Knowledge in Journalism and Mass Communication

Important Topics on PR

This file contains Important Topics related to the subject Public Relation.

Notes on Departments of Advertisement Agency

 How Does an Advertising Agency Work? SHARE PINWorking of Ad agencies 1) Ad Agencies Have ClientsThis is a no-brainer, obviously. But the usual way an agency gets work is through a pitch. A pitch is an audition, with the client giving a brief to a number of advertising agencies, and choosing the one that best resolves the brief. Of course, it doesn’t always work that way (see The Pitch TV show), but for the most part, this is how agencies are paired with clients.After this, contracts are signed and the real work begins. Depending on the type of agency and client, the scope of works (SOW) will vary greatly. But in a nutshell, the agency agrees to produce a certain amount of work for a set amount of money (be it a retainer, hourly, or other agreement) and the client agrees to pay the agency upon receipt of the work. That’s as basic as it gets, but it’s the most simple explanation.2) Everything is Problem/Solution DrivenThe ad agency is there to solve problems for its clients. The client is there to present the agency with its problems, and when it needs solutions. The types of problems and solutions vary greatly depending upon the client’s business and the ad agency’s area of expertise.How this is done is different from agency to agency, but the basic steps are more or less the same.The account manager (and team) meets with the client to identify the problem that needs to be solved.The account manager writes a creative brief based on that problem. This will include competitive analysis, research, the assistance of the planner and/or creative director, and eventually, sign off from the client.The account manager briefs the creative team and includes a timeline, budget, proposed media and other factors.The creative team works on the project for several days (or weeks if they’re lucky) and brings the first round of ideas to the creative director.The creative director will cull the ideas that are not working, and direct the team to explore the good ideas.The creative team will continue to work on the ideas, but bring in the production department (if needed), account manager and other members of the agency to make sure the work is on track. If there are printed pieces, or a shoot is required, this is when the production department will begin estimates.The creative director approves the final ideas, and the creative team presents (hopefully) them to the client.The client will go away and discuss the ideas, before giving feedback to the agency. This may result in a reworking of ideas (repeat steps 3 to 7) or a green light to move into the execution of the ideas. At this point, a budget and timeline will once again be approved.The creative team works closely with the account team, media buying, production, and the creative director to produce the ads, whatever form they may take.The final ads are placed in front of the client for approval. Once the client approves, the ads are published, be it online, in print, outdoor, on the air, or any other media.The agency will monitor the success, and ROI, of the ads and give the feedback to the client.The client pays the agency. And then the whole process is repeated.Again, that is a very simplistic way to look at the day-to-day workings of an ad agency, but that gives you a brief insight into the process.3) Self Promotion and Awards are KeyIf the agency does great work for a client, that should be advertising enough. But ad agencies, for the sake of survival and success, must get out there to win more business, and have clients coming to them for work.Ad agencies will enter their best work into the awards shows. Only the best shows will garner attention from clients worth having. They will also develop a website and other forms of self-promotion to get clients looking in the right direction.The Six Major Departments in Any AgencySix very different, but essential, departments that make it possible to produce effective advertisements. These can be split into other sub-departments, or given various creative names, but the skeleton is the same.These departments are:Account ServiceAccount PlanningCreativeFinance & AccountsMedia BuyingProductionLarger agencies may also separate out the following departments:Human Resources & FacilitiesResearchWeb DevelopmentTrafficNow, let's take a look at the breakdown of those six major departments. Remember, although many agencies have different takes on these, the premise is the same. 1. Account ServicesThe account service department comprises account executives, account managers, and account directors, and is responsible for liaising with the agency's many clients.This department is the link between the many departments within the agency and the clients who pay the bills. In the past they were referred to as "the suits," and there have been many battles between the account services department and the creative department. But as most creatives know, a good account services team is essential to a good advertising campaign.A solid creative brief is one of the main duties of account services.2. Account PlanningThis department combines research with strategic thinking. Often a mix of researchers and account managers, the account planning department provides consumer insights, strategic direction, research, focus groups and assists helps keep advertising campaigns on target and on brand. Chris Cowpe described account planning as "…the discipline that brings the consumer into the process of developing advertising. To be truly effective, advertising must be both distinctive and relevant, and planning helps on both counts."3. CreativeThis is the engine of any advertising agency. It's the lifeblood of t he business because the creative department is responsible for the product. And an ad agency is only as good as the ads the creative department puts out. The roles within the creative department are many and varied, and usually include:CopywritersArt DirectorsDesigners Production ArtistsWeb DesignersAssociate Creative DirectorsCreative Director(s)In many agencies, copywriters and art directors are paired up, working as teams. They will also bring in the talents of other designers and production artists as and when the job requires it. Sometimes, traffic is handled by a position within the creative department, although that is usually part of the production department. Everyone within creative services reports to the Creative Director. It is his or her role to steer the creative product, making sure it is on brand, on brief, and on time.4. Finance & AccountsMoney. At the end of the day, that's what ad agencies want. And it's what their clients want, too. At the center of all the money coming into, and going out of, the agency is the finance and accounts department. This department is responsible for handling payment of salaries, benefits, vendor costs, travel, day-to-day business costs and everything else you'd expect from doing business. It's been said that approximately 70% of an ad agency's income pays salary and benefits to employees. However, this figure varies depending on the size and success of the agency in question.5. Media BuyingIt is the function of the media buying department to procure the advertising time and/or space required for a successful advertising campaign. This includes TV and radio time, outdoor (billboards, posters, guerrilla), magazine and newspaper insertions, internet banners and takeovers, and, well, anywhere else an ad can be placed for a fee. This usually involves close collaboration with the creative department who came up with the initial ideas, as well as the client and the kind of exposure they want.This department is usually steered by a media director.6. ProductionIdeas are just ideas until they're made real. This is the job of the production department. During the creative process, the production department will be consulted to talk about the feasibility of executing certain ideas. Once the ad is sold to the client, the creative and account teams will collaborate with production to get the campaign produced on budget. This can be anything from getting original photography or illustration produced, working with printers, hiring typographers and TV directors, and a myriad of other disciplines needed to get an ad campaign published. Production also works closely with the media department, who will supply the specs and deadlines for the jobs.Don't Forget TrafficIn small to mid-sized agencies, traffic is rolled up into the production department. It is the job of traffic to get each and every job through the various stages of account management, creative development, media buying and production in a set time frame. Traffic will also ensure that work flows through the agency smoothly, preventing jams that may overwhelm creative teams and lead to very long hours, missed deadlines and problematic client relationships. Traffic keeps the agency's heart beating. 

