The advantages of having an in-house Advertising Department

In a business environment where communication and brand image are critical to success, companies face a key decision: should they rely solely on external advertising agencies for their marketing needs or invest in an in-house Advertising Department? While external agencies offer expertise and creativity, having an internal team, occasionally complemented by external collaborations, provides significant advantages in terms of control, consistency, agility, and cost-effectiveness.
 
An in-house Advertising Department is a dedicated team within the company responsible for planning, creating, executing, and overseeing advertising strategies and campaigns. This team may include professionals such as brand strategists, graphic designers, copywriters, social media specialists, and data analysts. Their goal is to align advertising communication with the company’s vision, values, and objectives, working closely with other departments like Sales, Marketing, or Product.
 
While an in-house department may outsource specific tasks (such as complex audiovisual productions or market research) to external agencies, its primary role is to lead the advertising strategy and maintain brand consistency.
 
The advantages of having an in-house Advertising Department are clear, starting with its deeper understanding of the brand and the company itself. An internal team lives and breathes the company’s culture, values, and goals. This familiarity enables the creation of campaigns that authentically reflect the brand’s identity, something that even a highly talented external agency may take time to grasp. Additionally, the in-house team is immersed in the company’s dynamics, facilitating alignment with business strategies, product launches, or organizational changes.
 
An in-house Advertising Department ensures that all communications are consistent in tone, style, and messaging, from digital ads to printed materials. External agencies, which often work with multiple clients, may introduce inconsistencies if not closely supervised.
 
An internal team, for example, can ensure that colors, fonts, and messages in a global campaign are uniform across all markets. This internal control also reduces the risk of misunderstandings or creative deviations that do not align with the company’s goals.
 
 
In an environment where trends and crises can emerge overnight, an in-house department enables rapid responses. For instance, during a reputation crisis, the internal team can develop an immediate advertising response, while an external agency might require time for meetings, approvals, and adjustments. Similarly, an in-house team can seize opportunistic campaigns, such as capitalizing on a viral social media event, without the delays associated with coordinating with third parties.
 
While establishing an Advertising Department requires an initial investment (salaries, training, tools), it can be more cost-effective than relying solely on external agencies, whose project or retainer fees are often high. An in-house team can handle recurring tasks, such as creating social media content, basic ads, or promotional materials, reducing the need for outsourcing.
 
An internal team works side by side with Sales, Product, Human Resources, and other areas, facilitating strategic alignment. For example, the Advertising Department can collaborate with Sales to design promotions that support a product launch or with HR to create employer branding campaigns. This integration is harder to achieve with external agencies, which may lack direct access to the company’s internal dynamics.
 
An in-house department ensures that ideas, data, and advertising strategies remain within the company, reducing the risk of leaks or conflicts of interest, which can occur with agencies working for multiple clients, including competitors. Additionally, the intellectual property of campaigns created in-house belongs exclusively to the company, offering legal and financial advantages.
 
Having an internal team fosters the development of professionals who grow with the company, accumulating brand-specific expertise. This not only improves campaign quality but also strengthens organizational culture. Companies like Google have built in-house creative teams that not only produce advertising but also innovate in formats and strategies, becoming a competitive asset.
 
While an in-house Advertising Department offers numerous advantages, it does not eliminate the need for occasional collaboration with external agencies, which bring:
 
External Perspective: Their fresh perspective can identify opportunities that an in-house team, immersed in routine, might overlook.
 
Technical Expertise: Projects like large-scale audiovisual productions, global campaigns, or complex market analyses often require an agency’s specialized resources.
 
Innovative Creativity: Agencies, working with diverse clients, can bring disruptive ideas that enrich the advertising strategy.
The key to success lies in using agencies as a strategic complement. For example, a company can task its in-house team with managing daily social media and local campaigns while hiring an agency for a global campaign or brand redesign. This collaboration combines internal knowledge with external creativity, maximizing results.
 
To ensure the success of an in-house department, companies must:
 
Invest in Diverse Talent: Hire professionals with complementary skills (strategy, design, data analysis, copywriting) and promote continuous training.
 
Provide Adequate Resources: Equip the team with design tools, analytics platforms, and budgets for creative experimentation.
 
Establish Clear Processes: Define workflows that enable efficient coordination with other departments and, when necessary, with external agencies.
 
