Download Cardanini Alisha Cardanini Dawn Trook Writing 10 11/9/10

Cardanini 1
Alisha Cardanini
Dawn Trook
Writing 10
11/9/10
Advertisement
The city of Merced has the reputable quality of being a city with several social and economic
problems. One specific problem that has been previously addressed is the overconsumption of non-local
produce from grocery stores instead of supporting local produce. The main cause of this problem is that
there are not enough advertisements in the area to promote consumption of local produce through
farmers markets. Thus, from knowledge of the problem and the cause, we can induce a simple solution:
to increase the amount of advertisements that promote purchasing produce from the local farmers’
markets.
Advertising plays a key role in awareness of any target audience. There are several ways our
current society influences our behavior, spending, and recognition through advertising. Recognition
through advertisements can be proved through a study called Investigating Factors Affecting Brand
Awareness of Virtual Advertising. One of the many purposes of this particular research was to study the
effects of brand logos reappearing on TV during baseball games. The results of the study were as
expected, “exposing brands either four times or six times generated greater unaided recall rates, which
were at least three times more likely than showing brands only once”(Tsuji 511). A good example that
proves this statement is the results from Group One observed in the study. Group One consisted of
thirty-four individuals who were exposed to three different brands (Champion, Icehouse, and Mercury).
The Champion brand was exposed six times while the Icehouse brand was exposed four times. The
Mercury brand was only exposed once. When asked to recognize the brand, 44.1% could recognize
Cardanini 2
Champion, 35.3% could recognize the Icehouse brand, and only 17.6% of the group could recognize the
Mercury brand. Group One was chosen as an average representation of the data attained through this
study, and proves that if advertisements for the local markets are seen repetitively, then the public will
be well-informed about the subject.
It is important to recognize that this study ties in closely with the solution. Since most of
Merced is unaware of the farmers’ markets, it is important to promote it through advertising. The study
Investigating Factors Affecting Brand Awareness of Virtual Advertising proves that if there is a repeated
occurrence of information among the people of Merced, there is a higher chance that they will be
informed and able to recollect the information from the advertisements. If granted the money, Merced
can benefit itself economically by simply raising awareness of what the city already has to offer.
Now that the evidence has been stated, it is important to address the specific types of
advertisements that will be used. Advertising, as a definition, is very general. According to
dictionary.com, advertising is defined as a paid announcement or public notice (“Advertisement | Define
Advertisement at Dictionary.com.”). Some examples of the most common advertisements are posters,
flyers, TV commercials, internet commercials and ads, newspaper adds, billboards, and paper
advertisements. What’s advantageous about advertising is that it can be as cheap as a five dollar stack
of flyers, to a $1,500 to $2,000 per month freeway billboard.
In the context of Merced, the optimal types advertising include posters, magazines and
newspaper articles. This would be most effective because posters and flyers are the cheapest form of
advertisement and also the easiest to spread. Merced isn’t one of the largest cities in California. It is still
considered to be affiliated with agriculture, which, in turn, results in great patches of land that separate
different communities of the city. With so many parts of the community separated, it is difficult to
advertise in a single location. Using the money granted, the percentage of awareness will be raised
Cardanini 3
because of large amounts of cheap, versatile flyers that can be spread through the separate regions of
Merced. The reason for investing in magazine advertisements is because a geographically specific
audience can be targeted using local magazines. When advertising in a local magazine of Merced, the
right audience is being targeted because of its locality, a magazine being made in Merced is going to be
read by people in Merced. One of the last advertisements that will be used to promote the farmers’
markets in Merced is local newspaper advertising. The local ads section of every newspaper is an
efficient strategy for informing the local community due to the fact a newspaper is easily attainable and
readily available.
A good example of where advertising in newspapers would be most efficient would be in UC
Merced’s school newspaper, The Prodigy. The current population of UC Merced is around four
thousand, which is an estimated 1.6% of the city’s population (from 2008) ("Public Data"). With UC
Merced only occupying a minute fraction of Merced’s land, the news of farmers’ markets can easily
spread through the tight-knit community of UC students. Newspaper advertising is necessary to make an
impression.