Notes on Origin of Advertisement Agency

History of Advertising in India since 18th Century!·        Indian Advertising starts with the hawkers calling out their wares right from the days when cities and markets first began.·        18th Century:·        Concrete advertising history begins with classified advertising·        Ads appear for the first time in print in Hickey’s Bengal Gazette, India’s first newspaper (weekly).·        Studios mark the beginning of advertising created in India (as opposed to imported from England) Studios set up for bold type, ornate fonts, more fancy, larger ads·        Newspaper studios train the first generation of visualisers & illustrators·        Major advertisers: Retailers like Spencer’s, Army & Navy and Whiteaway & Laidlaw·        Marketing promotions: Retailers’ catalogues provided early example·        Ads appear in newspapers in the form of lists of the latest merchandise from England·        Patent medicines: The first brand as we know them today were a category of advertisers·        Horlicks becomes the first ‘malted milk’ to be patented on 5th June 1883 (No. 278967).·        The 1900s:·        1905 — В Dattaram & Co claims to be the oldest existing Indian agency in Girgaum in bombay·        1912 — ITC (then Imperial Tobacco Co. Ltd.) launches Gold Flake·        1920s — Enter the first foreign owned ad agencies·        — Gujarat Advertising and Indian Advertising set up·        — Expatriate agencies emerge: Alliance Advertising, Tata Publicity·        — LA Stronach’s merges into today’s Norvicson Advertising·        — D J Keymer gives rise to Ogilvy & Mather and Clarion·        1925 — LR Swami & Co, Madras·        1926 — LA Stronach & Co (India) Pr. Ltd, Bombay starts Agency called National set up for American rather than British advertisers·        — American importers hire Jagan Nath Jaini, then advertising manager of Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore. National today is still run by Jaini’s family·        — Beginning of multinational agencies·        — J Walter Thompson (JWT) opened to service General Motors business·        1928 — BOMAS Ltd (Formerly DJ Keymer & Co Ltd) set up·        1929 — J Walter Thompson Co Pr. Ltd formed·        Indian agencies, foreign advertising in the thirties:·        1931 — National Advertising Service Pr. Ltd. Bombay set up·        — Universal Publicity Co, Calcutta formed·        1935 — Indian Publicity Bureau Pr Ltd, Calcutta established·        1936 — Krishna Publicity Co Pr. Ltd, Kanpur begins operations·        — Studio Ratan Batra Pr. Ltd, Bombay established·        — Indian Broadcasting Company becomes All India Radio (AIR)·        1938 — Jayendra Publicity, Kolhapur started·        1939 — Lever’s advertising department launches Dalda – the first   major example of a brand and a marketing campaign specifically developed for India·        — The Press Syndicate Ltd, Bombay set up·        Indianising advertisements in the forties:·        1940 — Navanitlai & Co., Ahmedabad set up·        1941 — Lux signs Leela Chitnis as the first Indian film actress to endorse the product·        Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA), the current incarnation of JWT, coins the Balanced Nourishment concept to make Horlicks more relevant to India Green’s Advertising Service Agents, Bombay formed·        1943 — Advertising & Sales Promotion Co (ASP), Calcutta established·         1944 — Dazzal, Bombay comes into existence·        — Ranjit Sales & Publicity Pr. Ltd, Bombay started·        1945 — Efficient Publicities Pr. Ltd, Madras set up·        — Tom & Bay (Advertising) Pr. Ltd., Poona begins operations in India·        1946 — Eastern Psychograph Pr. Ltd., Bombay set up·        — Everest Advertising Pr. Ltd, Bombay established·        1947 — Grant Advertising Inc, Bombay formed·        — Swami Advertising Bureau, Sholapur started·        1948 — RC Advertising Co Bombay set up·        — Phoenix Advertising Pr. Ltd, Calcutta formed·        Corporate advertising in the fifties:·        1950s — Radio Ceylon and Radio Goa become the media option·        1951 — Vicks VapoRub-a rub for colds causes ripples with its entry in the balm market·        1552 — Shantilal G Shah & Co, Bombay·        1954 — Advertising Club, Mumbai set up·        — Express Advertising Agency, Bombay·        — India Publicity Co. Pr. Ltd., Calcutta·        1956 — Aiyars Advertising & Marketing, Bombay·        — Clarion Advertising Services Pr. Ltd, Calcutta·        1957 — Vividh Bharati kicks off·        1958 — Shree Advertising Agency, Bombay·        1959 — Associated Publicity, Cuttack·        Creative revolution in the sixties:·        1960 — Advertising Accessories, Trichur started·        — Marketing Advertising Associates, Bombay