Informative advertising

Informative advertising is advertising that is carried out in a factual manner. This form of advertising relies solely on the goods or services strengths and features, rather than trying to convince customers to buy a product using emotion. The use of emotion in advertising is classified as persuasive advertising. Information advertising is mainly used for two purposes; to augment market power, and to inform customers of goods and services, prices, and sales conditions.

Features
There are three main features of informative advertising.

Accurate information
Accurate information and data must be used when advertising informatively. Before ads are presented to customers, all facts and figures of the advertisement should be verified and authenticated. Accurate information helps to gain user trust and build a large customer base.

Updates and innovations
Industries with constant upgrades and improving products such as the telecommunications sector and the automobile industry, can engage audiences and inform of updates or expansions through the use of informative advertising.

Use of local data
Informative advertising will differ between companies, depending on their size. A global company selling a homogenous good or service will have the same data and figures throughout their advertising, even if the form or look of the advertisement differs depending on geographic location. In comparison, a global company offering a slightly heterogenous product depending on geographic location will be able to present ads with differing facts.

Reasons
Alongside promotional reasons, there are other reasons why informative advertising is used.

Under certain circumstances, a business may be required to run informative advertising due to legal requirements. Some industries have much stricter advertising laws than others, the tobacco industry is one of the more notable examples. For example, in Australia, tobacco is not allowed to be advertised in a manner which persuades users to buy, smoke or use it. They are also required to include health warnings.

Pharmaceutical companies are also required to give extensive and accurate information on products. This information includes ingredients, side effects and contraindications. In the United States, pharmaceutical companies are allowed to advertise to prescription medicines to consumers, which resulted in a 36% increase of consumers asking health professionals about certain medication between 1987 and 1992. In Australia, the promotion of prescription drugs to the public is not permitted.

Governments often use informative advertisements for a range of purposes such as health updates, alcohol and drug use statistics, election data, and tourism.