Encourage Innovation: Give the team freedom to explore new trends, such as augmented reality advertising or interactive formats.
 
Measure Impact: Use metrics like brand recognition, social media engagement, and campaign ROI to demonstrate the department’s value.
Having an in-house Advertising Department is not only a strategic investment but a competitive advantage that offers control, consistency, agility, and cost-effectiveness. While external agencies are valuable for specialized projects or fresh perspectives, an internal team provides deep brand knowledge, seamless integration with business strategy, and rapid response capabilities.
 
Far from being an alternative to agencies, an in-house department is the core that coordinates and enhances all advertising initiatives. Companies that invest in an in-house Advertising Department not only optimize their resources but also build a more authentic, agile, and prepared brand to lead in an ever-changing market.
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

Institutional Advertising or Product Advertising?

In the world of marketing, companies face a recurring dilemma: should they allocate resources to product advertising, which drives immediate sales, or to institutional advertising, which strengthens brand image in the long term? This "battle" for budget and strategic focus often leads to prioritizing one over the other, when in reality, both are essential, complementary, and mutually reinforcing.
 
Product Advertising: The Engine of Immediate Sales
 
Product advertising focuses on promoting specific goods or services, aiming to generate demand, boost sales, and attract customers in the short term. This type of advertising is direct and transactional, using messages that highlight features, benefits, prices, or promotions. Examples include ads for a new Samsung smartphone, a Zara discount campaign, or a limited-edition Coca-Cola flavor. Its strengths include:
Immediate Impact: Designed to deliver quick results, such as increased sales or traffic to physical and online stores.
 
Specific Messaging: Allows communication of a product’s competitive advantages, like the technological innovation of an iPhone or the durability of Nike sneakers.
 
Ease of Measurement: Return on investment (ROI) is easier to quantify through metrics like conversions, clicks, or direct sales.
However, product advertising has limitations. Its transactional focus can overwhelm audiences if not supported by a strong brand narrative. Additionally, in competitive markets where products are similar, differentiation based solely on features or price may fall short.
 
Institutional Advertising: Building the Soul of the Brand
 
Institutional advertising, also known as corporate advertising, focuses on promoting the company’s identity, values, and mission, rather than a specific product. Its goal is to build a strong brand image, foster trust, and create emotional connections with stakeholders (customers, employees, investors, communities). Examples include Unilever’s sustainability campaigns, Nike’s messages of inclusion, or Google’s initiatives on innovation. Its strengths include:
 
Reputation Building: Enhances the perception of the company as ethical, innovative, or socially responsible, influencing public trust.
 
Emotional Connection: Creates loyalty by aligning the brand with consumers’ values, as seen in Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign promoting self-esteem.
 
Long-Term Resilience: A strong corporate image protects against crises and amplifies the impact of products, as seen with Patagonia, whose environmental reputation boosts sales.
The challenge of institutional advertising lies in its less immediate impact and the difficulty of measuring direct results. This leads some executives to view it as secondary to the urgency of sales.
 
The False Dichotomy: Why You Don’t Have to Choose
 
The perception that product and institutional advertising are opposites is a strategic mistake. In reality, they are two sides of the same coin, working together to build a strong and profitable brand. Product advertising drives short-term results, while institutional advertising creates the context that makes those results sustainable. Together, they generate a virtuous cycle that benefits the company at all levels.
 
Institutional advertising establishes the brand’s “promise.” For example, Apple uses institutional advertising to reinforce its image of innovation and design, making product ads, like those for a new iPhone, more effective by aligning with that narrative.
 
Similarly, Nike’s institutional campaign “Just Do It” inspires empowerment, creating an emotional framework that makes ads for sneakers or sportswear resonate more deeply.
A positive corporate image, built through institutional advertising, influences product perception. Studies like those from the Reputation Institute show that companies with a good reputation are 10-15% more likely to have their products chosen. For instance, Unilever’s sustainability campaign not only improved its image but also boosted sales for brands like Dove and Ben & Jerry’s.
 
Trust and Loyalty:
Institutional advertising fosters trust, reducing resistance to product messages. For example, Patagonia’s reputation as an ethical brand makes its ads for jackets or backpacks more credible and appealing, even if prices are higher than competitors’.
 