set up·        1961 — Industrial Advertising Agency, Bombay comes into existence·        — Bal Mundkur quits BOMAS to set up Ulka the same year·        1962 — India’s television’s first soap opera – Teesra Rasta enthralls viewers·        1963 — BOMAS changes names to SH Benson’s·        — Stronach’s absorbed into Norvicson·        — Lintas heading for uncertainty·        — Levers toying with giving its brands to other agencies·        — Nargis Wadia sets up Interpub·        __ Wills Filter Tipped cigarettes launched and positioned as made for each other, filter and tobacco match·        1965 ___ Kersey Katrak sets up Mass Communication and Marketing (MCM)·        1966 — Government persuaded to op 1 up the broadcast media·        __ Ayaz Peerbhoy sets up Marketing and Advertising Associates (MAA)·        1%7 _ First commercial appears on Vividh Bharati·        1968 — Nari Hira sets up Creative Unit·         — India wins the bid for the Asian Advertising Congress·        1969 — Sylvester daCunha left Stronach’s to run ASP; later sets up daCunha Associates·        1970 — Frank Simoes sets up Frank Simoes Associates·        The problematic seventies:·        1970, 1978 National Readership Studies provided relevant data on consumers’ reading habits·        1970 — Concept of commercial programming accepted by All India Radio·        __ Hasan Rezavi gives the very first spot on Radio Ceylon·        1971 — Benson’s undergo change in name to Ogilvy, Benson & Mather·        1972 —- Western Outdoor Advertising Pvt. Ltd (WOAPL) introduces first closed circuit·        TV (CCT) in the country at the race course in Mumbai·        1973 — RK Swamy/BBDO established·        1974 — MCM goes out of business Arun Nanda & Ajit Balakrishnan set up Rediffusion·        1975 — Ravi Gupta sets up Trikaya Grey·        1976 — Commercial Television initiated·        1978 _ First television commercial seen·        1979 — Ogilvy, Benson & Mather’s name changes to Ogilvy & Mather·        Glued to the television in the eighties:·        1980 — Mudra Communications Ltd set up King-sized Virginia filter cigarette enters market with brand name of ‘Charms’·        1981 — Network, associate of UTV, pioneers cable television in India·        1982 — The biggest milestone in television was the Asiad ’82 when television turned to colour transmission·        — Bombay Dyeing becomes the first colour TV ad·        — 13th Asian Advertising Congress in New Delhi Media planning gets a boost·        1983 — Maggi Noodles launched to become an overnight success·        — Canco Advertising Pvt. Ltd. founded·        __ Manohar Shyam Joshi’s Hum Log makes commercial television come alive·        — Mudra sponsors first commercial telecast of a major sporting event with the India-West Indies series·        1984 — Hum Log, Doordarsharrs first soap opera in the colour era Is born·        — Viewers still remember the sponsor (Vicco) of Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi!·        1985 — Mudra makes India’s first telefilm, Janam·        1985-86 — 915 new brands of products and services appearing on the Indian market·        1986 — Sananda is born on July 31. The Bengali magazine stupefies India by selling 75,000 copies within three hours of appearing on the newsstands.·        — Mudra Communications creates India’s first folk-history TV serial Buniyaad. Shown on DD, it becomes the first of the mega soaps·        — Price quality positioning of Nirma detergent cakes boost sales·        1988 — AAAI’s Premnarayan Award instituted·        1989 — Advertising Club Bombay begins a biennial seminar called ‘Advertising that Works’·        — Advertising & Marketing (A&M) magazine launched ·        Tech savvy in the nineties:·        1990 — Marks the beginning of new medium Internet·        — Agencies open new media shops; go virtual with websites and Internet advertising·        — Brand Equity (magazine) of The Economic Times is born·        1991 — First India-targetted satellite channel, Zee TV starts broadcast·        — Close on the throes of the Gulf War enters STAR (Satellite Transmission for Asia Region)·        1992 — Spectrum, publisher of A&M, constitutes its own award known as ‘A&M·        Awards’·        — Scribes and media planners credit The Bold And The Beautiful serial on STAR Plus channel as a soap that started the cultural invasion·        1993 — India’s only advertising school, MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications·        Ahmedabad), is born·        — Tara on Zee TV becomes India’s first female-centric soap·        1995 — Advertising Club of Bombay calls its awards as Abby·        — Country’s first brand consulting firm, SABRE (Strategic Advantage for Brand Equity) begins operations·        1996 — The