This article is about the marketing term, AIDA. For other uses of the term, see Aida (disambiguation).

AIDA is an acronym used in marketing that describes a common list of events that are very often undergone when a person is selling a product or service:

• A - Attention (Awareness): attract the attention of the customer.
• I - Interest: raise customer interest by demonstrating features, advantages, and benefits.
• D - Desire: convince customers that they want and desire the product or service and that it will satisfy their needs.
• A - Action: lead customers towards taking action and/or purchasing.

Nowadays some have added another letter to form AIDA(S):

• S - Satisfaction - satisfy the customer so they become a repeat customer and give referrals to a product.

Usage on internet marketing

Attention is hard to achieve online for three reasons:

1. The web is a large medium with billions of web pages all competing for consumer attention.
2. The web is constantly changing, so even if you are "at the top of the list" today, you may well not be tomorrow.
3. Users have a limited attention span and have established loyalty to a few sites that they trust.

One of the most challenging steps in the AIDA framework is to capture the consumer’s attention. For example, there are several online techniques used to capture attention, such as banner ads, sponsorships, offering free products and promotions. Banner ads once had the advantage of being unexpected and surprising, however the current ubiquity of banner advertising has prompted a psychological phenomenon known as banner blindness.

The AIDA model guides organisations by reminding them that any successful promotional technique must eventually lead to an action, or the purchase of the product or service. The AIDA sequence was first published in Strong (1925), who himself attributed the model to St Elmo Lewis (late 19th century).

A lot of other models are known in order to sell, e.g. the BOSCH-Formula:

• Be inquisitive - ask open questions
• Offer solutions - talk about the endresult benefits for the customer
• Stimulate the senses - let the customer test your product
• Cross your sales - think of all the necessary accessories
• Hit the closing point - sell when the customer is ready to buy

This formula was developed by Peter Hubert for the international sales training for consumer goods as power tools.

Strong, E.K. (1925). "Theories of Selling". Journal of Applied Psychology 9: 75-86. 

Media

Quote: "A-I-D-A. Attention, interest, decision, action." — Blake (Alec Baldwin), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).

New Developments

Later evolutions of the theory have edited the AIDA steps. New phases such as conviction (AIDAC) and satisfaction (AIDAS) have been added. If you combine these phases with the AIDA-Formula you get AIDACS.

One significant modification of the model was its reduction to three steps (CAB):

• Cognition (Awareness or learning)
• Affect (Feeling, interest or desire)
• Behaviour (Action).

Along with these developments came a more flexible view of the order in which the steps are taken, suggesting that different arrangements of the model might prove more effective for different consumer-to-product relationships.

External links

• A structured sales process close to AIDA
• Potential benefits and pitfalls using AIDA

References

• Ferrell, O.C. and Hartline, Michael (2005). Marketing Strategy. Thomson South-Western. ISBN 0-324-20140-0. 
• Geml, Richard and Lauer, Hermann: Das kleine Marketing-Lexikon. 3. Auflage, Düsseldorf 2004, ISBN 3-87881-183-7

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Operas by Giuseppe Verdi

Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio (1839) Un giorno di regno (1840) Nabucco (1842) I Lombardi alla prima crociata (1843) Ernani (1844) I due Foscari (1844) Giovanna d'Arco (1845) Alzira (1845) Attila (1846) Macbeth (1847) I masnadieri (1847) Jrusalem (1847) Il corsaro (1848) La battaglia di Legnano (1849) Luisa Miller (1849) Stiffelio (1850) Rigoletto (1851) Il trovatore (1853) La traviata (1853) Les vpres siciliennes (1855) Simon Boccanegra (1857) Aroldo (1857) Un ballo in maschera (1859) La forza del destino (1862) Don Carlos (1867) Aida (1871) Otello (1887) Falstaff (1893)

Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette (although there are scholars who argue that the scenario was really written by Temistocle Solera). It was first performed at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo on December 24, 1871 under the baton of Giovanni Bottesini.

