ROLE OF MEDIA IN CREATING CONSUMER AWARENESS Introduction Anyone who consumes goods is a consumer.

Consumers get exploited in the market. They respond to advertisements and buy goods. Generally advertisements do not give all the information that a consumer needs to know or wants to know about a product. Consumer awareness is a marketing term. It means that consumers note or are aware of products or services and whole information about the product and services like place, price, features etc. The media is playing vital role in create awareness to the consumers. Many people are ignorant of their rights to get protected against the exploitation by so many others. So when there is a forum for such redress of grievances there seems to be no such exploitation by many; and becomes a rare one. So in order to get a clear picture of the level of exploitation of consumers, the awareness is required. According to Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary a method or way of expressing something is called as Media (singular Medium). Modern advertising developed with the rise of mass production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Advertising Commercial advertisers often seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services through "Branding," which involves the repetition of an image or product name in an effort to associate certain qualities with the brand in the minds of consumers. Non-commercial advertisers who spend money to advertise items other than a consumer product or service include political parties, interest groups, religious organizations and governmental agencies. Important Tools of Media Advertising Media Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common. Advertising messages are usually paid for

by sponsors and viewed via various traditional media; including mass media such as newspaper, magazines, television commercial, radio advertisement, outdoor advertising or direct mail; or new media such as websites and text messages. Electronic Broadcast media Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via radio, television, or other. Historically, there have been several different types of electronic broadcasting media: y Telephone broadcasting (18811932): the earliest form of electronic broadcasting (not counting data services offered by stock telegraph companies from 1867, if ticker-tapes are excluded from the definition). Telephone broadcasting began with the advent of Thtrophone ("Theatre Phone") systems, which were telephone-based distribution systems allowing subscribers to listen to live opera and theatre performances over telephone lines, created by French inventor Clment Ader in 1881. Telephone broadcasting also grew to include telephone newspaper services for news and entertainment programming which were introduced in the 1890s, primarily located in large European cities. These telephone-based subscription services were the first examples of electrical/electronic broadcasting and offered a wide variety of programming. y Radio broadcasting (experimentally from 1906, commercially from 1920): radio broadcasting is an audio (sound) broadcasting service, broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and, thus, to a receiving device. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common broadcast programming, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both. y Television broadcasting (telecast), experimentally from 1925, commercially from the 1930s: this video-programming medium was long-awaited by the general public and rapidly rose to compete with its older radio-broadcasting sibling. y Cable radio (also called "cable FM", from 1928) and cable television (from 1932): both via coaxial cable, serving principally as transmission mediums for programming

produced at either radio or television stations, with limited production of cable-dedicated programming. y Direct-broadcast satellite (DBS) (from circa 1974) and satellite radio (from circa 1990): meant for direct-to-home broadcast programming (as opposed to studio network uplinks and downlinks), provides a mix of traditional radio or television broadcast programming, or both, with satellite-dedicated programming. y Webcasting of video/television (from circa 1993) and audio/radio (from circa 1994) streams: offers a mix of traditional radio and television station broadcast programming with internet-dedicated webcast programming. Digital media Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission. The following list of digital media is based on a rather technical view of the term media y y y y y y y y y y Cellular phones Compact discs Computers Digital video Electronic books Electronic commerce Game consoles Interactive media Internet Televisions

Video games

Hypermedia Hypermedia is a computer based information retrieval system that enables a user to gain or provide access to texts, audio and video recordings, photographs and computer graphics related to particular subjects. Hypermedia is a term created by Ted Nelson. Hypermedia is used as a logical extension of the term hypertext in which graphics, audio, video, plain text and hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information. Mass media Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies, including the Internet, television, newspapers, film and radio, which are used for mass communications, and to the organizations which control these technologies. Social media Social media are media for social interaction, as a superset beyond social communication, but mainly still communicating just interactively using ubiquitously accessible and scalable communication techniques. The term social media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Benefits of Media in Creating Consumer Awareness Specific Target Audience: In print media, the advantage of catering to specific target audience opens up countless opportunities to enhance sales figures. A fashion magazine would highlight cosmetic products and fashion accessories. At the same time, a sports magazine would display sports related ads to cater to its readers. There is no wastage of resources as ads get to reach the target audience. Loyal Readerships: In the print media industry, readership is mostly longstanding and loyal. Special Ad Positioning:

A major advantage in magazine advertising is that an advertiser can request special ad positioning. This means you can ask that your ad is placed in a specific page or within a column article. This will bring greater visibility to the brand. This is also commercially more effective as potential buyers would notice it. It is a different matter if you dont want to specify where your ad should appear. Credibility: Over a period of years, magazines create a vast pool of loyal readers who feel safe in its very credible environment. The interactive element may be less when you compare it with the aggressive online advertising. But the key factor is credibility that print media continues to reign over. It explains why magazines are known as potential promotional vehicles. It adds improved quality branding that adds great value to your range of products. Long Life Span: Compared to websites or national newspapers, magazines enjoy the longest life span. There are some magazines that are treasured across decades like valuable references. The National Geographic is such an example as its content is never redundant. High Reach Prospective: Another advantage is that magazines have a high reach prospective. This is because magazines get passed from family to friends to customers to colleagues and so on. Glossy Ads: Unlike newspaper advertising, magazine advertising gives great scope to glossy ads. These are usually trend setting and eye catching. The best thing is that everybody loves to look again and again at glossy ads. So maximum visibility is again reiterated through magazine advertising. Scope: In social media, the choices are many, and updates are frequent. Hence awareness and knowledge enjoys a wider scope for expansion, meaning customers become smarter by the

minute and more discriminative in their choices. A social media page addition to a website design can undoubtedly benefit a business manifolds. Specialty Advertising Specialty advertising media like signage, posters, banners and collateral materials offer several benefits as well. First, you can get your name in front of a large group of people in a unique, memorable way. Also, you can get creative and develop "outside the box" advertising ideas that can help raise brand awareness. Conclusion Kautilya was one of the earliest to write in his Arthashastra about the need for Consumer awareness and protection. With the growth of private sector there is a greater need for discipline and regulation of the market. Consumers must be aware of the sale and purchase of goods, the health and security aspects also. Ensuring the safety of food items sold in the market is essential these days. Legal measures for consumer safety and consumer awareness must be uniform, and transparent in terms of prices, quality of goods, and stocks. Consumers must have the tools to combat malpractices and protect their rights. Above these things cannot do without media, it plays a major role in creating awareness to the consumers. Every message or information can be passed to anybody through the media is the effective way for achieving the main objective i.e. passing information. So it can be concluded that media is playing a crucial role in creating and increasing the consumer awareness.