Advertising Interview Preparation Guide

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There are as many approaches to producing commercials, as there are commercials, so the sky is the limit! Production of a typical: 30 commercial involves planning, copy writing, shooting time, editing time, design, and production of graphics, an announcer, and more. The value of production varies greatly depending on your concept, and the technical manipulations necessary to produce it.

In my opinion, ezine advertising is the most effective form of advertising used on the Internet. Not only is it cost-effective, but it also provides a great way to reach your target audience.

The key to using ezine advertising effectively is to target your audience and track your response. You must test the effectiveness of both your ad and the publication in which you are advertising. This will enable you to determine which ads are pulling the most response, and which publications are providing you with the highest response rates.

Yes, here are the standard banner and button sizes used on the Internet.

=> Standard Banner Sizes: 468x60, 234x60, 120x240

=> Standard Button Sizes: 125x125, 120x60, 88x31

To test the effectiveness of your banners, divide the number of exposures by the number of click through. Example Formula:

100 exposures divided by 25 click through = 4:1 ratio

A 4:1 ratio specifies that the banner is clicked on once for every four exposures. The lower the number of exposures compared to the click through, the better.

There are many forms of advertising options in the Internet. For example, there are a number of programs referred to as "Pay Per" programs. These programs include pay-per-click, pay-per-lead, and pay-per-sale. Pay-per-click programs will enable you to advertise to your target audience and only pay for results -- you pay a set amount for each visitor that is sent to your web site. The most popular pay-per-click program is the pay-per-click Search Engines.

Pay-per-lead programs will enable you to pay only for leads. These leads may be potential customers that fill out a registration form, enter a sweepstakes, or download a free product trial. Pay-per-sales programs are simply affiliate programs. Affiliates are paid a set commission for each qualifying sale.

In addition to the above Pay-Per programs, you can purchase pay-per-click banner ads. Several companies online will place your banner within their network and charge you a set fee for each click through.

Another popular advertising technique used on the Internet is pop-windows. Although the effectiveness of pop-windows has declined (due to software programs that prevent them from loading), pop-windows can still be an effective advertising tool.

Here is how the banners preformed:

3.0% - Static banner with blue underlined text

2.2% - Static banner with text and a drop down box image with submit button

1.0% - Static banner with text and the words "Click Here"

0.9% - Animated banner with a text ad 0.2% - Static banner with a text ad

To know how much to spend on Advertising, first we need to establish our advertising budget, and then we should set our monthly expenditures accordingly.

In order to determine the success of advertising, we must have measures in place that can determine the return of advertising investment

Understanding the target customer guides us in making the right advertising decisions, from what to say to which medium to use.

The true evaluative tool to compare the efficiency of one medium to another is cost per thousand or CPM.

While there are creative factors that influence ad effectiveness, marketing considerations, should also be considered.

Both are important, you are marketing plan and sales objectives should dictate the level of each.

There are six factors to consider when choosing a media plan. The factors like budget, target audience, and sales objectives.

To improve your ability to reach your target audience, consider using demographic, geographic, or psychographic profiles.

According to the FTC's Deception Policy Statement, an ad is deceptive if it contains a statement -- or omits information – that is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances; and is "material" -- that is, important to a consumer's decision to buy or use the product.

The FTC looks at the ad from the point of view of the "reasonable consumer" -- the typical person looking at the ad. Rather than focusing on certain words, the FTC looks at the ad in context -- words, phrases, and pictures -- to determine what it conveys to consumers. The FTC looks at both "express" and "implied" claims. An express claim is literally made in the ad.

For example, "ABC Mouthwash prevents colds" is an express claim that the product will prevent colds. An implied claim is one made indirectly or by inference. "ABC Mouthwash kills the germs that cause colds" contains an implied claim that the product will prevent colds. Although the ad does not literally say that the product prevents colds, it would be reasonable for a consumer to conclude from the statement "kills the germs that cause colds" that the product will prevent colds.

Under the law, advertisers must have proof to back up express and implied claims that consumers would take from an ad. The FTC looks at what the ad does not say -- that is, if the failure to include information leaves consumers with a misimpression about the product. For example, if a company advertised a collection of books, it would be deceptive if the ad did not disclose that what consumers actually would receive were abridged versions of those books.

