Advertising is an important part of the business world, putting a company in front of people who want to buy their products. It can also help you grow your small business by enhancing your brand image and reputation with both offline and online ads that highlight positive aspects of your company.

Advertising came into existence because it was a need in trade, but now it is a very useful tool in the promotion of many different businesses and products. The objective of all types of advertising is to persuade consumers to purchase a specific product or service by appealing to their emotions and needs.

There are several theories that attempt to explain why ads work and how they are effective. These include signposting, salience, salesmanship, subconscious associations, reframing and social meanings. These theories may not all be mutually exclusive, but they are all relevant to understanding why and how ads influence buying decisions.

Signposting: The most common theory suggests that ads are designed to direct a consumer’s attention towards a particular product or service. This is often done by introducing or linking the brand with a positive feeling or a specific memory. The idea is that these associations are then passed into long-term memory without conscious learning taking place, and that consumers are more likely to buy the product if they can link it with positive emotions or memories.

Salience: The other most common theory suggests that advertising works by establishing an emotional connection with consumers. This is usually done by creating a’saleable’ association between a product or service and something positive that is already familiar to the consumers, whether that’s a memory of happiness, state of achievement, or goal.

Reframing: The third most common theory suggests that advertising can change the way consumers think about a product or service, making it more desirable or less undesirable. This can be done by using the right words and images in the advertisement.

Subconscious associations: The fourth most common theory suggests that advertising works by creating patterns of associations that have emotional force and that influence buying behaviour, often unconsciously. This is usually done by presenting the product or service with pictures or music that trigger an emotional response, which then gets stored in long-term memory.

It can also be achieved by using different techniques to evoke the desired reaction, such as displaying pictures of happy or successful customers. This can be accomplished by including a celebrity in an ad or by using a special effect on the pictures.

These approaches can be very effective when a company wants to build a positive reputation among its target audience, but they should be carefully considered and implemented to ensure that they are not influencing consumers in a negative way. Negative advertisements can create a negative perception about your brand and cause customers to avoid purchasing from you, which is not the goal of any business.

The main objectives of advertising are to inform the market about a new product or service, to persuade consumers to buy a product or service and to remind and reinforce the brand message. This is why it’s so important to take the time to identify your target market and tailor your ads to them.