, member of the Taylor & Francis Group.Retrieved April 15, 2009 from http://books. google. com/books? id=777jPodhCY YC&dq=The+Kosovo+tragedy:+the+human+rights+dimensions. &printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=8HLuSaSYMYuqtgeEgMHMDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4Bumiller, E. (1999). Crisis in the Balkans: Crimes; Deny Rape or Be Hated: Kosovo Victims' Choice. Retrieved April 15, 2009 from http://www. nytimes. com/1999/06/22/world/crisis-in-the-balkans-crimes-deny-rape-or-be-hated-kosovo-victims-choice. html? n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjec

Adertising Agencies

Table of Content Advertising3 Industry Snapshot4 Nature of the Industry5 Media7 In-film advertising9 Work Environment10 Personal characteristics11 Employment avenues12 Public service advertising12 Regulation13 Copyright14 Advertising Agency15 History of ad agency17 Advertising Process19 Typical work flow in agency19 Types of advertising agencies20 The functions of an advertising agency:23 The Benefits of Using an Advertising Agency23 Advertising Agency's Role24 Services offered by ad agency25 Departments & Personnel28 Account Services / Account Management28 Account planner / Director28 Account Supervisor29 Account executives29 Creative department30 Art Directors30 Copywriter31 Digital Studio34 DTP Artist34 Visualizer34 Media Department35 FUNCTIONS OF THE MEDIA DEPARTMENT35 Marketing Research Department37 Creative Services Department38 Event Management and Promotion department38 Traffic Manager (system administrator)38 Radio & TV Broadcast Production Department39 Print Production Department40 Agency Personnel41 Production Team41 Storyboard artist41 Graphic designer42 Advertising interns43 Job Positions and Earnings44 Agency Compensation45 Impact of technology on advertising46 Common software used by ad agency47 Adobe Photoshop48 QuarkXPress48 Autodesk Maya49 Adobe Flash50 CorelDRAW51 Computer-aided design (CAD)52 Famous advertising agencies in world53 Ogilvy & Mather India54 Overview54 Network55 Key people56 Services offered56 Major Clients57 Indian ad legends58 Large vs. Small Agencies62 Workforce for ad agency63 Study / Training & Advancement64 Courses / Institutions66 Future68 Outlook69 Myth: An agency always helps to sell a product70 Case study71 Advertising creative75 Conclusion76 Bibliography & Webliograpy77 Advertising Advertising, generally speaking, is the promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually performed by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy. Other components of the promotional mix include publicity, public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion. Advertising involves the process where in a massage is designed so as to promote a product, a thought, an idea or even a service. The concept of advertising has assumed a dynamic form with the use of the various mediums of communication. From the newspaper, magazines, posters, neon and fluorescent signboards, billboards to the commercial on TV, laser shows to inflated high-rise figures and objects, advertising has come a long way. The work is formidable as it spearheads a process intended to attract, modify, change and influences public opinion. From the local business to multinational firm and all need to advertise. While politicians, social organizations, government special groups need to advertise their motto, national airlines, auto mobile manufactures, food and consumer goods manufacturers have to reach the consumer. Specialist products and services are often advertised through trade magazines and exhibitions. Lately mail-shots, handbill circulation, special offers have become very popular. There are still other ways of advertising. There are window displays, display on telephone directories, transit sign on buses, lamp posters, banners, etc. Advertising through the electronic media has been perhaps the most popular medium. Advertising, as an effective medium, uses a variety of techniques to create effective advertisements. A basic appeal is at the heart of advertising. Slogans and product characters are created to catch the attention of the viewers. Most winning advertisements would encompass factual information with emotional appeal. The advertising industry has three major sectors. †¢ Business or organization which wishes to advertise, †¢ Media which provides the medium for advertising and †¢ Ad-agency which creates the ad to suit the need of the firm. Ad agencies vary in the size and turnover. Nevertheless the process of creating an ad remains the same. The annual expenditure on the advertising has been to the tune of Rs 8000 crores and the figure could be higher. USA has projected media spending on advertising on the net to approximately $7700 by the turn of the century. The scope for advertising professionals certainly shows an upward trend. Industry Snapshot According the Advertising Age's 2002 Agency Report, the world's six largest advertising agencies accounted for over 65 percent of $39. 28 billion spent on advertising worldwide in 2001. But the advertising industry has suffered during the first years of the 2000s. The economy decline prior to and exacerbated by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 has been sustained by the ongoing conflict with Iraq. As an indicator of the softened demand for advertising services, advertising agency employment fell to just over 180,000 in December 2002, down from an average employment of 194,400 in 2001 and 182,400 in 2002, representing the largest decline since 1991. Advertising agencies are primarily responsible for two functions. The first is the production of advertising materials in the form of written copy, art, graphics, audio, and video. The second is the strategic placement of the finished creative product in various media outlets, such as periodicals, newspapers, radio, and television. Advertising agencies can be found throughout the United States, with the greatest percentage located in large cities. Many have headquarters in New York and field offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, and other major areas of commerce in order to be close to clients. Although the larger agencies are more frequently mentioned in the media and in trade publications, the industry is actually predominately comprised of smaller agencies, many with only one or two principals. Industry bservers credit lower overhead, diversified services, willingness to accommodate change, and an entrepreneurial attitude for the success of smaller, boutique agencies. As many clients have begun to focus on a variety of forms of marketing communications, advertising agencies have had to look beyond conventional media-based advertising. Advertising budgets reflect this shift, with additional dollars being earmarked for point-of-sale promotions, public relations, and a major entry in to the media mix—the Internet. Changing demographics and a savvy American consumer were the driving forces behind these alternative forms of marketing communications. Some industry leaders have projected that advertising agencies will need to augment their primary line of work and change their longstanding compensation system based on commissions. Realizing the need for â€Å"integrated marketing services,† many agencies have responded by offering public relations, direct mail, promotional, and Internet services. Nature of the Industry Firms in the advertising and public relations services industry prepare advertisements for other companies and organizations and design campaigns to promote the interests and image of their clients. This industry also includes media representatives—firms that sell advertising space for publications, radio, television, and the Internet; display advertisers—businesses engaged in creating and designing public display ads for use in shopping malls, on billboards, or in similar