Advertising: the basics

Radio, cinema, outdoor and national advertising

If advertising on local or national radio, you'll need to research the market, the type of audience, the extent of the coverage and the cost per listener - ask the local station for details. You should also check a radio station's audience figures on the Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) website - Opens in a new window.

Remember that most people listen to the radio for music or comment - often while doing other things - and so your advert will rely on repetition to have any effect. Consider sponsoring certain features, such as the weather or travel news, to make your adverts stand out.

Your local station will often produce your commercial for you, although if you have an advertising agency, they should do it.

You can find out how radio advertising might help you on the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) website (registration required) - Opens in a new window.

Local cinema advertising offers a captive audience with a long dwell time for your advertisements. Ask the cinema for audience profiles and case studies of satisfied clients, as well as details of whether you can target certain films. You can often advertise in the foyer as well as on screen. It's not a good idea to make a business phone number or web address a crucial part of a cinema commercial, as few members of the audience will have a pen handy to note the details.

Outdoor advertising

'Outdoor advertising' includes every outdoor medium from static billboards to moving adverts, eg on buses. Static adverts rely on location for effectiveness, so make sure you go and check the proposed sites before booking the space. For moving adverts, request information about the bus routes on which your adverts will travel so you can assess the likely exposure the advert will get.

If you are using the campaign for increased brand awareness, you may select fewer adverts over a longer period, whereas a short-term offer would require more sites over a shorter period.

The location of most outdoor advertising space means that a large but untargeted audience could potentially see it. Therefore, it will be even more important to use the copy and design of your advertisement to ensure you address your target audience.

The general rule is to keep it simple. Make it clear and don't rely on people noting a phone number or web address, unless it's easily memorable - drivers can't stop and note down details.

There are many types of outdoor advertising sites available including:

roadside - from phone kiosks to large billboards and banners
transport - railways, airports, inside and outside buses, taxis and lorries
retail - sites at shopping centres and supermarkets, trolleys, posters
non-traditional and ambient - shop signs, leisure centres, washrooms, tickets, petrol pumps, takeaway lids

You can find information on outdoor advertising at the Outdoor Advertising Association (OAA) website - Opens in a new window.

National papers, magazines and TV

Your local library's Willings Press Guide gives details of national newspapers and consumer magazines that you may wish to use. You can also find out about the Willings Press Guide on the Willings Press Guide website - Opens in a new window.

Get a media pack with readership analysis from the publication's advertisement department so you know the advertising is reaching the right audience. Check circulation figures on the Joint Industry Committee for Regional Press Research (JICREG) website (registration required) - Opens in a new window.

You can find information on magazine publishers and magazines on the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) website - Opens in a new window.

TV advertising can be costly, but there are a large number of terrestrial and cable or satellite TV channels, and some may be able to offer low-budget advertising packages. Ask them for a breakdown of their viewing figures and audience profiles before you make a decision. Alternatively, check the viewing figures for any TV channel on the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) Limited website - Opens in a new window. Remember that even with national TV broadcasters you have the option to regionalise your advertising.

While most channels will be able to advise you about how it works and even create adverts for you, it is recommended that you seek specialist advice through an advertising or PR agency that is fully aware of current and ongoing legislation in all the markets that you plan to advertise in. Find information on the benefits of TV advertising on the Thinkbox website - Opens in a new window.

Product placement - paying to have a product or service included or referred to - offers a new source of potential revenue for television service providers and programme makers, and new opportunities to promote products and services. This has created a new source of potential revenue for television service providers and programme-makers, and offers new opportunities to promote products and services. However, there are restrictions and conditions affecting how product placement can be used, and it cannot be used in children's programmes.

It will be permitted in UK-made cinema films, films and series made for TV and video-on-demand, sports programmes and light entertainment programmes, once Ofcom has revised its Broadcasting Code. But there are restrictions and conditions affecting how product placement can be used - it cannot be used in children's programmes or news, religious, consumer affairs and current affairs programming.

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