Amplified Impact:
Product advertising benefits from the values promoted by institutional efforts. When Coca-Cola launches an institutional campaign about water access, its beverage ads gain credibility by associating with a socially responsible brand.
Thus, balancing resources between both is essential. To maximize the complementarity of product and institutional advertising, companies should adopt a strategic approach:
Define an Integrated Strategy: Align both forms of advertising under a coherent brand narrative. For example, Microsoft combines institutional ads about cloud innovation with product campaigns for Surface, reinforcing the idea that its devices are tools for the future.
 
Allocate Proportional Budgets: While product advertising may require more investment during key moments (like launches), institutional advertising should not be neglected. A rule of thumb is to allocate 20-30% of the marketing budget to institutional advertising, depending on the industry and goals.
 
Measure Combined Impact: Use metrics to evaluate both immediate impact (sales, conversions) and long-term effects (brand recognition, Net Promoter Score, trust perception). For instance, a sales increase after a product campaign may be influenced by a positive brand perception built earlier.
 
Leverage Synergies: Integrate institutional messages into product campaigns. For example, a Procter & Gamble detergent ad can include a message about its sustainability commitment, reinforcing both objectives.

It must be made clear that the “battle” between product and institutional advertising is a false dichotomy that companies must overcome to reach their full potential. Product advertising drives immediate sales, while institutional advertising builds the trust and reputation that make those sales sustainable and scalable. Far from competing, they complement and reinforce each other, creating a brand that not only sells but also inspires and endures. As communication expert Joan Costa stated, “a company’s communication is a system where each part strengthens the whole.” Companies that strategically integrate both forms of advertising not only optimize their resources but also build a legacy that transcends the market. Investing in both is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for any brand aspiring to lead.
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

Institutional Advertising: A strategic pillar for success

Institutional or corporate advertising, designed to promote a company’s image, values, and mission rather than a specific product or service, is often underestimated by executives and mid-level managers who prioritize product advertising for its direct impact on sales. However, this view overlooks the strategic role of institutional advertising, which, though it operates indirectly and over the medium to long term, strengthens brand reputation, builds trust, and ultimately drives business results. This article explores the importance and effectiveness of institutional advertising, highlighting why companies must invest in it as an essential component of their communication strategy.
 
What Is Institutional Advertising?
 
Institutional advertising focuses on building and reinforcing a company’s identity, communicating its purpose, values, culture, and commitment to its stakeholders (customers, employees, investors, communities). Unlike product advertising, which seeks immediate conversions, corporate advertising works on the overall perception of the brand. Examples include campaigns that highlight a company’s sustainability efforts (like IKEA’s on circular economy), social responsibility (such as Coca-Cola’s initiatives for water access), or innovation (like Microsoft’s ads on artificial intelligence).
This type of advertising doesn’t directly sell a product but “sells” the company as a trustworthy, ethical, and relevant entity, creating a favorable context for its products or services to be better received.
 
The Importance of Institutional Advertising
 
Reputation Building: Reputation is one of a company’s most valuable assets. Institutional advertising shapes how the public perceives the brand, emphasizing its commitment to values like sustainability, diversity, or innovation. For example, Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign, though linked to products, strengthened the brand’s image as a champion of self-esteem, earning the loyalty of millions of consumers.
 
Building Trust: In an environment where consumers are increasingly skeptical, institutional advertising fosters trust by showcasing the “human side” of the company. Campaigns highlighting social impact, like Patagonia’s on environmental conservation, create emotional connections that go beyond the transactional.
 
Market Differentiation: In competitive sectors where products may be similar, institutional advertising helps differentiate the brand. A company perceived as ethical or innovative gains an edge over competitors focused solely on price or product features. For instance, Apple doesn’t just sell technology but a philosophy of design and innovation, reinforced by its corporate communication.
 
Attracting and Retaining Talent: Institutional advertising isn’t just for consumers but also for current and potential employees. Showcasing a strong corporate culture and values aligned with younger generations helps attract talent and reduce turnover. Google, for example, leverages its image as an innovative and collaborative company to position itself as a desirable employer.
 