media; and direct mail advertisers. A firm that purchases advertising time (or space) from media outlets, thereafter reselling it to advertising agencies or individual companies directly, is considered a media buying agency. Divisions of companies that produce and place their own advertising are not considered part of this industry. Most advertising firms specialize in a particular market niche. Some companies produce and solicit outdoor advertising, such as billboards and electric displays. Others place ads in buses, subways, taxis, airports, and bus terminals. A small number of firms produce aerial advertising, while others distribute circulars, handbills, and free samples. Groups within agencies have been created to serve their clients’ electronic advertising needs on the Internet. Online advertisements link users to a company’s or product’s Web site, where information such as new product announcements, contests, and product catalogs appears, and from which purchases may be made. Some firms are not involved in the creation of ads at all; instead, they sell advertising time or space on radio and television stations or in publications. Because these firms do not produce advertising, their staffs are mostly sales workers. Companies often look to advertising as a way of boosting sales by increasing the public’s exposure to a product or service. Most companies do not have the staff with the necessary skills or experience to create effective advertisements; furthermore, many advertising campaigns are temporary, so employers would have difficulty maintaining their own advertising staff. Instead, companies commonly solicit bids from ad agencies to develop advertising for them. Next, ad agencies offering their services to the company often make presentations. After winning an account, various departments within an agency—such as creative, production, media, and research—work together to meet the client’s goal of increasing sales. Widespread public relations services firms can influence how businesses, governments, and institutions make decisions. Often working behind the scenes, these firms have a variety of functions. In general, firms in public relations services advise and implement public exposure strategies. Firms in public relations services offer one or more resources that clients cannot provide themselves. Usually this resource is expertise in the form of knowledge, experience, special skills, or creativity; but sometimes the resource is time or personnel that the client cannot spare. Clients of public relations firms include all types of businesses, institutions, trades, and public interest groups, and even high-profile individuals. Clients are large and small for-profit firms in the private sector; State, local, or Federal Governments; hospitals, universities, unions, and trade groups; and foreign governments or businesses. In an effort to attract and maintain clients, advertising and public relations services agencies are diversifying their services, offering advertising as well as public relations, sales, marketing, and interactive media services. Advertising and public relations service firms have found that highly creative work is particularly suitable for their services, resulting in a better product and increasing their clients' profitability. Media Commercial advertising media can include wall paintings, billboards , street furniture components, printed flyers, radio, cinema and television ads, web banners, web popups, skywriting, bus stop benches, magazines, newspapers, town criers, sides of buses, taxicab doors and roof mounts, musical stage shows, subway platforms and trains, elastic bands on disposable diapers, stickers on apples in supermarkets, the opening section of streaming audio and video, and the backs of event tickets and supermarket receipts. Any place an â€Å"identified† sponsor pays to deliver their message through a medium is advertising. Covert advertising embedded in other entertainment media is known as product placement. A more recent version of this is advertising in film, by having a main character use an item or other of a definite brand – an example is in the movie Minority Report, where Tom Cruise's character Tom Anderton owns a computer with the Nokia logo clearly written in the top corner, or his watch engraved with the Bulgari logo. The TV commercial is generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format and this is reflected by the high prices TV networks charge for commercial airtime during popular TV events. Virtual advertisements may be inserted into regular television programming through computer graphics. It is typically inserted into otherwise blank backdrops or used to replace local billboards that are not relevant to the remote broadcast audience. More controversially, virtual billboards may be inserted into the background where none existing in real-life. Virtual product placement is also possible. Increasingly, other mediums such as those discussed below are overtaking television due to a shift towards consumer's usage of the Internet. Advertising on the World Wide Web is a recent phenomenon. Prices of Web-based advertising space are dependent on the â€Å"relevance† of the surrounding web content and the traffic that the website receives. E-mail advertising is another recent phenomenon. Unsolicited bulk E-mail advertising is known as â€Å"spam†. Profile of major advertising mediums MEDIUM |ADVANTAGES |LIMITATIONS | |Newspapers |Flexibility; timeliness; good local market coverage; |Short life; poor reproduction quality; small | | |broad acceptance; high believability. |pass along audience. | |Television |Combines sight, sound and motion; appealing to the |High absolute cost, high clutter, fleeting | | |senses; high attention; high reach. exposure, less audience selectivity | |Direct mail |Audience selectivity, flexibil ity, no ad competition |Relatively high cost, junk mail image. | | |within the same medium, personalization. | | |Radio |Mass use, high geographical and demographic |Audio presentation only; lower attention than | | |selectivity; low cost. |television; non standardized rate structure; | | | |fleeting exposure. |Magazines |High geographical and demographic selectivity; |Long ad purchase lead time; some waste | | |credibility and prestige; high quality reproduction, |circulation; no guarantee of position. | | |long life; good pass-along readership. | | |Outdoor |Flexibility; high repeat exposure; low cost; low |Limited audience selectivity; creative | | |competition. |limitation. | |Brouchers |Flexibility; full control; can dramatize message. Overproduction could lead to run away costs. | In-film advertising In-film advertising used to mean a couple of product billboards placed behind the hero's car, Till Taal came along. That's the film that put Coke — and product placements à ¢â‚¬â€ firmly in the plot. In-film advertising has only gathered more fans since. It's not just the colas, brands like Hero Honda, Bru, and Fair & Lovely have got into the act. It has become a well-thought out and legitimate part of a brand's marketing plan, and as the film industry gets more corporatised, it's likely to get more popular. This season's got a blockbuster hitting the screen, with all the attendant song, dance and scandal. Kaante stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Kumar Gaurav, Lucky Ali and Mahesh Manjrekar — and Thums Up. Coke's paid Sanjay Gupta, the film's producer, to feature the cola in some scenes — rumours put the figure at Rs 4 crore, but Coca-Cola, as well as the producer, say it isn't so — and it's also airing promos for the film that incorporate the Thums Up brand. Leo Entertainment, the film marketing division of Leo Burnett, is working with White Feather Productions in their marketing efforts. Work Environment Ad agencies are based within office settings. Accounts Executives, Account Planers, Media Executives, Art Directors and Copywriters spend most of their working time in agency office. Account Executives have to travel extensively, visiting clients and suppliers. While other staff, travel occasionally to attend meetings with clients, or visit locations during film production. Ad agencies are very busy places and often work is on till late hours. In 2004, workers in the industry averaged 33. 