Complete 6 pages APA formatted article: Introduction to Advertising. To project this brand equity to the masses or the target audience advertising is highly imperative. There might raise a question as

Complete 6 pages APA formatted article: Introduction to Advertising. To project this brand equity to the masses or the target audience advertising is highly imperative. There might raise a question as to why branding is required at all or how branding can be successful when all of them do the same job. For example a chocolate is a chocolate irrespective of whatever name you assign to it and similarly all washing-up powder do the same basic thing. So do many other consumer products. To quote another example when Kodak is sincere, then IBM can be competent, Marlboro cool and Revlon a little sophisticated. So what differentiates one from the other How then do we measure brand equity What we must do in measuring brand equity is to measure the understanding behind brand equity and brand attitude which evokes in the minds of people inclined towards the brand. The end results or consequences of the product marketed are not a measure of the brand equity but the measure of components contributing to the evolution of the brand equity is its true measure. What is the vehicle which transports this brand equity to the market and the consumers It is none other than advertising. Advertising through a suitable media depending on the target audience can to a large extent help sustain the brand equity or the brand attitude cultivated in the minds of the discerning buyers. To put simply the brand equity is the sum of weightage given to different positive characteristics of a product divided by how much each of them aligns closely with the personal beliefs of the consumer. If one understands this aspect of branding then advertising can be effectively used to promote the brand or increase its brand equity.

Impact of Ethical and Legal Issues on Advertising of Brands

Up until now only cultural industries such as art, music or film required to deal with intangible issues related to values of assets and resources. But in today's environment of information boom, globalization and technology advancements the role of intermediaries such as advertising has become paramount in this knowledge based society. However it is fraught with legal and ethical implications. One can ask what does ethics got to do with advertising when the very purpose of it is to appeal to the desires of the consumer. Some people consider it a practical joke when you say we follow ethics in business since business itself is to find a buyer somehow and sell products. But the ethics referred to here is the subliminal appeal to the subconscious mind of the buyer. Like for example sometime back there was this theater where in between movies messages used to be flashed on the screen such as "Eat Popcorn" or Drink "Coke". It is used to come in a jiffy and disappear. But the vendors at the theater found that sales of these two items went up dramatically. Sooner than later somebody found this out and reported it as unethical after which the advertising was stopped in the theater. So that is what unethical advertising is all about. There should not be any subliminal appeal to the subconscious mind creating an innate desire for the manufacturer's product. Now more than checking for ethics in advertising their regulation is very important.