Background

Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, commissioned Verdi to write the opera for performance in January 1871, paying him 150,000 francs, but the premiere was delayed because of the Franco-Prussian War. Contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, nor that of the Khedivial Opera House (which opened with Verdi's Rigoletto) in the same year.^[1] Verdi had been asked to compose an ode for the opening of the Canal, but refused on the grounds that he did not write "occasional pieces."

Aida met with great acclaim when it finally opened in December 1871, and it continues to be a staple of the standard operatic repertoire. It appears as number sixteen on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America^[2]. There are many recordings, and it is one of the most popular operas.

Its story, but not its music, has been used as the basis for a 1998 musical of the same name written by Elton John and Tim Rice.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, December 24, 1871[3] (Conductor: Giovanni Bottesini)
Aida, an Ethiopian princess	soprano	Antonietta Anastasi-Pozzoni
The King of Egypt	bass	Tommaso Costa
Amneris, daughter of the King	mezzo-soprano / contralto	Eleonora Grossi
Radames, Captain of the Guard	tenor	Pietro Mongini
Amonasro, King of Ethiopia	baritone	Francesco Steller
Ramfis, high Priest	bass	Paolo Medini
A messenger	tenor	Luigi Stecchi-Bottardi
Voice of a Priestess	soprano	Marietta Allievi
Priests, priestesses, ministers, captains, soldiers, officials, Ethiopians, slaves and prisoners, Egyptians, animals and chorus

Synopsis

A summary of the plot of Aida is detailed below.^[4]

Overview: Aida, an Ethiopian princess, is captured and brought into slavery in Egypt. A military commander, Radames, struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. To complicate the story further, Radames is loved by the Pharaoh's daughter Amneris, although he does not return the feeling.

Act I

Scene 1

A hall in the King's palace; through the rear gate the pyramids and temples of Memphis

Ramfis, the high priest of Egypt tells Radames, the young warrior, that war with the Ethiopians seems inevitable, and Radames expresses the hope that he be chosen as the Egyptian commander. (Ramfis, Radames : Si, corre voce I'Etiope ardisca).

Radames dreams both of gaining victory on the battle field and of Aida, the Ethiopian slave, with whom he is secretly in love (Radames: Se quel guerrier io fossi!...Celeste Aida - "Heavenly Aïda"). Aida, who is also secretly in love with Radames, is the captured daughter of the Ethiopian King Amonasro, but her Egyptian captors are unaware of her true identity. Her father has invaded Egypt to deliver her from servitude.

Amneris, the daughter of the Egyptian King enters the hall. She too loves Radames, but fears that his heart belongs to somebody else (Radames, Amneris: Quale insolita giola nel tuo squardo - "In thy visage I trace").

Then Aida appears and, when Radames sees her, Amneris notices that he looks disturbed. She suspects that Aida could be her rival, but she is able to hide her jealousy and approaches her (Amneris, Aida, Radames: Vieni, o diletta, appressati).

The wall at the stage opens wide, revealing a large hall

The King enters, along with the High Priest, Ramfis, and the whole palace court. A messenger announces that the Ethiopians, led by King Amonasro, are marching towards Thebes. The King declares war and also proclaims Radames to be the man chosen by the goddess Isis as leader of the army (The King, Messenger, Radames, Aida, Amneris, chorus: Alta cagion v'aduna - "Oh fate o'er Egypt looming"). Upon receiving the mandate from the King, Radames proceeds to the temple of Vulcan to take up the sacred arms (The King, Radames, Aida, Amneris, chorus: Su! del Nilo al sacro lido - "On! Of Nilus' sacred river, guard the shores").

The wall at the stage closes to reveal the earlier scene

Alone in the hall, Aida is torn between her love for her father, her country, and Radames. (Aida: Ritorna vincitor - "Return a conqueror").

Scene 2

Inside the Temple of Vulcan

Solemn ceremonies and dances by the priestesses take place (High Priestess, chorus, Radames: Possente Ftha...Tu che dal nulla - "O mighty Ptha.") followed by the installation of Radames to the office of commander-in-chief. (High Priestess, chorus, Radames: Immenso Ftha .. Mortal, diletto ai Numi - "O mighty one, guard and protect!"). All present in the temple pray for the victory of Egypt and protection for their warriors (Nume, custode e vindice).