8 hours per week, a little higher than the national average of 33. . Most employees in advertising and public relations services work in comfortable offices operating in a teamwork environment; however, long hours, including evenings and weekends, are common. There are fewer opportunities for part-time work than in many other industries; in 2004, 14 percent of advertising and public relations employees worked part time, compared with 16 percent of all workers. Work in advertising an d public relations is fast-paced and exciting, but it also can be stressful. Being creative on a tight schedule can be emotionally draining. Some workers, such as lobbyists, consultants, and public relations writers, frequently must meet deadlines and consequently may work long hours at times. Workers, whose services are billed hourly, such as advertising consultants and public relations specialists, are often under pressure to manage their time carefully. In addition, frequent meetings with clients and media representatives may involve substantial travel. Most firms encourage employees to attend employer-paid time-management classes, which help reduce the stress sometimes associated with working under strict time constraints. Also, with today’s hectic lifestyle, many firms in this industry offer or provide health facilities or clubs to help employees maintain good health. Personal characteristics People in the accounts or client servicing i. e. , the Account Executives, Director and planer need to be adept at negotiating. The ability to communicate easily is vital. They face the challenge of competing in the market with other agencies; hence need to have drive determination and tremendous physical and mental stamina. Sensitivity to consumer behavior, trends and human nature are important for success in advertising. They should be able to assimilate the client’s requirements and in a lucid style prepare briefs for other departments. The ability to get the work executed by all departments is specially required. The creative people need a good visual ability, languageartistic skill. Copywriter requires literary ability but an interest in commercial success which comes from understanding what motives the target audience is important. Writers must be able to work, to a strict brief, within restricted space and in limited time. Advertising must follow legal requirements and rules hence considerable creative self-discipline is needed. A feeling for words, economy of style and imagination is needed. The copywriter works with the art director, and the creative director. The work can be very frustrating particularly when an idea is rejected by the art director and amendments made by the creative director and the client. This can often restrict the imaginative capacity of the copywriter. The openness to stand criticism is absolutely essential. Media Executives, Planners and Executive directors with others in an integrated team. They should be able to interplant a great deal of information. Media buyers spend most of their time negotiating over the telephone to buy space or time. Attention to detail is needed for keeping to the budget allocated. Employment avenues The business of advertising has been growing in proportion to the national economy. Greater competition between domestic and multinational firms has spurred marketing and advertising efforts. Competition for these jobs is growing. Creative college graduates with communication skills will get the best jobs. Job opportunities are in advertising agencies, commercial radio and public, Multinational firms, advertising/PR department of organisations/business/government. Advertising agencies have the highest profile in a much larger advertising industry, composed of various media, advertisers, printers, photographers, typesetters, and others that act as suppliers to the industry. Accordingly, agencies attract most of the people who want to get into advertising. Generally speaking, an agency is not the place to start an advertising career until the candidate has acquired two sorts of knowledge not available in most academic institutions. First, an extremely good working knowledge of how a wide variety of businesses work is necessary, for agencies serve so many kinds of clients. Second, one must develop good interpersonal business skills to be successful in the agency industry, and these skills are usually developed only in on-the-job experiences. Public service advertising The same advertising techniques used to promote commercial goods and services can be used to inform, educate and motivate the public about non-commercial issues, such as AIDS, political ideology, energy conservation, religious recruitment, and deforestation. The Government of India has for a long time relied considerably on the talents of the Advertising Agency and the Advertising Agencies Association of India for social causes. Family Planning is the most successful campaign for a social cause by any advertising agency. Advertising, in its non-commercial guise, is a powerful educational tool capable of reaching and motivating large audiences. Regulation There have been increasing efforts to protect the public interest by regulating the content and the reach of advertising. Some examples are the ban on television tobacco advertising imposed in many countries. The general aim of such codes is to ensure that any advertising is legal, decent, honest and truthful. Some self-regulatory organizations are funded by the industry, but remain independent, with the intent of upholding the standards or codes. In India there is Advertising Agency’s Association of India (AAAI) that supervises the affairs of the industry. There is a body called Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), which looks at issues pertaining to regulation of advertising. The advertising of controversial products such as cigarettes and condoms is subject to government regulation in many countries. For instance, the tobacco industry is required by law in India and Pakistan to display statutory warnings cautioning consumers about the health hazards of their products. Some potential ETHICAL ISSUES often come under scrutiny form moral or ethical perspective and border on being regulated are mentioned here. The idea is to be more aware and sensitive to them looking at advertising. †¢ Untruthful and misleading claims made in the ads. Misrepresentation of facts or situations in the name of creative license. †¢ Obscenity and misuse of sex advertising. †¢ Advertising inducing children †¢ Advertising of products that are commonly assumed to have harmful effects like alcohol, cigarette, drugs, weapons, etc. †¢ Surrogate advertising with hinted or hidden message. †¢ Media issues like use of billboards and other outdoor advertising (f or traffic & safety reasons) †¢ Copyright, trademark and issues of making unfair competitive claims. †¢ Civil rights or rights of privacy or citizens Copyright Copyright is a set of exclusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. At its most general, it is literally â€Å"the right to copy† an original creation. In most cases, these rights are of limited duration. Copyright may subsist in a wide range of creative, intellectual, or artistic forms or â€Å"works†. These include poems, plays, and other literary works, movies, choreographic works, musical compositions, audio recordings, paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, software, radio