THE MEDIA
An excellent idea or product is not enough to guarantee sales. A busi-
ness or individual must also consider the best way to introduce an idea
or product to the public. That’s where an advertising agency comes
in. Advertising agencies determine how businesses should spend their
advertising dollars. Agency representatives called account executives
work with businesses to try to sell the agency’s creative ideas to them.
After the idea or concept is sold, copywriters and artists begin their
work. A copywriter is the person who writes the text for the ad.
Throughout this process, the copywriter is guided and supervised by a
creative director who is in charge of overseeing the development of the
advertising campaign. The media buyer then determines the best way to
get the product or message to the public. The media buyer is a specialist
who selects which medium or combination of media (television, newspa-
per, radio, magazine, direct mail and so forth) would work best. Within
each medium, the media buyer also decides such things as the time or
place the ad will run, the frequency (number of times) the ad will run,
and the possible reach of the ad (the average total number of homes or
people exposed to it). A good copywriter and media buyer are crucial,
because they are the ones who can get individuals in the audience to
recall and act upon an ad.
Television, Radio and Internet Advertising
Television advertising is one of the most effective ways for com-
panies to attract new customers because television commercials are
audio-visual representations of their products or services. The price of
a television ad depends on many factors, including the timeslot during
which it airs, the station that airs it, how often it airs and the popularity
of the programs containing it. For example, the Super Bowl is the most
watched sporting event in the United States. It is estimated that the price
to air a 30-second commercial on CBS during Super Bowl XLI cost some
advertisers $2.6 million.
While many cars now come equipped with CD players and MP3 play-
ers, they still come with radios, and millions of people still tune in. Many
ADVERTISING^381
CALVIN AND HOBBES reprinted by permission of Universal Press Syndicate.
account executive
a representative of an adver-
tising agency who works with
businesses to try to sell the
agency’s creative ideas to
themcopywriter
a person at an advertising
agency who writes the text
for an ad