Act II

Scene 1

In Amneris chamber

Dances and music to celebrate Radames' victory take place (Chorus, Amneris: Chi mai fra gi inni e i plausi - "Our songs his glory praising"'). However, Amneris is still in doubt about Radames' love and wonders whether Aida is in love with the young warrior. She tries to forget her doubt, entertaining her worried heart with the dance of Moorish slaves (Chorus, Amneris: Vieni: sul crin ti piovano).

When Aida enters the chamber, Amneris asks everyone to leave. By falsely telling Aida that Ramades has died in the battle, she tricks her into professing her love for him. In grief, and shocked by the news, Aida confesses that her heart belongs to Radames eternally (Amneris, Aida: Fu la sorte dell' armi a' tuoi funesta).

This confession fires Amneris with rage, and she plans on taking revenge on Aida. Ignoring Aida's pleadings, (Amneris, Aida, chorus: Su! del Nilo al sacro lido) Amneris leaves her alone in the chamber.

Scene 2

At the grand gate of the city of Thebes

Radames returns victorious and the troops march into the city (Chorus, Ramfis: Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside - "Glory to Egypt, to Isis!"). The Egyptian king decrees that on this day the triumphant Radames may have anything he wishes. The Ethiopian captives are rounded up and Amonasro appears among them. Aida immediately rushes to her father, but their true identities are still unknown to the Egyptians. Amonasro declares that the Ethiopian king has been slain in battle. Aida, Amonasro and the captured Ethiopians plead with the King for mercy, but the Egyptians call for their death (Aida, Amneris, Radames, The King, Amonasro, chorus: Che veggo! .. Egli? .. Mio padre! .. Anch'io pugnai).

As his reward from the King, Radames pleads with him to spare the lives of the prisoners and to set them free. Gratefully, the King of Egypt declares Radames to be his successor and to be his daughter's betrothed (Aida, Amneris, Radames, The King, Amonasro, chorus: O Re: pei sacri Numi! .. Gloria all'Egitto). Aida and Amonasro remain as hostages to ensure that the Ethiopians do not avenge their defeat.

Act III

On the banks of the Nile, near the Temple of Isis

Prayers are said (Chorus, Ramfis, Amneris: O tu che sei d'Osiride - "O thou who to Osiris art...") on the eve of Amneris and Radames' wedding in the Temple of Isis. Outside, Aida waits to meet with Radames as they had planned (Aida: Qui Radames verra .. O patria mia - "Oh, my dear country!").

Amonasro appears and forces Aida to agree to find out the location of the Egyptian army from Radames (Aida, Amonasro: Ciel, mio padre! .. Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate - "Once again shalt thou gaze."). When he arrives, Amonasro hides behind a rock and listens to their conversation.

Radames affirms that Aida is the person he will marry ( Pur ti riveggo, mio dolce Aida .. Nel fiero anelito ; Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti .. La, tra foreste vergini ), and Aida convinces him to flee to the desert with her.

In order to make their escape easier, Radames proposes that they use a safe route without any fear of discovery and he also reveals the location where his army has chosen to attack. Upon hearing this, Amonasro comes out of hiding and reveals his identity. Radames feels dishonored. At the same time Amneris and Ramfis leave the temple and, seeing Radames with their enemy, call the guards. Amonasro and Aida try to convince Radames to escape with them, but he refuses and surrenders to the imperial guards (Radames, Aida, Amonasro, Amneris, Ramfis: Aida! Tu non m'ami! .. Va'!).

Act IV

Scene 1

A hall in the Temple of Justice. To one side is the door leading to Radames' prison cell

Amneris ( L'aborrita rivale a me sfuggia - "My hated rival has escaped me") desires to save Radames. She calls for the guard to bring him to her.

She asks Radames to deny the accusations, but Radames refuses. Certain that, as punishment, he will be condemned to death, Amneris implores him to defend himself, but Radames firmly refuses. He is relieved to know Aida is still alive and hopes she has reached her own country (Amneris, Radames: Gia i Sacerdoti adunasi). His decision hurts Amneris.