and television broadcasts of live and other performances, and, in some jurisdictions, industrial designs. Copyright law covers only the particular form or manner in which ideas or information have been manifested, the â€Å"form of material expression†. It is not designed or intended to cover the actual idea, concepts, facts, styles, or techniques which may be embodied in or represented by the copyright work. Several exclusive rights typically attach to the holder of a copyright: †¢ to produce copies or reproductions of the work and to sell those copies (including, typically, electronic copies) †¢ to import or export the work to create derivative works (works that adapt the original work) †¢ to perform or display the work publicly †¢ to sell or assign these rights to others Ad agency is supposed to follow the rules and regulations of copyright laws while creative ads for any product they must see that the concepts are not fully copied from somewhere else. Advertising Agency Getting the best out of advertising is a highly skilled job. It requires the inputs of e xperts in many different fields like writers, artists, photographers, designers, television production crews and many others. Even the biggest advertisers cannot afford to employ all these experts. Almost all advertising is therefore arranged through an advertising agency which provides the necessary skill to turn the message into a memorable and effective advertisement. Advertising has not only come to reflect pop culture but has also become an important element of economic growth. Today, every person connected with the Indian economy or public should be fully aware what advertising really is and why effective advertising campaigns can be performed by full-service advertising agencies. Advertising agency is one of the most important components of advertising industry. It has played a significant role in the development of modern advertising. The advertising agency has evolved to provide the specialized knowledge, skills and experience needed to produce effective advertising campaigns. It provides a quality range of service greater than any single advertiser could afford or would need to employ. An advertising agency is a firm that specializes in the creation, design and placement of advertisements, and in the planning and execution of promotional campaigns for products and services of their clients. The Association of Advertising Agencies of America (AAAA) defines advertising agency as â€Å"An independent business organization composed of creative and business people who develop, prepare and place advertising media for sellers seeking to find customers for their goods and services. † The glamour, the unlimited expense accounts, and the exhilarating lifestyle – all these popular portraits of life in the big-time advertising agency are misleading. Advertising is demanding, challenging, hard work. It is also interesting and fulfilling. Advertising requires a mix of personal abilities, considerable business skills, and an ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines. Compared to larger industries, there are never many entry-level positions open in advertising agencies (dozens rather than hundreds). And competition is stiff. The industry, however, is constantly on the look out for skilled, bright, articulate, creative and personable men and women with a well-rounded education and a good business sense. An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising (and sometimes other forms of promotion) for their clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services. An agency can also handle overall marketing and branding strategies and sales promotions for its clients. Typical ad agency clients include businesses and corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies. Agencies may be hired to produce single ads or, more commonly, ongoing series of related ads, called an advertising campaign. History of ad agency 1. Period of early growth 1841 – 1865. The first advertising agency on record in the US was Olney B. Palmer. In 1841, Palmer organized a newspaper advertising and subscription agency. By 1849 he had established offices in the cities of New York, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia. At this early fate, there were no directions of newspapers and no published rates for space to be sold to advertisers. Palmer acted as an informatory agent in these matters to prospective advertisers. In essence, he served as a salesman of space for publishers and they in turn, gave him a commission of 25% of such sales. The publishers found these methods of selling more effective than trying to sell direct and advertisers, wishing to reach more than one territory found value in such service. Completion increased, and the usual price cutting occurred. Success seemed to depend upon one’s ability to bargain with the publisher and advertiser. The natural result of this policy was a general reduction in profits to the agency; this led to a search for new competitive tools which would return a profit. 2. Wholesaling Period 1865 – 1880 George P. Rowell, who opened an agency in 1865, supplied the new competitive tool. Rowell contracted with 100 newspapers to sell him a column of space each week for a year. Throughout the wholesaling period, the agent continued as a seller of space for publishers. This took on different forms, one of which was the exclusive right to sell space in certain publishers. Thus, one agency developed a controlled list of religious papers, another a â€Å"List of Thirsty† household magazines. Any advertiser wishing to buy space in the controlled publications was forced to buy through the exclusive wholesaler for that paper. . Semi Service Period 1880 – 1917 The wholesaling phase of agency work was checked when publishers began to establish their own sales departments for selling space. Some of these departments sold direct to the advertiser, others to the general advertising agency. Thus, the agency was forced to turn its attention somewhat away from the particular function of s elling space for publisher and toward the function of buying space for the advertiser. Early in the semi service period agencies offered to write the copy for the advertiser, thus giving added weight to their claim of being servants of the advertiser. This concept of service was slow to develop; but in the early part of the 20th century, agencies began to emphasize strongly this â€Å"free† service. One agency in 1905 advertised that it paid $28,000 a year for a copywriter. These methods increased the agency business and forced most space sales to be made through them. 4. Service Period 1917 – Present By 1917 the idea of service had grown until not only was copywriting done for the advertiser but many other things as well. During the service period, many agencies have grown to the position of advertising and marketing counselors for advertiser. The service elements has modified the position of agencies to such a degree that radio and television, network and magazine publishers have come to depend upon them as the primary channel through which time and space are sold. Publishers claim to have had an important part in encouragements of agencies to provide extra service to the advertiser. By providing advertisers with the kind of assistance that will improve the effectiveness of advertising, more time and space naturally will be sold. Advertising Process When preparing your search proposal, you should take into account that the â€Å"lead-in† time needed to place an ad can vary anywhere from days to months depending on the publication. You should plan to have your ad approved and an estimate of the cost done at least one month prior to the date when you want the ad to be published. The advertising process for professional staff and faculty positions involves five basic steps: 1. Writing