ad fraternity hits big time for the first time by bagging three awards at the·        43rd International Advertising Festival, Cannes Sun TV becomes the first regional TV channel to go live 24 hours·        — A day on all days of the week·        1997 — Media boom with the growth of cable and satellite; print medium sees an increase in titles, especially in specialised areas·        — Government turns towards professional advertising in the private sector for its VDIS campaigns·        — Army resorts to the services of private sector agencies·        — Advertising on the Internet gains popularity·        — Equitor Consulting becomes the only independent brand consultancy company in the country·        — Several exercises in changing corporate identity·        — For the first time ever, Indians stand the chance of winning the $ 1-miliion booty being offered by Gillette as part of its Football World Cup promo 1998·        — Events assume important role in marketing mix·        — Rise of software TV producers banking on ad industry talent·        — Reinventing of cinema -advertising through cinema begins·        1998 — Lintas becomes Ammirati Puri Lintas (APL)·        1999 — B2B site agencyfaqs.com launched on September 28, 1999·        — The Advertising Club Bombay announces the AdWorks Trophy·        In the new millennium: ·        2000 — Mudra launches magindia.com – India’s first advertising and marketing gallery·        — Lintas merges with Lowe Group to become Lowe Lintas and Partners (LLP)·        — bigideasunlimited.com – a portal offering free and fee ideas for money launched by Alyque Padamsee and Sam Mathews·        — Game shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati become a rage; media buying industry is bullish on KBC·        — Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi marks the return of family-oriented soap on TV·        — French advertising major Publicis acquires Maadhyam·        2001 — Trikaya Grey becomes Grey Worldwide·        Bharti’s Rs 2.75-crore corporate TV commercial, where a baby girl is born in a·        football stadium, becomes the most expensive campaign of the year·        2002 — Lowe Lintas & Partners rechristened Lowe Worldwide·        — For the first time in the history of HTA, a new post of president is created. Kamal Oberoi is appointed as the first president of HTA The dawn of Indian Advertising marked its beginning when hawkers called out their wares right from the days when cities and markets first began. It was then that the signages, the trademarks, the press ads and the likes evolved.Concrete advertising history began with classified advertising. Ads started appearing for the first time in print in Hickey’s Bengal Gazette which was India’s first newspaper. Studios mark the beginning of advertising created in India as opposed to being imported from England. Studios were set up for bold type, ornate fonts, fancier, larger ads. Newspaper studios trained the first generation of visualizers and illustratorsMajor advertisers during that time were retailers like Spencer’s, Army & Navy and Whiteaway and Laidlaw. Retailers’ catalogues that were used as marketing promotions provided early example. Patent medicines: The first brand as we know them today was a category of advertisers. Horlicks becomes the first ‘malted milk’ to be patented in1883.B Dattaram and Co. claims to be the oldest existing Indian agency in Mumbai which was started in 1902. Later, Indian ad agencies were slowly established and they started entering foreign owned ad agencies. Ogilvy and Mater and Hindustan Thompson Associate agencies were formed in the early 1920s. In 1939, Lever’s advertising department launched Dalda – the first major example of a brand and a marketing campaign specifically developed for India. In the 1950s, various advertising associations were set up to safeguard the interests of various advertisers in the industry. In 1967, the first commercial was aired on Vividh Bharati and later in 1978; the first television commercial was seen. Various companies now started advertising on television and sponsoring various shows including Humlog andYeh Jo Hai Zindagi.In 1986, Mudra Communications created India’s first folk-history TV serial Buniyaad which was aired on Doordarshan; it became the first of the mega soaps in the country. Later in 1991, First India-targetted satellite channel, Zee TV started its broadcast. 1995 saw a great boom in media boom with the growth of cable and satellite and increase of titles in the print medium. This decade also saw the growth of public relations and events and other new promotions that various companies and ad agencies introduced. Advertising specific websites were born, one of them being agencyfaqs now known as afaqs.  