Crisis Mitigation: A brand with a strong image, built through institutional advertising, is better equipped to handle crises. Pre-existing public trust can cushion the impact of controversies. A classic case is Johnson & Johnson, whose reputation for responsibility, reinforced by decades of corporate communication, allowed it to regain trust after the Tylenol crisis in the 1980s.
The Effectiveness of Institutional Advertising on Sales
 
While its impact isn’t as immediate as product advertising, institutional advertising influences sales indirectly but significantly. Let’s look at some key aspects:
 
Halo Effect: A positive corporate image influences product perception. Studies, such as those by the Reputation Institute, show that companies with strong reputations have customers more willing to buy and recommend their products. For example, Unilever’s sustainability campaign not only improved its image but also boosted sales of brands like Dove and Ben & Jerry’s, associated with ethical values.
 
Customer Loyalty: Institutional advertising strengthens emotional ties with consumers, increasing retention and customer lifetime value. Brands like Nike, with campaigns promoting inclusion and empowerment, have built loyal communities that choose their products even over cheaper alternatives.
 
Market Expansion: By positioning the company as a leader in values or innovation, institutional advertising can open new market segments. For instance, Tesla’s campaigns on sustainable mobility have attracted environmentally conscious consumers, even before they experienced its vehicles.
 
Long-Term Competitive Advantage: Investing in institutional advertising builds brand equity that translates into higher margins and resilience to market fluctuations. Companies like Procter & Gamble, which combine product advertising with corporate messages on equality and sustainability, have maintained steady growth thanks to their strong brand identity.
Yet, despite all this, many executives and mid-level managers underestimate institutional advertising. According to them, these are the main reasons they justify their rejection:
 
Lack of Immediate Results: Executives, pressured by short-term goals, prioritize campaigns with quick returns, like product promotions. Institutional advertising, with effects seen in the medium to long term, may seem less urgent.
 
Difficulty Measuring Impact: Unlike direct sales, the impact of institutional advertising is harder to quantify. Metrics like brand recognition or public perception require complex analysis, leading some to undervalue its worth.
 
Perception of “Unnecessary Expense”: During budget cuts, institutional advertising is often the first to be axed, seen as a “luxury” compared to product advertising, which feels more “essential.”
How to Convince Executives and Mid-Level Managers
 
To get business leaders to recognize the value of institutional advertising, it’s crucial to present solid arguments and clear strategies:
 
Data and Success Stories: Sharing studies linking reputation to sales, like those from the Reputation Institute, or highlighting cases like Patagonia, whose revenue grew after sustainability campaigns, can be persuasive. For example, an Edelman study found that 64% of consumers choose brands aligned with their values—an impact institutional advertising can amplify.
 
Focus on Long-Term ROI (Return on Investment): Explaining that institutional advertising is an investment in brand equity that reduces customer acquisition costs and boosts loyalty helps justify the expense. A brand with high trust needs less investment in promotions to attract buyers.
 
Integration with Product Strategy: Institutional advertising shouldn’t be seen as separate but as a complement that enhances product campaigns. For instance, a corporate campaign on innovation can pave the way for a new tech product launch.
 
Measuring Results: Proposing specific metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS), brand perception index, or social media engagement allows for evaluating the impact of institutional advertising and justifying its continuation.
 
Risk Management: Highlighting how a strong corporate image protects against crises and increases resilience can appeal to executives concerned about stability.
We can conclude, then, that institutional or corporate advertising is much more than a public relations exercise; it’s a strategic tool that builds reputation, trust, and loyalty, laying the foundation for long-term business success. While its impact on sales is indirect, its ability to differentiate the brand, connect emotionally with audiences, and mitigate risks makes it an essential pillar for any company. Executives and mid-level managers must recognize that in a world where consumers value authenticity and values, institutional advertising not only complements product advertising but amplifies its effectiveness. As communication guru Joan Costa put it, “A company’s image is its first promise to the world.” Fulfilling that promise through well-executed institutional advertising is an investment every visionary company should prioritize.
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

The Logo: The visual essence of a brand

A logo is much more than a simple drawing or a combination of letters and colors; it is the cornerstone of a company’s or product’s visual identity. It embodies the essence, values, and personality of a brand, acting as a symbol that emotionally connects with consumers and sets the organization apart in a competitive market. This article explores what a logo is, its purpose, the benefits it brings, and why it is essential to ensure its proper representation across all contexts.
 
What Is a Logo?
 
A logo is a graphic or typographic element—or a combination of both—designed to uniquely identify a company, product, or service. It can be an abstract symbol (like Nike’s swoosh), a monogram (like Louis Vuitton’s intertwined initials), a stylized word (like Coca-Cola’s logo), or a mix of image and text (like Apple’s). Its design must be simple, memorable, versatile, and relevant, capable of conveying the brand’s identity at a glance.
 