an Ad 2. Getting Approval for the Text of the Ad 3. Estimating the Cost of the Ad 4. Placing Ads & Posting Announcements 5. Paying for Ads Typical work flow in agency STAGE |WORK PERFORMED AT STAGE | |Briefing Stage |Briefing from the client | | |Internal briefing to the creative and media | | |Any research briefing if required | |Creation Stage |Ad campaign and media plan development | | |Internal review and finalization | | |Presentation to client and approvals | | |Any pre-testing if required | |Production Stage |Budget and estimate approv als | | |Production of ilm, press ads, collaterals | | |Media Scheduling and media booking | | |All release approvals for creative & media | |Post Production Stage |Material dispatch to media | | |Media release monitoring | | |Any post-testing if required | | |Billing and collection | Types of advertising agencies Ad agencies come in all sizes, from small one- or two-person shops to large multi-national, multi-agency conglomerates such as Omnicom Group, WPP Group, Interpublic Group of Companies and Havas. Some agencies specialize in particular types of advertising, such as print ads or television commercials. Other agencies, especially larger ones, produce work for many types of media. Lately, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firms have been classified by some as ‘agencies' due to the fact that they are creating media and implementing media purchases of text based (or image based in some instances of search marketing) ads. This relatively young industry has been slow to adopt the term ‘agency' however with the creation of ads (either text or image) and media purchases they do qualify technically as an ‘advertising agency' as well as recent studies suggest that both SEO and SEM are set to outpace magazine spending in the next 3-5 years. Not all advertising is created by agencies. Companies that create and plan their own advertising are said to do their work in house. Today selection of ad-agency is very difficult. The advertiser should make list of all possible agencies that can serve his purpose and the agency best qualified to provide required and effective services are selected. Some advertiser may select more than one advertising agency to handle effectively the various product lines. Following are major types of advertising agencies that are currently serving the advertising industry. Full Service Agencies A full service ad agency is one that provides a range of marketing services. A full services agency provides services that are directly related to advertising such as copywriting, artwork, production of ads, media planning etc. It also provides such services in respect of pricing, distribution, packaging, product design etc. Modular agencies A modular agency is a full service agency that sells its services on a piece meal basis. Thus an advertiser may commission an agency’s creative department to develop an ad campaign while obtaining other agency services elsewhere. Or, an advertiser may hire an agencies media department to plan and execute a program for advertising that another agency has developed. Fees are charged for actual work undertaken. In House agencies Those companies, which prefer to have closer control over advertising, have their own in-house agency. This type is owned completely by the advertiser. It performs almost all functions that an outside advertising agency would perform and that’s why some people refer to it as full-service advertising department of the advertiser. However, the difference between an in-house agency and an advertising department is that the in-house agency can undertake to serve several other clients, if the owner so desires, but an advertising department solely undertakes that work of its owner and not of outside clients. Secondly an advertising department may not be equipped the personnel and facilities, which an in-house agency would posses. In-house agency not only provides control over advertising schedule and costs, but also offers convenience for its owner, because it is just available in the same building as that of the head office of advertiser. Such in-house agency also benefits the owner as it can bring revenue through agency commission that are offered by the media and by way of fees that are collected from outside parties for undertaking their advertising work. Such revenue increases the funds and profits of the company. There is another version of in-house agency whereby advertiser handles the total agency functions by buying service unit to buy time, space and place the ads. Such an In-house agency is an administrative center (under the direction of an advertising director) that gathers and directs varying outside for its operation. Creative Boutiques These are shop agencies that provides only creative functions and not full-service. The specialized creative functions include copy writing, artwork and production of ads, they charge a fee or percentage of full service agencies, and as such most of them convert into a full service agency or merge with other agencies to provide a wide range of services. Mega agencies A significant of 1980’s is the development of mega agency. Agencies worldwide merge with each other serve their clients in much better way. It was in 1986, Saachi & Saachi, a London based agency who started the movement and at present it is the third largest agency network in the world. The Specialists Agency There are some agencies who undertake advertising work only in certain areas. there are agencies that specialize only in financial services or only in publicity or only in point-of-purchase material etc. for instance Soubhagya advertising agency concentrate on specialized in financial advertising. The functions of an advertising agency: †¢ To accelerate economic growth and create public awareness †¢ To provide a total, professional, experienced service which is very personal in its nature †¢ To take the advertiser's message and convert it into an effective and memorable communication The Benefits of Using an Advertising Agency †¢ Added Expertise †¢ Media Knowledge and Unbiased Advice †¢ Easier Administration †¢ Media Buying †¢ Quality Control †¢ Information †¢ Fending off the media †¢ And when things go wrong †¢ Cost Saving †¢ Time Saving Advertising Agency's Role Suppose you are a company with a product. It may be a totally new product. As a company with a product or service to sell, designing and making that item is only part of the battle. People are not going to beat a path to your door. You have to seek a channel of communication. Ad agency need to consider, for example: †¢ For whom is the product or service designed? †¢ Who would use it? Who is the â€Å"target group†? †¢ What's special about the product? In what way is it distinct? Unique? Different? †¢ What's its â€Å"position† in relation to other similar products? †¢ What do you want to convey to the public about y our product? †¢ How should your company contact the public? †¢ What medium should it use? Radio? TV? Newspapers? Magazines? Billboards? Bus/subway ads? Direct mail? etc. †¢ How extensive a region should your company try to cover? †¢ How often? Communication and marketing decisions involve specialized expertise. Many companies that design and produce products or offer services lack these specific capabilities. This is where advertising agencies fit in. Advertising agencies exist to help companies to communicate with the public, Market the company's product. [pic] The process of advertising involves considerable specialized knowledge and expertise †¢ about people – their interests, preferences, needs, wants, lifestyles, expectations †¢ about media – their reach, their effectiveness, their specific appeal †¢ about the company and its product – and about competing companies and their products Services offered by ad agency Total Advertising Services Strategic