Notes on Electronic Media

This File contains notes on electronic media. Students of mass communication and journalism can use this file for studying.

Mass Audience

What is mass audience in mass communication? Answer is here in pdf format collected from best descriptive answers.

Ratings and Audience Measurement

Ratings and Audience Measurement is an important topic covered in this notes

The Mass Audience Lives! (Or Does It?)

The Mass Audience Lives! (Or Does It?)

Audience Economics: Media Institutions and the Audience Marketplace

Audience Economics: Media Institutions and the Audience Marketplace

Listening : Second most important thing of communication

Listeners must first hear what is said. Listening skills involve identifying and selecting relevant points recognised as having meaning; that are understood and held in short-term memory. These can be related to what has gone before and to what comes after. Any information considered important is selected and stored for future reference in the long term memory.Decoding (understanding) a message is generally easier for the listener if a person is speaking rather than reading something out loud. In addition the speaker's facial expressions, and the stress placed on words help the listener to understand the message.Developing effective listening skills involves two specific steps (Hartley & Bruckman, 2002). These are:1. To develop the ability to recognize and deal with barriers that prevents you listening with full attention.2. To develop and use behaviors which help you to listen. Such behaviors can also serve to let the other person know that you are giving them your full attention.Listening is the absorption of the meanings of words and sentences by the brain. Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas. To listen is to pay attention, or sticking to the task at hand in spite of distractions. It requires concentration, which is the focusing of your thoughts upon one particular problem.A person who incorporates listening with concentration is actively listening. Active listening is a method of responding to another that encourages communication.Active listening is composed of six distinct componentsn Hearing: The physiological process of receiving sound and/or other stimuli.n Attending: The conscious and unconscious process of focusing attention on external stimuli.n Interpreting: The process of decoding the symbols or behavior attended to.n Evaluating: The process of deciding the value of the information to the receiver.n Remembering: The process of placing the appropriate information into short-term or long-term storage.n Responding: The process of giving feedback to the source and/or other receivers.

Major functions of Corporate Communication

These Files contains notes for Functions Of Corporate Information.