Advertising for high-technology products in the product launch phase – a content-analysis

Abstract

Marketing activities during the phase of product launch have an effect on the success of new products. This is especially important in a high-technology context, since customers face high risk when purchasing these products. This uncertainty can be reduced with the right marketing strategy. One part of this marketing strategy includes the usage of print advertisements, where the choice of information content given in these advertisements is crucial. This work compares advertisements of high-technology products in the launch phase and later product life cycle phases on basis of a content-analysis of 110 advertisements of the German consumer electronics market. The results show that adverts for products in the launch phase follow a functional marketing strategy. In comparison to established products, they are more informative and have more often a rational appeal. Furthermore, these adverts more often refer to the incorporated technology and stress the technological