planning, creative development and media services for advertising, particularly in television, newspapers, magazines and radio; providing the best creative designed to capture the imagination of consumers Marketing Services Provision of a number of advertising related services, including sales promotion, market research, PR and event marketing. e-Solution Services e-solution services, including system integration services, e-business consulting and customer relationship management (CRM), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and e-promotions using the Internet and mobile. Content Business Sales of sponsorship, broadcasting and other rights, and the production and marketing of such media / content as sporting events, films, TV programs, animated content, music and other forms of entertainment. Integrated Media Services Bringing value to both clients and media-related companies by offering a wide range of media solution services Sales Promotion Providing comprehensive sales promotion planning designed to complement mass media and other activities Event Marketing Assisting clients by providing dynamic vehicles for their messages in the form of on-the-spot interactive communications Integrated Branding Services Assuring clients the highest quality of branding services for their communication needs Organization Structure The activities within an advertising agency are typically divided into 4 broad groups: account management, the creative department, media buying, and research. These divisions are usually physically separated, although all four areas work closely together to produce an advertising campaign in its entirety. Account managers usually have daily interaction with a counterpart at the client's office and coordinate the activities of the other departments according to the client's wishes. The creative department designs original themes or concepts for ads, while the media department places finished ads within the media in which they will receive the most exposure to a target audience. The research department provides data about consumers to help the agency and the client make informed advertising decisions. Recently added to advertising agencies' roster of services are public relations, direct marketing, and promotional services. Other activities that used to be completed by outside vendors, such as photography and high-tech print work, have been brought in-house in many agencies. ORGANIZATION CHART [pic] [pic] Departments & Personnel Account Services / Account Management The other major department in ad agencies is account services or account management. Account service employees work directly with clients and potential clients, soliciting business for the ad agency and determining what clients need and want the agency to do for them. They are also charged with understanding the client’s business situation and representing those needs within the agency, so that ads can be brought to bear on the correct problem. Account planner / Director The Account Planner is the main planning executive who works in partnership with the client on long-term account planning. He knows what is happening in the market place, the attitude of the consumer towards the client’s as well as the competitor’s brands. Account Planner Deals with senior members of the client organization. He is responsible for agency performance as a whole with limited involvement in routine agency projects. The Account Director is responsible for forward, long-term planning, deployment of agency personnel and overall account profitability. The account planner was originally employed to â€Å"represent the consumer† in the advertising i. e. , find the best way to pitch the clients products to people by better understanding them, what they want and how to talk to them. Planning's role has expanded considerably since it was originally introduced. Planners are now also brand strategists and, to a certain extent, media strategists – using consumer insights to understand where and how people are most receptive to certain messages. In many agencies, there is a dedicated media department and there are also some large and small agencies that exclusively handle media strategy and media buying. Account Supervisor A middle management position: he or she manages the account within a medium term perspective. This includes strategic planning, market analysis, competitive activity analysis, as well as recognizing and capitalizing on business building opportunities. Account executives Account executives represent their ad agency to their clients. They understand sales and advertising problems of the client and address the client’s need to the advertising approach. In advertising ‘The account’ is the client. The business of each client with the agency is referred to as an account. An ad agency handles assignments of a number of clients. A client’s business is assigned to a team of people from the ad agency with the Account Executive at the head of team. An account executive may be handling the business of number of non-competing clients at the same time. The Account Executive supervises his team of people drawn from all departments while planning, scheduling and executing the assignment. Before a campaign is launched research on the client’s business methods, the product to be advertised is made. With this background information there is a meeting of the creative media and marketing division along with members of the client’s team. The objective of this meeting is to define the nature and use of the product, and the target users as well as other competing brands. After all the information is assigned the agency team prepares a draft brief with recommendations. These are presented to the client by the Account Executive. The brief and budget are discussed and after finalization of work. The Account Executive motivates guides and coordinates the activities so that deadlines are met and the client’s expectations become a reality. He spends lot of time keeping the client updated on the progress. The Agency’s Director too has to be kept informed. This is done directly in smaller firms but in larger firms there may be an Account Planner or Director. The chief role of account executive is to extract the best possible work from the other departments of the agency. They are in daily touch with clients. Creative department The creative department is the people who create the actual ads – form the core of an advertising agency. Modern advertising agencies usually form their copywriters and art directors into creative teams. Creative teams may be permanent partnerships or formed on a project-by-project basis. The art director and copywriter report to a creative director, usually a creative employee with several years of experience. Although copywriters have the word â€Å"write† in their job title, and art directors have the word â€Å"art†, one does not necessarily write the words and the other draw the pictures; they both generate creative ideas to represent the proposition (the advertisement or campaign's key message). Creatives frequently work with outside design or production studios to develop and implement their ideas. Creative department consist of two key personnel i. e. art director and copywriters. These positions and ad agency is explained below. Art Directors Art Directors in Advertising aren't necessarily the head of an Art Department although the title may suggest it. They typically work in teams with a copywriter. Together the team works on a concept and design for commercials, print advertisements, and any other advertising medium. The art director is mostly responsible for the visual look and feel of the creative product as well as the concept. The Art Director ensures that the end product has the same look and feel as the original concept. The copywriter has ultimate responsibility for the product's verbal and