For this particular project, the farmers’ markets will not only be advertised in The Prodigy, but
also in the local newspaper, The Merced Sunstar. The Merced Sunstar is one of the best newspapers to
place an ad in because it is well-known throughout the city of Merced as Merced’s official source for
local news. The Merced Sunstar is local and relatively cheap compared to other newspapers, so it is an
ideal place to place a local advertisement.
The magazine that will be used for the advertising is La Mejor Magazine, or in translation, “The
Best” Magazine. La Mejor Magazine is located on 1735 Canal Street and is known for its Latino targetaudience. It almost necessary to try to catch the attention of all members of the community, and since
Merced is composed of 53.1% Latinos, using La Mejor magazine would enable knowledge of the famers’
Cardanini 4
markets to spread through a wider variety of people ("Merced County QuickFacts from the US Census
Bureau").
Like any project proposed, there is a great need for sufficient funds. The estimated amount that
will be needed for the project in a one-year timespan is approximately $16,010. These funds will be
distributed among three different types of advertisements: flyers, local newspaper ads, and local
magazine ads. To create six to seven thousand flyers, it will require five hundred dollars. Two full pages,
black and white, on both local newspapers will require twelve thousand dollars ($1,000 for each month
for a year). Lastly, the local magazine requires $3,600 ($300 for every month of the year). All money
proposed will be completely utilized.
People employed in the project are the volunteers of the non-profit organization. These
volunteers will assist with the distribution if flyers. There is no direct cost for employees in this project
because it advertising is a simple solution that doesn’t require much work.
The locations of the three farmers’ markets in Merced are off of N and 19th street, down Main
Street, and off of Yosemite and Paulson. It is crucial to place a bulk of the flyers around this area along
with several other locations. The most common areas the flyers will be distributed are: downtown, UC
Merced, Mercy Hospital, around the Merced Mall, and outside all local grocery stores. These are crucial
places to place posters because then entire populace of Merced is most likely to come into contact with
these posters at one point or another.
Some crucial questions to be asked are, when will this be done? When will there be sufficient
proof of a result? Once granted sufficient funds, the project can begin to take place in a matter of days.
It will require an estimated two weeks for the full designing of the advertisements, and another two
weeks for the complete distribution of the advertisements, which includes posting the flyers and placing
the ads in The Prodigy and La Mejor.
Cardanini 5
A report of the results can be completed after one full year of advertising. The process of
collecting results involves volunteers that go around to every vendor each day and record the amount of
sales per item, and the amount of money that item is set at. At the end of each month, the data will be
put on a spreadsheet. The average amount of total sales per vendor will be recorded for each month.
After accumulating a year’s worth of spreadsheets, it can determine whether the use of advertisements
is an efficient method.
The means of proof to show that the money will be put towards the project is quite simple.
Copies of the advertisements will be saved each month from the magazine and newspapers. In the way
of flyers, there will be many pictures taken of flyers in different areas. Also a specific record will be kept
of how many flyers are used per area. With this proof, along with the data sheets being produced, there
will be a sufficient amount of information to prove that the project was fully employed.
One of the most important questions to be asked is, why advertising instead of other means of
awareness? There are several reasons for using advertisement as an effective means to increase
commerce at the local farmers’ markets. One reason is that advertising is relatively cheap. If grant
money were needed to fund a non-profit program, a greater amount of sufficient funds would be
needed because of the cost of materials, services and employment. In the case of advertising, there are
only paper and media costs. Not only is advertising cheap compared to other options, but it is the most
efficient way to spread information. Programs may give greater quality information to its target
audience, but advertising can reach vast audiences instead of a refined one. Lastly, advertising requires
no real labor to be done by the organization, which makes this project a simple task. Because of all these
reasons, and the type of need the community has, advertising is optimal out of all options.
Analyzing the problem and causes for the overconsumption of non-local produce has led to a
remarkable discovery: that advertising for the local farmers’ Markets of Merced is needed in order
Cardanini 6
convert a majority of the non-local produce buying population into supporters of the community. With
an increase in advertising, there is an increase in awareness of farmers’ markets. With an increase in
awareness of farmers’ markets, there is an increase in commerce. And with an increase in commerce
comes an improvement in the local economy. Receiving sixteen thousand dollars and using it for
advertising has a “domino effect” that will eventually result in improving Merced’s economy. In order
for all this to happen, there is need for money to advertise. Upon a year of receiving the grant, Merced’s
ultimate goal will be achieved.