The Charm of Advertising

Ajarn (Thai word for "instructor") Shanaree is my current media communications professor at Webster University Thailand. She works in the advertising industry and has extensive expertise in the field of integrated marketing communications (IMC). I decided to ask her a couple of questions about the nature of the charming business, which are as follows:

What motivated you to pursue a career in advertising? And what's the best aspect of your job?

"My personal passion in creativity and branding strategies are the key motivation that drive me in this industry.

The most challenging thing for my job is how to use the charm of art that generate revenue for business, while staying concern about ethics and advertising regulations. It seems like conflicting aspects from my point of view, but this is the real situation that all advertising monsters like me have to handle everyday.

However, I think the best aspect of my job is how to create the art of wondering with positive expectation from consumer insight research.

All advertisers have to keep in mind that, the products from the same category are likely to provide similar or equal benefit, but the way to let consumer to choose your brand is how you make the brand unique from others."

How can social media start-ups such as TipMine successfully monetize their website through advertising? If it were your client, how would you advise the brand?

"The website can ask for a partnership with brands who can create professional sessions that are endorsed by the guru of each brand. For example, you may create Tipmine Beauty and invite brand ambassador or testimonial to give some tips based on your product categories like how to select body lotion that suit your sensitive skin or some homemade beauty secret that requires your brand as a flagship ingredient. By doing this, it can reduce to feeling for hard sale, instead, consumers are likely to experience product benefits beyond thematic communication via above-the-line."