textual content, and both are responsible for coming up with big, effective and persuasive ideas. Depending on the competencies of each, they may share tasks that are traditionally designated for one or the other, for instance, an art director may suggest certain wording and a copywriter may suggest a certain aesthetic for a project. Art directors may also oversee a team of junior designers, image developers and production artists. In a smaller organization the art director may fill these roles as well. In a larger organization, art directors may oversee other art directors in a senior/junior art director relationship. Copywriter A copywriter is a person who writes text, or copy, for clients. Most copywriters work in advertising or marketing, producing copy that's intended to persuade a reader to buy a product or service or otherwise take action. Copywriting involves providing words, which are read or heard in advertisements. This may include slogans or jingles or detailed text for catalogues, brochures, leaflets and journals. Copywriting also takes the form of script for television and film commercial advertisement. Copywriters can contribute words and ideas to print ads, catalogs, billboards, commercials, brochures, postcards, online sites, e-mail, letters and other advertising media. Ultimately, the kinds of ads and media a copywriter will work in depend on his or her own inclination and what clients ask for. A copywriter often works as part of an advertising team. Agencies and advertising departments partner copywriters with art directors. The copywriter has ultimate responsibility for their ads verbal and textual content, the art director has ultimate responsibility for the visual look and appeal, and both are responsible for coming up with big, effective, persuasive ideas. Copywriter and visual art work go hand in hand and this is the work which goes on in the agency’s creative department. Briefs from the Account Executive outlining the target group for the advertisement and information about the product, followed by discussions with the account planner, along with research material, and perhaps a meeting with client put the creative department to work. The essential skill of the Copywriter lies in interpreting and understanding the mind and needs of the target audience and the characteristics of the product. They must identify what it is that would make people want or need the product being promoted. The Art Director and the Copywriter together then work on an idea that should catch the attention of the public and put the selling point of the product across; many ads are discarded, reincarnated and created. The final product is a team effort of the Copywriter and Art director with each other having suggested alterations to the other. The more successful creations are then shown to the creative director who in turn may suggest further modifications. Final drawings are then produced and shown to the client. Once the client accepts the concept and layout is modified and the details filled in. The design and copy is sent to the production team for typesetting, photographs and drawings for printed advertisements or filming for television commercials. Giants in the copywriting field include David Ogilvy, William Bernbach, Robert W. Bly and Leo Burnett. Many creative artists spent some of their career as copywriters before becoming famous for other things, including Dorothy L. Sayers, Joseph Heller, Terry Gilliam, Salman Rushdie, and Don DeLillo. Creative Department people need following attributes for this back-breaking job. †¢ A good psychologist. †¢ Willing and able to set high standards. †¢ An efficient administrator & Research minded †¢ Capable of strategic thinking – ‘positioning’ and all that. †¢ Equally good at package goods and other kinds of accounts †¢ Well versed in graphics and photography †¢ A hard worker and fast †¢ Slow to quarrel Prepared to share credit for good work, and accept blame for bad work †¢ A good presenter & good recruiter Creative Process Policy [pic] Digital Studio Often called the DTP section, this set of people work on the final artwor ks that are sent to the various publications for release. DTP Artist DTP Artist is Desk Top Publishing worker, a special name used in Advertising agencies, Publisher, Color separation, Printing and other related industries. A DTP Artist usually skilled in multiple computer design applications, such as QuarkXPress, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, Adobe InDesign CS, and others. DTP Artist is formerly known as FA Artist (FA: Finishing Artwork), the name changed due to the digital revolution. DTP Artist is a common name used in India, Malaysia, Singapore and other countries. In America, advertising DTP associate is the term frequently used to describe graphic artists working for in-house art departments. American advertising agencies separate the role of graphic artists between art directors and production artists. Visualizer Visualizer is a position designed by Advertising agencies to assist Art directors, in producing quick & good quality artworks, for presentation (to please the clients). The salary of a Visualizer is very low, usually an average salary of a Visualizer is less than half, or sometimes quarter, of the salary of an Art Director. Visualizer is a special name used in advertising agencies in non-native English speaking countries, Malaysia, Singapore and others. Media Department Size and scale of the advertising is not important. What's in the mind is important. The big bucks are not being spent on production, they are being spent on broadcasting. The Media Department of an advertising agency is responsible for the planning and placement of advertising time and space. It is a function that in recent years has undergone considerable change. The proliferation of media forms and the escalating cost of media time have brought a new focus to the Agency Media Department. Media Executives The main task of the media executives is to place the advertisements where they will be seen by the right target audience keeping the budget in the mind. Hence this job requires planning, research and buying space in the press or time for commercial radio and television. In large agencies this task may be allocated to two or three different specialist. There may be a media planners and media buyers. In small agencies the task may be handled by the same person. FUNCTIONS OF THE MEDIA DEPARTMENT Media Planning The Media Department is responsible for the preparation and the actual presentation of the media plan. This department recommends media and media vehicles that in the agency's opinion best fulfill the client's marketing and advertising objectives. The recommendations are based on a careful assessment of the client's strategic requirements and the subsequent matching against these of the various available media forms. In the process there is great reliance on research and the known strengths and weaknesses of various media. Computer analysis is frequently used to sift through and compare all the media audience data that is available. The final media plan will present a carefully thought out recommendation that delivers the right target group, at the right time, in the right place, with the right number of messages. Media planners have access to up-to-date information about each advertising medium. This includes the relationship and circulation figures for news papers and magazines, viewing figures for different times of the day, listening audience figure for commercial radio stations etc. They are also aware of the various locations for hoarding and billboards. They are a vast array of choice. There are thousands of brands to advertise the work is challenging. It is though the selection of the right media that a good media department can save large advertisers money as well as give