Informational and transformational Advertising
In today’s marketplace, characterized by technological advancements, social media, through its various websites, has developed as a relevant strategy for organizations to stay connected with their customers. Characterized by high traffic and reach, various organizations have developed main advertising campaigns for their services and products via UTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other sites. According to recent reach, Facebook seems to be doing better in attracting customers than other sites (Cadet, Aaltonen, & Kavota, 2017, p.116). The notion behind this argument is that Facebook users view Facebook advertising messages as both reliable and interesting. In most cases, they are fascinated and motivated by images on products advertised. For this reason, organizations today rely heavily on advertisement appeals to sense out their target customers. The main competing types of advertising are informational and transformational, which this paper seeks to explain.
Question # 1. Describing differences between informational advertising and transformational advertising
Informational advertising is the same as a utilitarian appeal. It is defined as an appeal that involves informing customers of one or more key benefits that are believed to be greatly important or functional to targeted customers (Cadet, Aaltonen, & Kavota, 2017, p. 119). Informational advertising presents factual, mostly verifiable data concerning product use. This kind of advertising provides relevant information about the use of the product. For instance, product images are provided to convey specific feelings and portray meaning to customers. Informational advertising is emotional and utilitarian in nature. It has been found to lead customers through divers’ paths of persuasion. Its main constructs are positive and negative feelings and beliefs and attitudes ‘based on its level of attractiveness.
About the effects of informational advertising on consumers, Suki et al. (2016, p.191) note that information shared out through advertisements influence consumers’ behaviors. In most cases, information shared is designed based on a hedonic utilitarian setting, and this is the basis of holding customers’ attention. Also, in their report findings, Cadet, Aaltonen, & Kavota (2017, p. 121) note that consumers report that advertisers’ ability to supply information by advertisers is the main reason consumers approve purchasing it. Through this, the chances of spreading the information known as viral marketing are also enhanced. In research, earlier scholars argued that messages that have content that is comedic and humorous in nature positively affects the attractiveness of online videos used in marketing. Therefore, it’s concluded that when consumers develop a positive attitude towards the information advertised, this impacts their product understanding in purchase decisions.
On the other hand, transformative advertising is advertising that associates product usage with certain fillings, images, and meanings that later transform the product or service experiences. This advertising appeal’s main objective is to transform the “consumers’ emotional experiences while using the product instead of focusing on the real product.” For instance, transformational advertising is associated with making the experience of product usage warmer. According to Cadet, Aaltonen, & Kavota (2017, p. for advertising to be labeled as transformational, it must have the following features, firstly, it must make the experience of using a particular product warmer, exciting, and richer, or more enjoyable. Secondly, it must give a tight connection of advertisement experiences with the experience of using the brand. The consumers can only remember the brand by recalling the experience generated by the advertisement. Based on these two features, transformational advertising reflects the following; it presents important information concerning the brand and presents data that is immediately perceived as relevant to the target group.
Concerning the effects of transformational advertising on consumers, Littleton (nd) notes that consumers become more trusting about subtly convincing transformational ads. They are also more incredulous about some transformational adverts trying to try to convince them with direct information about a product.
Question #2. What is a brand? How does advertising contribute to branding, especially in the social media context?
A brand is described as a collection of tangible and intangible attributes designed to create identity and awareness and build a reputation of service, person, organization, or place (Sammut-Bonnici, 2017, p.1). Branding is a holistic concept best described as a long-term strategy that encompasses various activities ranging from product innovation to product marketing communications. Generally, examples of a brand include; signs, names, symbols, terms, or a combination of all these elements intended to identify goods and services of one business entity or group of sellers and to draw differences from those of other competitors. A brand has three main aspects: a brand image, brand identity, and brand positions. Based on the lecture notes, a brand is more than a product. Brand users are identified based on origin, organizational association, emotional attachment, self-expensive benefits, and brand personality. The main crucial strategy in creating a powerful bond between the brand and consumers is developing a brand personality. The idea behind this argument is that brand personality provides consumers with freedom of self-expression.
Concerning advertising and branding, Oralkan & Celikkol (2017) note that advertising strategies have significant functions and contributions in brand personality development. This is based on its ability to creates a potential that strengthens the personal bond with the target consumers. Brand advertising is an overall equity building with specific messages and goals about lessons learned from the class. Advertising contributes to branding and is mostly concerned with media planning and placement. According to Oralkan & Celikkol, 2020, p.549), advertising strategies have important contributions to brand personality development. In most cases, advertising is used in creating brand personality or reinforcing an existing one. The main objective is to realize a difference against the brand rivals. In this case, advertising helps support the repositioning attempt of an underperforming brand to attract the new target group’s attention.
To conclude, it is better not to argue that transformational and informational advertising are not mutually exclusive types of appeals. Each of these advertising types is unique in its own way. In differentiating the two, informational advertising is more concerned with the product. Transformational advertising’s main objective is to transform the consumers’ emotional experiences while using the product instead of focusing on the real product. In some studies, it was also concluded that informational adverts were perceived to have greater value in advertising than transformational appeals. Based on these insights, organizations should use informational appeals because they are more important in guiding consumers’ assessment of organizational brands and products than related rivals. Concerning branding, a brand is not created by just publishing messages, but by developing the massage into a brand personality or building block perceived right by the target group. In most cases, brand development based on appropriate advertisement strategies leads to positive perception while poorly advertised brands lead o negative perceptions.
References
Cadet, F. T., Aaltonen, P. G., & Kavota, V. (2017). THE ADVERTISEMENT VALUE OF TRANSFORMATIONAL & INFORMATIONAL APPEAL ON COMPANY FACEBOOK PAGES. Marketing Management Journal, 27(2), 116-130.
LittleJohn. (n.d.). Creating Desire: Transformational Advertisings’ Effect on Different Age Groups.
Oralkan, A., & Celikkol, S. (2017). Advertising and Social Media Strategies in Development of Brand Personality. International Congress of Management Economy and Policy, 547-555.
Sammut-Bonnici, T. (2015). Brand and branding. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118785317.weom120161
Suki, N. M., Suki, N. M., Mokhtar, A. H., & Ahmad, R. (2016). Assessing normative and informational influences on students’ opinions in engaging electronic word of mouth via social networking sites. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37, 190-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(16)30112-5