By Sheku Putka Kamara
Abstract
The world over, advertising like all other concepts, comes with a mixed bag of virtues and vices. Whiles the former aids in meeting organizational and or individualistic objectives, the latter questions, among other things the very existence and or sustenance of the advertised agenda.
Through the usage of a triangulation research design, this study seeks to look into the concept of advertising challenges in the 21st century with a key focus on the Sierra Leonean experience.
The study assumes that, the lack of professionalism and or the deliberate attempt to misinform and mislead the audience all in the name of wanting to sound and appear captivating is a major cause for concern.
Key research questions are what are the challenges of advertising in the 21st century and how can they be tackled?
Key words – Objectives, Agenda, Triangulation, Professionalism, Audience, Captivating.
Introduction and Background
With a qualitative technique of interviews and observation, this article makes a case that we still have a long way to go in producing professional ads in Sierra Leone. One thing that is hardly seen in is the full utilization of the 4ps in marketing communications (product, price, place and promotion). Many a time, it is almost always the case that not all the Ps would be present. This deficiency makes potential customers to be indefinite.
One major challenge that a good number of SL advertisers lack is precision plus the strategic urge to set an agenda. Almost always, chances are that people are allowed to negotiate every bit of the bargain and when that happens, it could actually be a win or loss situation for the business. In a supermarket for example, I known that I’d have to Le 50 for example if that’s the cost that’s inscribed, but for most if not all goods and services outside of such strategic placements, it is about people’s convincing power. Little wonder why businesses charge Le 300 for something that is actually sold Le 100? They know that they may face ‘tough buyers’ and when they get to meet those of us that talk less, maybe that’s the bingo, but in all of this, I here submit that business do not have to allow all of us to go into such hassles.
If we agree that advertising is the placement of promotional messages in a paid for media, we could go further into that theoretical proposition, but again, there are perspectives that believe that ‘it does always have to be paid for,’ but being that such is not the concertation of this narrative, I’d give that some cold shoulder.
It is however commendable that we are gradually moving as a nation and as a people in the very world of advertising as well. The online ‘shops’ are a very clear example. I have had the privilege of purchasing a good number of things online. One place I’d recommend is ‘Freetown Luuma’ a Facebook page managed by Mohamed Taly Jalloh, one of my then students at Limkokwing, who’s now a grad in Digital Media. Surely, he seemed to have understood the thrust of what we were teaching him. I can confirm and affirm that everything I order from his business comes in good shape and high quality and maybe I am one his topmost patronisers. Even more pleasing is the fact that like his numerous colleagues, he knows and understands that I remain his Lecturer and mentor in academia. I have used that scenario to showcase the need for unblemished uprightness in business.
Literature
The moment a product is available, its pricing has to be made clearer. That is what makes promotion to thrive and soberly too and when the place is clearly identified and mentioned, things become even more easier and better. With that, a potential customer is left with the option of determining if at all he or she would desire to go in for the product or not. With such policies and tendencies, I feel like the globe should be a much better place. I will even argue that we tend to spend so much time ‘wasted’ in doing what should not be done. Why must we take 5-10 minutes to negotiate if the actually price is stated? All of us may have varying perspectives on same, but I am just wondering.
Another issue in all of this is that unfit and unsafe products and services. Without a doubt, we have many things that are not good for purpose in this country and some products are like that. Firstly, they are not only cheaper, but they equally have the potential to make people to face cheaper and more annoying issues and matters. When that happens, brand loyalty would remain a fruitless endeavour. You see that?
When asked about why advertising matters, a source that I have decided to grant anonymity said that ‘the idea is to sell’ but from observation, I have come to the conclusion that some of the advertisers tend to make the very selling very difficult. Fixing same is therefore of utmost significance.
The systematic nature of data finding for this research is therefore hinged on the idea that the facts have to speak for themselves. Whiles scientifical and outrightly numerical norms that would have allowed a quantitative development may not have been fully realized, the gathered qualitative data seeks to look into same.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Advertising is serious business, well at least, that should be the case. Unwarranted norms have to be discouraged just so that things and people are on a safer side. A major requirement therefore is to be strategic and to be precise. We cannot and should not do without same.
One thing that I have realized and would greatly encourage is that we should not embrace negativity and irregularity all because some other persons are into same. Let us be different. It’d make so much sense.
I will therefore end on a significant reminder and to urge that and the like the IMC has captured, all adverts are to be honest, decent and truthful. That is what I’d refer to say a way to go.
