Advertisement Budget

Introduction Budget is quantitative expression of future plan  of activities. It is  a future plan  of activities expressed in  terms of  currency/rupees. It is prepared for a fixed period of time. Advertising budget is a financial document that’s hows the total amount to be spent on advertising and lists the way this amount is to be allocated. It is a translation of advertising plan into money to be spent on advertising. It is an estimation of total amount to be spent on advertising during a given period of time for achieving marketing objectives.It involves allocation of a portion of total marketing resources to advertising functions of a firm. An advertising budget shows how much amount is to be spent on advertising and how this amount will be allocated among different media, sales territories, products, selling-activities, etc. It states the proposed advertising expenditure and serves as a decision-making tool for the management while allocating available funds t o the various advertising functions and related activities of the company.Advertising budget and its process is similar with the Sales Promotion budget And Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) budget . All three terms can be used interchangeably also due to close similarity. Advertising  budget  is  prepared  by  Advertising  Manager  in  consultation  with  Marketing  Manager  of  thecompany. But  in  small  business  organizations,  which  do  not  have  separate  advertising  department  theresponsibility of preparing ad-budget lies on top  management or Marketing Manager.According to the Institute of Cost and work Accountant London â€Å"A budget is a financial or quantitativestatement prepare prior to a definite period of time; of the policy to be persuade during that period for the  purpose of achieving a given  objective†. Features of Advertising  Budget The features of advertising budget are as follows: 1) Advertising budget is a financial  statement expressed in monetary terms, 2) It is for a specific future period. It is prepared prior to the budget period during which it will  operate, 3) It is prepared by Advertising Manager.It is approved by top management for its implementation, 4) It shows the plan of allocation of available funds to various advertising activities, 5) It affects the selection of media, selection of advertising agency and selection of message source (model for  advertisement), 6) Its size depends on various internal  and external factors, and 7) It is a limiting factor which determines the size of advertising campaign. Advertising Budget as a Concept of Investment Advertising budget is assigned to build the image and reputation of the organization.The achievement of the  budget is observed over a long period. Some of the expenditure on advertising attracts customers immediately;they buy the product when they listen to or view the advertising message. T his expenditure is known as revenueexpenditure. Some expenditure is incurred on building the image and reputation. The effects of advertising arerealized gradually over a long period. This expenditure is capital expenditure or  investment. The expenditure onadvertising  is  accepted  as  revenue  expenditure  by  the  income-tax  authorities.The  marketing  manager  isauthorized to control and spend  the money assigned to him  for advertising purpose. Advertising expenditure is a capital investment when it is incurred to build the image, goodwill and reputationof product and company; and this results in a gradual increase in the sales, although the expenditure isconsidered as revenue expenditure in the accounting entry. It is an outlay or expenditure made today to achieve  benefits in future. This expenditure is known as capital investment although it is assigned under the revenue  budget but it is not accepted as a capital budget.Factors Influencin g the Size of the Advertising Budget 1) Objectives to be Attained: How much the company is going to spend is  determined by the objectives to beattained. Objectives act as the sheet anchor and the standards for advertising performance. These objectivesare – bringing about increase in sales, introduction of new products, supporting sales force, reachinginaccessible consumers, entering a new market, improving dealer relations, expanding industry’s sales,  building  up  goodwill,  building  a  brand  preference,  counter  acting  competition,  dispelling  the  likelymisunderstandings and so on.It is a particular sales objective or the set of objectives that shapes theadvertising budget. 2) Coverage Expectations: Advertising coverage implies the number of persons to be reached. It is thequestion of reaching a target audience through different media and media vehicles. The extent of coverageis influenced very much by the nature of the market enjo yed by the products. 3) Product Class: Talking of only consumer goods, these have been classified into three categories, namely, convenience, shopping   and   specialty.In case  of  convenience  goods,  they  require  a  large  advertising expenditure because of their intensive distribution and heavy dependence on mass advertising to sell inadvance to the prospects before they shop. On the other hand, the fashion goods require less advertising asthe buyers can judge the qualities of these products themselves in person while they hop from shop to shop. Services goods such as automobiles, fridges, washing machines, T. V sets, cooking ranges, kitchen-waresand the like warrant heavy doses of advertising and personal selling efforts. ) Stage in the Product-life Cycle: Every product has its life-cycle consisting of four phases, namely,introduction, growth, maturity and decline. When a new product is  introduced, it calls for the heaviest dosesof advertising, and ther efore, the budget gets blown-up. During the growth stage, the funds spend are reallysubstantial. However, when the product reaches the stage of maturity or saturation and the stage of decline,it is the price appeal that works than the advertising strategy. Hence, the advertising spending gets reducedconsiderably. 5) Prevailing Economic Conditions: The economic activities are not always the same.The economic systemfaces brisk and slack phases which are referred to as boom and slump phases of business cycle. During thesour economic conditions, majority of the companies cut back the advertising budget and during the periodof boom conditions, they fatter their budgets beyond limits. This has been because, the business communitythinks advertising as recurring expenditure than an  investment. 6) Age of the Company: A company which is seasoned and is known to the consumers will have certainly anadvantage in introducing a new product or a service. People readily accept