The term “logo” comes from the Greek words logos (word) and typos (impression), reflecting its function: to be the visual “fingerprint” that encapsulates a brand’s narrative. For products, a logo may be a variation of the corporate logo or a specific design that highlights the product’s unique traits, such as the iPhone logo within the Apple family.
 
What Is a Logo For?
 
A logo serves several essential functions for both companies and products:
Identification: It is the visual element that allows consumers to instantly recognize a brand or product. In a saturated market, a distinctive logo helps stand out from the competition.
 
Communication of Values: Through colors, shapes, and fonts, a logo conveys a brand’s personality and values. For instance, Starbucks’ green evokes sustainability and freshness, while Coca-Cola’s red suggests energy and passion.
 
Differentiation: A well-designed logo establishes a brand or product as unique, setting it apart from competitors. Amazon’s logo, with its arrow connecting the A to the Z, implies the company offers “everything from A to Z.”
 
Emotional Connection: Logos create emotional associations that foster customer loyalty. Think of Disney’s logo, which evokes magic and nostalgia, or BMW’s, which conveys prestige and quality.
 
Consistency: For multinationals or brands with multiple products, a logo acts as a unifying thread across all visual communication touchpoints, from packaging to advertising campaigns.
Benefits of a Logo
 
An effective logo provides both tangible and intangible benefits that impact a brand’s perception and market performance:
 
Brand Recognition: A memorable logo makes it easier for consumers to identify and recall the brand, even in contexts where the name isn’t mentioned. For example, Apple’s bitten apple logo is globally recognizable without any text.
 
Trust and Credibility: A professional design conveys seriousness and quality, building consumer trust. Conversely, a poorly designed logo can suggest a lack of professionalism.
 
Competitive Advantage: In crowded sectors, a distinctive logo helps capture attention and differentiate. Pepsi’s dynamic sphere logo visually competes with Coca-Cola’s, establishing its own identity.
 
Versatility and Scalability: A good logo works across various formats and sizes, from business cards to billboards, ensuring a consistent presence across all channels.
 
Economic Value: A successful logo can become a valuable intangible asset. Brands like Nike or McDonald’s have built empires around their logos, which are synonymous with their legacy and success.

The Need to Ensure Proper Representation
 
A logo is the face of a brand, and any inconsistency in its use can weaken its impact and the company’s perception. Ensuring its proper representation across all contexts is crucial for the following reasons:
 
Brand Consistency: A logo must be used uniformly in terms of colors, proportions, and context. Unauthorized changes like color alterations, distortions, or pairings with incompatible elements can confuse audiences and dilute brand identity. For example, Google’s identity manual specifies exactly how its logo should be used on different backgrounds and sizes to ensure consistency.
 
Protection of Intellectual Property: A registered logo is a legal asset that must be protected. Incorrect use—whether by employees, partners, or third parties—can weaken trademark rights or even lead to legal disputes. Companies must establish clear guidelines and monitor compliance.
 
Cultural and Contextual Adaptation: In multinationals, a logo must adapt to cultural contexts without losing its essence. For example, some brands adjust colors or elements to avoid negative associations in certain markets, but always within a controlled framework.
 
Impact on Product Perception: For specific products, a logo should reflect its value proposition. Misuse, such as placing the logo on low-quality packaging, can affect the product’s perception and, by extension, the parent brand.
 
Preserving Relevance: Logos evolve over time to stay modern and relevant, but these changes must be managed carefully. A poorly executed redesign or inconsistent implementation can alienate consumers. Pepsi’s 2008 logo redesign, for instance, was meticulously planned to maintain recognition while updating its aesthetic.

Strategies to Care for a Logo
 
To ensure proper representation, companies should:

Create an Identity Manual: This document should detail the logo’s specifications (colors, minimum sizes, margins, prohibited uses) and serve as a guide for employees, designers, and partners.
 
Train Staff: All departments, especially marketing and design, should understand the logo’s importance and how to use it correctly.
 
Monitor External Use: Oversee how partners, distributors, or franchises use the logo to prevent deviations.
 
Invest in Quality: Ensure the logo is reproduced on high-quality materials, from packaging to digital platforms.

