elevision advertising benefits from the impact of sight, sound and motion to engage its audience. Indeed, some television adverts have been known to connect emotionally with viewers. Its main benefit, however, is the potential to reach a very large audience (more so than radio or newspaper advertising). Quite often, television adverts are repeated in order to capture the attention of viewers to remind them of the firm and its products. Marketers can target specific consumer groups by advertising during specific times, such as advertising products aimed at children during after-school hours.

The key limitation of TV adverts is the huge expense. Television advertising is not suitable for small businesses or though with a lack of liquidity. Viewers might ‘channel hop’ during commercial breaks by skipping between channels (thereby intentionally missing the adverts). Hence, TV are usually effective only when the advert is screened regularly over a period of time. Finally, as TV adverts are short (due to the high expense), only a limited amount of information can be contained in the advert.

Commercial radio allows marketer to reach a large audience, often on a national scale. It can also allow marketers to target specific groups of listeners, such as teenagers, commuters or the elderly. Key advantage for listeners are that the radio broadcasts are free, and they can multi-task whilst listening to the radio (or radio adverts), such as drivers commuting to/from work and students studying whilst listening to the radio. Digital radio has given marketers greater opportunities for ATL promotion, especially as users can listen to the radio station on their computers and mobile devices.

However, radio adverts are limited by the lack of visual stimulus for the listener, so these adverts may not be as effective as audio-visual adverts on television or the cinema. The cost of radio adverts can also be expensive due to the potential to reach a very large audience.

Newspapers have the potential to reach a large number of people in a particular geographic region. Some newspapers are able to reach a national audience, and online versions of these newspapers can have a global reach. Like magazines, adverts in newspapers can also be referred to at a later date.

However, adverts in newspapers often compete for the attention of readers as there are so many adverts in a typical newspaper. Like magazines, many newspapers use funds from newspaper adverts to keep down the price of the newspapers for their readers. In addition, newspaper adverts tend to have a relatively short life span because the papers are usually only read just the once.

Digital displays in Piccadilly Circus, London, UK

Adverts on large billboard displays can capture the attention of passers-by and drivers. They act as a constant reminder to potential customers about a firm’s products or services, especially commuters or travellers who pass the same route (location) on a regular basis. Digital billboard displays can have an even greater appeal due to the use of moving images.

However, many outdoor adverts (such as traditional billboards and adverts on public buses) are static and rely on images (so cannot show much information). Outdoor advertising media (such as posters and billboard adverts) are prone to damage from vandalism or extreme weather conditions.

‘Busvertising’ is a form of above the line promotion

Celebrity endorsement (or celebrity branding) refers to the use of celebrities (such as famous film stars, musicians and sports personalities) to promote a brand or organization. For example, celebrities used by Pepsi to endorse its products have included: Britney Spears, David Beckham, Beyoncé, One Direction, Nicole Kidman, Jessica Alba, and Michael Jackson. This strategy helps customers to remember certain products and brands when they watch or listen to their favourite celebrities, thus building brand awareness and helping to increase sales revenues.

Celebrity endorsements can be an effective form of promotion and help to build brand value. Nike’s association with sports such as tennis, golf, football and basketball have generated billions of dollars of annual sales. Nike has also been successful in expanding in new markets as a result, which a significant number of customers buying Nike sports apparel for casual (rather than sporting) use.

However, celebrity endorsement can be extremely expensive. For example, some of the world's top athletes earn more from sponsorship contracts than they do from their professions. Furthermore, celebrity scandals often feature in the news media, e.g., negative cases involving alcohol, drugs, infidelity or crime. Such scandals can create a negative image for the brand that the celebrity is associated with (see Celebrity Fails case study below), thus negatively affecting sales of the branded product. Therefore, celebrity endorsement can be a vulnerable and risking strategy as the brand image can change if the celebrity gives himself or herself a bad name or reputation.

Stay up to date with celebrity endorsements by visiting the Adweek website here.

 This short, but entertaining video clip discusses whether celebrity endorsement is an effective promotion strategy: