Advertising campaign: definition, objective, current trends (2022)

Before starting your advertising campaign, it is necessary to know what this marketing concept implies as well as the key steps to succeed in your communication action the first time. That is why we have summarized for you all the notions you need to know before launching your advertising campaign.

Article Summary: Advertising campaign: definition, objective, current trends (2022)

1. What is an advertising campaign? - definition
2. What are the objectives of an advertising campaign?
3. What are the steps to carry out an advertising campaign?
4. What are the media trends of recent advertising campaigns?

What is an advertising campaign? - definition

The expression advertising campaign refers to all the processes put in place to promote a brand, a product, a service ... In addition, it is a marketing action, which to achieve this promotional objective can take as a support communication media both traditional (press, television, radio ad, billboard, etc.) and digital (social networks, display, podcast, etc.).

(press, television, radio, poster, etc..) and digital (, display, podcast, etc..).

>>> What is advertising?

What are the objectives of an advertising campaign?

The advertising campaign allows to quickly spread the message of a company to its target, especially if the communication supports used are mass media such as press, television, cinema, radio, poster or internet. A key marketing action for companies, it allows them to reach a large audience.

What are the steps to carry out an advertising campaign?

An advertising campaign can represent a significant cost, especially for a small company. It is therefore necessary to follow the steps that allow to set up an optimized communication action that will reach the objectives for a lower cost: 

• Step 1: Analyze the market
• Step 2: Determine your target
• Step 3: Define the objectives of your campaign
• Step 4: Determine your advertising budget
• Step 5: Determine your advertising message
• Step 6 : Selecting the communication media
• Step 7 : Analyze the performance of your advertising campaign

Step 1: Analyze the market

Before diving into the creation of your campaign plan, it is necessary to analyze the context in which you will communicate. It is essential that you understand the market in which you operate as well as its current and future trends. 

To do this, there is nothing better than taking a look at your competitors and analyzing their advertising campaigns, but not only: look at what companies in other sectors are doing as well. Nothing better than using the SWOT method to do this analysis:

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

This analysis will give you a better idea of the advertising campaign you can undertake.

>>> What is a media plan?

Step 2: Determine your target

Your advertising campaign will only be effective if it reaches its audience. Try to get as much information as possible about your customers to create your persona, the target profile towards which you should direct your message:

• age
• gender
• level of education
• socio-professional profile
• income
• geolocation
• family situation
• personality
• values
• interests
• desires
• needs
• technology used

All this information will allow you to correctly orient your message and will be decisive in the selection of your communication media.

>>> How to identify your marketing target?

Step 3: Define the objectives of your campaign

As you probably know, you don't launch an advertising campaign just to launch an advertising campaign. This communication action is there to meet the objectives of your company. All that remains is to define them well in order to forge your campaign. There are different types of campaigns:

• awareness campaign: the objective is to make your brand known
• brand image campaign: it allows you to position yourself on your values
• promotional campaign: it highlights a product, a service or a promotional offer
• traffic campaign: it allows you to generate visits to the site
• lead campaign: allows you to generate leads via a form
• conversion campaign: it allows to induce specific actions: purchase, download of an application, etc.
• employer brand campaign: it meets a recruitment objective and improves the employer image

Step 4: Determine your advertising budget

It doesn't take much to spend without counting the cost when launching an advertising campaign, which is why you must first determine the amount you are able to invest in your marketing action. Your budget will also be a determining factor in the choice of media you can use: for example, it is very difficult to run a TV campaign for less than €20,000. Your budget must therefore be up to your ambitions, but not beyond.

Step 5: Determine your advertising message

All the steps you have just completed will now allow you to determine the advertising message that you wish to transmit to your target and that will meet your campaign objective.

When developing this message, it is wise to think about the context of reception of the message by your target and to anticipate its perception of the message. To do this, you need to know the communication media that will carry your message.

Step 6: Select the communication media

As you will have understood, the selection of the communication media and your advertising message are steps to be carried out almost simultaneously. The communication media you choose must be consistent with your budget, meet your objectives and reach your target. Your advertising message must be adapted to your media and conversely, your media must be able to transmit your message.

>>> What is media buying?

>>> Which media to choose for your advertising?

Step 7: Analyze the performance of your ad campaign

Your advertising campaign does not stop at its launch. It is indeed imperative to follow its performance once launched in the big bath, just to be able to correct your shooting if your campaign has failures. 

Try to understand what worked or on the contrary, the mistakes not to make during your next campaign.

What are the trendy media supports of recent advertising campaigns?

3D animated billboards - DOOH

Times Square (New York), Picadilly Circus (London), Shinjuku (Tokyo), it's hard to escape from these giant screens and the three-dimensional ads they broadcast. These immersive campaigns do not go unnoticed by passers-by, who remain subjugated in front of these ads ready to come out of their screens.

Gamification

Consumers are fond of games and companies have understood this, especially since the pandemic. We are seeing an increase in advertising campaigns in the form of contests, ideal for building audience loyalty. 

And when advertising doesn't turn into a game, it can now invade video games thanks to in-game ads. In the spring of 2022, Gucci unveiled its virtual city in Roblox (an online multiplayer video game) called "Gucci Town". 

Crédit photo : Gucci Town / Roblox

Metaverse and video games

The metaverse is the new terrain that brands are trying to conquer by buying land for promotional purposes. Companies see the metaverse as an area of limitless opportunity that must be invested in immediately. 

>>> What future for advertising in the metaverse?

In the same tone, brands also want to reach a space that for the moment was inaccessible to them: the video game. The goal is to make in-game advertising (within the game), which will not disrupt the players' experience.

>>> What are In-game ads?

Influencers

Brands have been using influencer marketing for a few years now, but the use of influencers to promote a product or service has only increased in recent times. This is especially true with the success of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Influencers are at the head of communities that are more or less large, but on which they have a real influence. Going through an influencer can thus allow you to make a well-targeted promotion to a niche audience, which will be attentive to what he says.