In conclusion, a logo is the visual emblem that encapsulates a company’s or product’s identity, values, and promises. Its design and proper representation are essential for building recognition, fostering trust, and standing out in a global market. Caring for its use across all contexts is not just an aesthetic matter but a key strategy to protect the brand, strengthen its impact, and ensure its longevity. As designer Paul Rand, creator of IBM’s logo, once said: “A logo doesn’t sell directly, but it identifies.” And that identification, when managed with precision and care, becomes the foundation of any brand’s success.
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

"I’m taking this phone booth to the office!”

Nowadays, everyone has a mobile phone, but a few decades ago, they didn’t exist. If someone needed to make a call, they had to go out to the street and find a phone booth. But what if there wasn’t one nearby? Well, the only option would be pretty drastic: rip a phone booth out of the ground and take it wherever you wanted—say, next to your house or your office. You might think I’m exaggerating, but believe it or not, there was a day when I actually took a phone booth to the office. Here’s the story…

I’ve always loved being innovative in my work (first as an advertiser and later as a journalist). Back when I was in advertising, creating campaigns across all kinds of media, I was constantly looking for ways to surprise potential clients—grabbing their attention first, then sparking their interest.
 
Among the various media commonly used at the time (the 1980s), phone booths stood out. They let you place your messages in strategic, high-traffic locations, choose specific towns, cities, or neighborhoods (especially if you planned well ahead, as I did), and they were incredibly cost-effective. But most companies advertising on them just stuck posters on the walls, which I found uninspired and not very eye-catching.
 
That’s when I decided phone booths shouldn’t just be a surface for posters—they should be part of the ad itself. How? By transforming them into a key element of the campaign, replacing the usual paper posters with transparent vinyl sheets printed with parts of the ad.
 
Here’s an example:
 
The product was 'Ferrozel,' an iron supplement designed to boost the vigor of crops (fruit trees, vegetables, citrus, vineyards, etc.), resulting in healthier fruits and, consequently, better harvests and higher profits for farmers. This opened the door to a metaphor: presenting 'Ferrozel' as a safe where farmers could 'store' their earnings—in this case, higher-quality, higher-value fruits. So, I turned phone booths into safes, with beautiful fruits visible inside alongside the product logo.
 
For such a bold idea, I needed to impress the company’s board of directors just as much. Instead of showing them slides or sketches, I figured the best way to present the campaign was to bring an entire phone booth right to the office door.
 
After discussing it with the folks at Cabitel (the Telefónica subsidiary managing phone booth advertising), they agreed to deliver a booth to the office on the scheduled day and time (which happened to be during a board meeting). When it was my turn to present the campaign, I told the board that I couldn’t do the presentation indoors—they’d have to come down to the street to see it. Skeptical but intrigued by my latest stunt, they all followed me downstairs, not knowing what to expect… and there it was: a phone booth transformed into a safe.
 
They could see how striking it was from the outside, but also from the inside. When someone stepped in to make a call, their face was visible through the glass, giving the illusion they were locked inside a safe. Fun fact: the law required that a person’s face always be visible inside a booth, so you couldn’t cover them completely. In this case, that worked perfectly—it added to the surprise of seeing someone 'trapped' in a booth-safe.
 
The campaign rolled out across Spain, with booth-safes popping up in key agricultural towns, and it was a huge success. What wasn’t quite as successful was the excitement it stirred among the neighborhood locals. They were thrilled to finally see a phone booth near their homes… only to discover it had no phone line and, a few hours later, was hauled away just as it had arrived."
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca” (Vicente Fisac, Amazon) is available in e-Book and print editions: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

Does Advertising make us happier?

When I was studying advertising, the magazine "Control de Publicidad y Ventas" published an ad featuring a girl smiling amusingly in front of a television. The text of the ad stated, "She loves commercials the most." That ad has always stayed with me because TV advertising indeed has the magical quality of capturing children's attention in a very special way.

Good advertising always exudes ingenuity, originality, and the ability to surprise; this is the magic that makes us feel like the happiest people in the world when we buy what it sells us, even if we don't really need what we've seen and bought in the advertisement.

Does Advertising Make Us Happier? This is a complex question because the answer can vary depending on one's perspective. On one hand, advertising can generate an immediate feeling of happiness or satisfaction by presenting products or services that promise to improve our lives in some way. The creativity and storytelling in ads can evoke positive emotions like joy, nostalgia, or even inspiration, making us feel good momentarily.

