PUB Advertising
The arithmetic of Advertising investments

Advertising, beyond its artistic form, must be treated as a very exact science, because its value is measured in results. 

As there is no man without a shadow, we can say that there is no product without image. Moreover, public opinion about a product (or service) may not even be related to the product itself, but to the perception about the product. A simple equation would sound like this: 

PRODUCT = product + product image
Speaking of value in this context, we may have, many times, the following situations:

	PRODUCT	=	product	+	product image
CASE A:	7	=	5	+	2
CASE B:	8	=	3	+	5
CASE C:	9	=	2	+	7

That is, somehow paradoxically, that we may be willing to pay more and/or prefer a weaker product that has an image more at our "liking", in this case to choose OPTION C. 

If we develop the equation above, adding value to the public awareness of the product, the problem may change, as follows: 

	PRODUCT	=	product	+	product image	+	public awareness
CASE A:	8	=	5	+	2	+	1
CASE B:	12	=	3	+	5	+	4
CASE C:	11	=	2	+	7	+	2

In this case we see how the weak promotion to the public can cancel the investment effort of CASE C, Leaving CASE B in first place. 

And development can continue adding other elements, including marketing-type, such as the presence of the product in the market, after-sales service, aggressive trade policies, etc. 

Of course this simple arithmetic model is just a metaphor for the approach of investment in advertising that must be harmonized with the rest of the investment in marketing. 

The advantage of arithmetic approach to advertising is that it generates effective and flexible solutions, based on in-depth knowledge of the product, competition and target audience.