Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Another Side of Marketing

By John Parks

Many people feel hard times during wars, economic distress or plain losses that create feelings of inadequacy and depression. Many companies are extending their hands towards providing a small amount of assistance during these times in a form of advertising that acknowledges the fact that they are in periods of suffering or distress. Many examples of this can be found around various cities that have begun installing advertising benches with warmed seating, or providing simple luxuries that most people could not afford during such periods of hardship. This in turn offers many people comfort, and in return they offer loyalty and will continue to use products or services associated with the companies that helped them get through adversity.

Aspects of Sympvertising
The main purpose of this type of advertising is to create a publicity awareness of what you are doing to help better people in times of hardship. Offering amenities that are usually reserved for those with a higher class of living to those who cannot afford, or were once able to afford such luxuries encourages others to increase in sympathetic gestures towards those less fortunate. This creates a good view on such companies providing these services which will channel more consumers towards them through their good actions. Whether the good intentions were genuine or not, we will not know, but it sure does help as a way of advertising.


Sympvertising is an evolutionary concept that provides services and products in a similar fashion to promotional giveaway items. You offer these services for free, and in turn the sympathy factor allows people who justify those actions towards good tidings will assume that the company has a reputation for great customer service and cares about their consumers. While this may be true, some companies will take advantage of the good nature and trusting willingness that others will gladly give for realizing that the company is good in nature and intentions as well.

Another aspect of sympathy advertising is through commercialization of the fact that people could feel safe in your hands. If they can believe that there is a company out there that is willing to care for you, then they eat up the bait and are hooked through sympathy gestures. Many people will not feel like they are receiving assistance, rather they feel like they can count on a company to keep up their end of the trust they are perceived to have.

True Sympathy
Even though many companies take advantage of their consumers, it is possible for there to be genuine charity and other forms of care giving to be provided. This type of sympathy creates awareness about a certain cause that needs to be addressed to genuinely create change in a community towards bettering the people. This type of assistance creates publicity in a positive manner that will eventually help increase the popularity of the certain companies involved. They will do better to offer their assistance in various matters without calling attention to themselves, letting others promote the business through news and interviews will often encourage more people to use products or services by a certain company, as well as creating awareness about the struggles of other people in these situations.


For more information on sympathy advertising, visit http://sympvertiser.com and http://sympathyadvertising.com