However, from a more critical viewpoint, advertising can also lead to superficial or fleeting "happiness." Creating unnecessary desires for consumption can result in a cycle of dissatisfaction, where the pursuit of that momentary happiness through acquiring goods leads to compulsive consumerism. This phenomenon is known as "consumption hedonism," where happiness is directly linked to the possession of material goods.

Moreover, advertising can negatively affect our self-esteem and well-being. By setting unattainable ideals of beauty, success, or lifestyle for many, it can foster harmful comparisons, personal dissatisfaction, and even anxiety or depression when those standards are not met.

On the other hand, we cannot ignore the positive aspects of advertising when it's used for beneficial purposes. Campaigns that promote health, education, social or environmental awareness can enhance collective well-being by informing, motivating action, or inspiring positive behavioral changes.

In conclusion, advertising can be a double-edged sword when it comes to happiness. It can provide moments of joy, motivation, and even inspiration, but it can also contribute to a false perception of happiness based on consumption. The key lies in conscious and critical consumption, where the audience can distinguish between genuine happiness and that induced by marketing. Advertising should aim not just to sell products but also to contribute to a more informed and responsible society.
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca” (Vicente Fisac, Amazon) is available in e-Book and print editions: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

Marketing, Advertising, and… Poetry

(Sunday Poetry Corner) These days, I’ve been sharing my knowledge and experiences in the field of advertising. But today is Sunday, a sacred day we dedicate to the spirit. And to nourish it, what better than poetry? This raises a question: can poetry and advertising coexist?

Believe it or not, I once pondered this myself. I am a poet—I always have been, for a poet is born, not made—and yet I worked in advertising. To top it off, advertising is a cog in the marketing machine, tied to prior research, budgeting, cost control, and more.
 
So, as you can see, poetry still finds a way to peek through, every now and then, amid all those numbers…
 
ADVERTISING AND NUMBERS 
 
I dream up selling ideas,
write advertisements,
jot down their instructions,
envision images, structures,
and sketch them in a draft.
A flood of ideas,
sprung from my mind,
swamps my desk, fills my files,
overflows drawers,
spills into the hallway.
Ideas, projects, phrases, concepts,
for the world must be stirred,
motion must be sparked.
But also… I must crunch numbers. 
 
Seated, I compute figures,
calculate percentages;
it’s a thread stitched into my craft.
The highs and lows of life
seep in, day by day,
onto my work desk. 
 
And if I can’t escape them,
if I must bear their weight,
like a toll I pay
for the joy of creating
and writing what I imagine,
at least let me shrink them
to their barest form. 
 
Numbers, cursed numbers,
let me soar more freely,
let my pencil draw its strokes
as it pleases,
crafting, if it wills,
verses and poems,
long or short.
 

A chance encounter will take him far away, on a thrilling adventure full of action and emotion that will change his life... but also the lives of everyone around him…
“Fleeing into silence”: https://a.co/d/7SUfVb3

(and 6) Advertising: Communication vs Gifts

When analyzing what can and cannot be done with an advertising budget, it’s essential to address the topic of gifts—an element that all companies use, yet very few know how to leverage effectively.

6. Communication vs Gifts
 
We’ve already discussed how, in any promotion, far more of the budget should be allocated to advertising—to communicating the promotion—than to the gifts it offers. What’s the point of giving out numerous or extraordinary prizes if hardly anyone knows about them? Only the customers closest to each salesperson, who will personally inform them about the promotion, will find out. But what about everyone else? 
 
What we often see in many companies is that the idea of offering a great prize or attractive gifts in a promotion seems so appealing that they overlook the importance of communication. They know about it internally, sure, but will all the customers find out? And even more crucially: Will they feel motivated to participate in the promotion based solely on a simple announcement or a casual “word-of-mouth” mention? As with any advertising campaign, persistence is key—a compelling message that reaches people repeatedly through various channels. 
 
We’ve observed that in many companies where promotions fall under the Sales team’s responsibility rather than the Advertising Manager’s, the budget split is often 90% for gifts and just 10% for communicating the promotion. In reality, it should be the exact opposite: 10% for gifts and 90% for communicating the promotion and persuading potential customers to take part. 
 
(To be continued…)
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI