What is Advertising?

WHAT IS ADVERTISING?

The word advertising originates from Latin word advertise, which means to turn to. The dictionary meaning of the term is “to give public notice or to give publicity”. Advertising may be defined as the process of buying sponsor-identified media space or time in order to promote a product or an idea. It is perhaps the most visible of all the elements in the promotion mix and is therefore subject to much criticism from consumer groups. It is also subjected to government regulation.

The American Marketing Association, Chicago, has defined advertising as “any paid form of non-personal presentation or promotion of ideas, goods or services, by an identified sponsor”.

Advertising is not just 30 seconds of entertainment during the Super Bowl or the announcement of the new deals from the cheesy car dealer down the street. Advertising is big business–an industry with extraordinary cultural and economic impact. It has the power to create brand awareness and loyalty and to stimulate demand. In its most profound form, it can turn mere products into meaningful brands and important possessions and turn the most mundane object into a cultural icon. Advertising can be offensive or memorable, the center of controversy or the topic of conversation.

In its simplest form, advertising is a method of one-way communication between an advertiser and the consumer. An advertisement is persuasive in nature and sends an intended message through a designated medium (radio, television, the Internet). However, in receiving a message, consumers do not always interpret the message as the advertiser intended.

Successful advertising sales results in satisfied customers and revenue growth for the company.

Definition

1. Advertising is a paid form and hence is commercial in nature. Publicity is not paid for by the sponsor. Advertising is a paid form of publicity. Thus any sponsored communication designed to influence buyer behavior is advertising.
2. Advertising is non-personal. Whatever the form of advertisement (visual, spoken or written), it is directed at a mass audience and not directly at the individual as in personal selling.
3. Advertisements are identified with their sponsoring authority, which is not always the case with publicity.

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Related posts:

1. Advertising Types
2. Origin and Growth of Advertising
3. How to select an Advertising Agency ?
4. Role of Advertising in Marketing Mix
5. Advertising Industry

Tags: Advertising, AMA, American Marketing Association, Chicago, Internet, Media Space, Personal Selling, Promotion Mix, Publicity, Radio, Sponsor, Television