Before a company runs an ad, it has to have a "reasonable basis" for the claims. A "reasonable basis" means objective evidence that supports the claim. The kind of evidence depends on the claim. At a minimum, an advertiser must have the level of evidence that it says that it has. For example, the statement "Two out of three doctors recommend ABC Pain Reliever" which should be supported by a reliable survey to that effect.

If the ad is not specific, the FTC looks at several factors to determine what level of proof is necessary; including what experts in the field think is needed to support the claim. In most cases, ads that make health or safety claims must be supported by "competent and reliable scientific evidence" -- tests, studies, or other scientific evidence that has been evaluated by people qualified to review it. In addition, any tests or studies must be conducted using methods those experts in the field accept as accurate.

Yes. Offering a money-back guarantee is not a substitute for substantiation. Advertisers still must have proof to support their claims.

The FTC pays closest attention to ads that make claims about health or safety, Such as "ABC Sunscreen will reduce the risk of skin cancer”. "ABC Water Filters remove harmful chemicals from tap water”. "ABC Chainsaw's safety latch reduces the risk of injury”. Ads that make claims that consumers would have trouble evaluating for them, such as "ABC Refrigerators will reduce your energy costs by 25%”. "ABC Gasoline decreases engine wear". "ABC Hairspray is safe for the ozone layer”. Ads that make subjective claims or claims that consumers can judge for them (for example, "ABC Cola tastes great") receive less attention from the FTC.

The FTC weighs several factors, including FTC jurisdiction. Although, the FTC has jurisdiction over ads for most products and services, Congress has given other government agencies the authority to investigate advertising by airlines, banks, insurance companies, telephone and cable companies, and companies that sell securities and commodities.

With the geographic scope of the advertising campaign, the FTC concentrates on national advertising and refers local matters to state, county or city agencies. The extent to which, an ad represents a pattern of deception, rather than an individual dispute between a consumer and a business or a dispute between two competitors.

State or local consumer protection agencies or private groups such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB) often are in a better position to resolve disputes involving local businesses or local advertising. To get the address and phone number of your state attorney generals’ office, your local consumer agency, or the nearest BBB, check your telephone directory or the Consumer's Resource Handbook. The amount of injury, to consumers' health, safety, or wallets -- that could result if consumers rely on the deceptive claim. The FTC concentrates on cases that could affect consumers' health or safety (for example, deceptive health claims for foods or over-the-counter drugs) or cases that result in widespread economic injury.

Anyone who offers a product or service that saves time, corrals clutter, helps people be more productive, and makes life Easier -- either at work or at home. We also welcome companies that offer innovative business development solutions for Entrepreneurs -- both Professional Organizers and other business owners who visit our site looking for tools that will help them be more effective.

The FTC can take action if an ad for cigarettes or a smokeless tobacco product is deceptive or unfair. The FTC also enforces various federal laws requiring health warnings on print ads for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, as well as on packaging. In addition, federal law prohibits the advertising of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and little cigars on radio, TV, or other form of electronic media regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.

The same standards for truthfulness apply when a company makes advertising claims about sale prices or products being "on sale”. For more information, see the FTC's Guides against Deceptive Pricing. Since this issue often involves local practices, you may also want to contact the attorney general's office in the states where you plan to advertise. The phone numbers are in the Consumer's Resource Handbook.

The short answer is, only when a store is going out of business. It would be deceptive to advertise a "going out of business sale" when a store is not going out of business. If a store in your area is advertising what looks to be a bogus "going out of business sale”, contact your state attorney general's office. The phone number is in the Consumer's Resource Handbook.

According to the FTC's Retail Food Store Rule, grocers must offer rain checks or product substitutes of comparable value when they run out of advertised items. They also can comply by ordering quantities of the item sufficient to meet reasonably anticipated demand or by disclosing in ads that items are available only in limited quantities or only at some stores. Although the specific terms of the Rule apply only to retail food stores, other companies advertising products available in limited quantity or only at some stores may want to make similar disclosures to reduce the risk of deception.