credibility. Media Buying Once a media plan has been approved by a client, it must then be purchased. The procedures for this vary according to the medium under consideration. In print media, for example, most purchases are made on the basis of rate cards issued by various newspapers or magazines. In broadcast, however, negotiation is involved. The objective of this negotiation is quite simple – to achieve maximum media efficiencies in obtaining the most for the least, or, in other words, the most audience for the least amount of money. Media buyers buy advertising time/space for the agency’s client. The work closely with the media planer if the two functions are carried out separately. Television and newspaper advertising are expensive. The media buyer’s expertise is in the negotiating the best possible deal for the client. The commercial breaks with the most viewers are the most expensive and so also the newspapers and magazines with the Media Estimating Every single purchase made by the Media Buyer must be recorded in advance of the actual running of the advertisement. This is to enable the agency to bill the client for monies spent on their behalf and to check the invoices submitted by the media. This document is called an estimate. Marketing Research Department Marketing research is three things: 1. The identification of information needs (i. e. defining the problem) 2. The systematic gathering, recording, analyzing and interpreting of data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services (i. e. providing a solution to the problem) 3. The analysis and evaluation of action taken on the basis of information (i. e. monitoring and modifying the initial solution). The single most important reason then for doing marketing research is to guide the marketer in the analysis, planning, implementation and control of marketing and communications programs to satisfy both customer needs and organizational goals. It does this by providing decision-makers with information necessary to choose between alternative courses of action. While marketing research information can never eliminate all risk from decision making, good research can and should substantially reduce the odds of failure. In short, the essence of marketing research is â€Å"problem-solving†. Creative Services Department The creative services department may not be so well known, but its employees are the people who have contacts with the suppliers of various creative media. For example, they will be able to advise upon and negotiate with printers if an agency is producing flyers for a client. However, when dealing with the major media (broadcast media, outdoor, and the press), this work is usually outsourced to a media agency which can advise on media planning and is normally large enough to negotiate prices down further than a single agency or client can. In small agencies, employees may do both creative and account service work. Larger agencies attract people who specialize in one or the other, and indeed include a number of people in specialized positions: production work, [Internet] advertising, or research, for example. Event Management and Promotion department These are marketing support services which coordinate with external suppliers and use internal resources to implement the client's plans. The work here is coordination, with specific responsibilities being more specialized. Event management, an industry that is just taking off in India, plans, organizes and executes live events, which could include a brand/product launch, an exhibition, a concert or even a conference. Traffic Manager (system administrator) An often forgotten, but still important, department within an advertising agency is traffic. Typically headed by a traffic manager, this department is responsible for a number of things. First and foremost is increasing agency efficiency and profitability through the reduction of false job starts, inappropriate job initiation, incomplete information sharing, over- and under-cost estimation, and the need for media extensions. In small agencies without a dedicated traffic manager, one employee may be responsible for managing workflow, gathering cost estimates and answering the phone, for example. Large agencies may have a traffic department of ten or more employees. Radio & TV Broadcast Production Department The Broadcast Production department is responsible for making television and radio commercials to be aired across the country. Each project is different and the job demands both creative and administrative ability. The most successful people in Broadcast Production have strong aptitudes in both creative and administrative areas. This means that they should be active in creative spheres. They must also have a very high organizational ability as there are a myriad of details to attend to in any production. There are two basic classifications of jobs in Broadcast Production: †¢ Producer †¢ Production Co-ordinator and/or Traffic Co-ordinator The production team's main function is to purchase the services of the correct film or videotape Production Company and to administer and produce the TV commercial production on behalf of the advertising agency and the client. The Producer The Producer is responsible for supervising all aspects of a TV commercial production, from the selection of the production company through budgeting, scheduling, casting, locations, sets, music creation, production meetings, filming, editing, sound mixing, to the final approval of the finished commercial. This means that the Producer must be completely familiar with all aspects of the film and videotape process, including animation, live action, and stop motion. Production Co-ordinator The function of the Production Co-ordinator is to work with one or more Producers, providing administrative and creative support in such fields as budgeting, scheduling, producing production books, and auditioning talent. A Co-ordinator very often will handle revisions and adaptations of TV commercials with the production company. They may also have experience in Broadcast Traffic learning other rules on talent or how to â€Å"traffic† a complex television schedule. Print Production Department Print Production, more than any other agency department, relies on graphic art technology to help give birth to an ad. If there are to be no complications in the ad's delivery to the printed page, then strict technical rules must be followed. Of course, rules were made for valid reasons. An ad must obey that magazine's exact size and film requirements. To defy those specifications, even slightly, would make it incorrect and therefore not publishable. What Print Production People Do? Print production people: †¢ Meet deadlines. Publications insist on strict deadlines and it's crucial that production pay strict heed to them. †¢ Use sophisticated technology. To ensure that those deadlines are met, the Production Manager must possess a solid working know- ledge of the latest graphic art technology. As technology changes it is now imperative to be computer literate and understand their function. †¢ Co-ordinate and manage. The Print Production department's job is to ensure that print advertising is reproduced correctly whether in colour or in black and white. This means exact attention to detail and it is up to the Production Manager to provide the specifications to suppliers. †¢ Skills and training. What are the skills necessary to make it in Production? Technical art expertise and a willingness to keep abreast of new developments; an aesthetic feeling for some of the craftsmanship involved in the graphic arts; accounting and math skills; and a sharp eye for detail. Computer literacy and an understanding of systems is another necessary skill. Production skills aren't something that can be bought, nor are they something that can be learned overnight. It t