Radames' trial takes place offstage; he does not reply to Ramfis' accusations and is condemned to death, while Amneris, who remains onstage, pleads with the priests to show him mercy. As he is sentenced to be buried alive, Amneris curses the priests while Radames is taken away (Judgment scene, Amneris, Ramfis, and chorus: Ohime! .. morir mi sento - "Heavenly spirit, descend").

Scene 2

The lower portion of the stage shows the vault in the Temple of Vulcan; the upper portion represents the temple itself.

Radames has been taken into the lower floor of the temple and sealed up in a dark vault. Thinking that he is alone and hoping that Aida is in a safer place, he hears a sigh and then sees Aida. She has hidden herself in the vault in order to die with Radames. (Radames and Aida: La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse.. - "The fatal stone now closes over me.") They accept their terrible fate (Radames: "To die, so pure and lovely") and bid farewell to earth and its sorrows.

Above the vault in the temple of Vulcan, Amneris weeps and prays to the god Isis. In the vault below, Aida dies in Radames' arms. (Chorus, Aida, Radames, Amneris: Immenso Ftha - "Almighty Ptha.")

Footnote: The original draft included a speech by Aida (excised from the final version) that explained her presence beneath the Temple: "My heart knew your sentence. For three days I have waited here." The line most familiar to audiences translates as: "My heart forewarned me of your condemnation. In this tomb that was opened for you I entered secretly. Here, away from human sight, in your arms I wish to die."

Selected recordings

Year	Cast (Radames, Aida, Amneris)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1951	Mario del Monaco, Maria Callas, Oralia Dominguez	Oliviero de Fabritiis, Palacio de Bellas Artes orchestra and chorus	Audio CD:EMI Classics ASIN: B0000BWTKC
1952	Mario del Monaco, Renata Tebaldi, Ebe Stignani	Alberto Erede, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia orchestra and chorus	Audio CD: Naxos Historical Cat: 8.110129-30[5]
1955	Richard Tucker, Maria Callas, Fedora Barbieri	Tullio Serafin, La Scala orchestra and chorus	Audio CD: EMI Classics ASIN: B000002RY3
1959	Carlo Bergonzi, Renata Tebaldi, Giulietta Simionato	Herbert von Karajan, Vienna State Opera, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra	Audio CD: Decca ASIN: B00001IVQW
1961	Mario del Monaco, Gabriella Tucci, Giulietta Simionato	Franco Capuana, NHK Symphony Orchestra (Movie recorded in Tokyo)	DVD: Video Artists Int'l ASIN: B000RW3YN6
1962	Jon Vickers, Leontyne Price, Rita Gorr	Georg Solti, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma orchestra and chorus	Audio CD: Decca ASIN: B0000041RW
1972	Plácido Domingo, Martina Arroyo, Fiorenza Cossotto	Claudio Abbado, La Scala orchestra and chorus	Audio CD: Opera D'oro ASIN: B00000AFP2
1981	Luciano Pavarotti, Margaret Price, Stefania Toczyska	Garcia Navarro, War Memorial Opera House orchestra and chorus	DVD: Kultur International Films ISBN 0-7697-2251-2
1986	Luciano Pavarotti, Maria Chiara, Ghena Dimitrova	Lorin Maazel, La Scala orchestra and chorus	DVD: Image Entertainment ASIN: B00002NDLW
1989	Plácido Domingo, Aprile Millo, Dolora Zajick	James Levine, Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus	DVD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 00440 073 0019

Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company; "ASIN" is amazon.com product reference number.

Notes

References

• Simon, Henry W. (1946). A Treasury of Grand Opera. Simon and Schuster, New York, NY. 
• The Victrola Guide to the Opera, 6th edition.

External links

• Opera Guide Synopsis - Libretto - Highlights
• em>Classics for Kids - The Story of Aida (synopsis with musical examples)
• Opera in a nutshell" Soundfiles (MIDI)
• Complete libretto of the opera or (alternative location)
• Score
• Creative Commons MP3 Recording
• Aria Database list of arias