Services advertising: showcase the customer!

Abstract

The research presented in this article focuses on the effectiveness of advertising strategies used in services communication. For this purpose, a quantitative study of 50 magazine advertisements for services in tourism and banking/insurance was conducted with a sample of 249 respondents. This research shows that, for both sectors, certain advertising strategies are more effective than others, and that the most effective advertising strategy is one that showcases the service customer. This strategy is more effective than those highlighting competitive advantage, contact staff, a physical representation of the service or the company’s brand image.

Keywords:

• Services
• advertising
• communication strategies
• tourism
• banking
• insurance