The Marketer's Handbook: Reassessing Marketing Techniques for Modern Business

ADVERTISING

Application: Communication of Propositions, Education, Preparation for Sales

The Concept

Advertising is one of those vast subjects that it is very difficult to do justice to in this format. It is one of the best known aspects of marketing and captures the public imagination. People in large companies, in marketing agencies, and in universities dedicate their whole working life to it.

Advertising is, essentially, the practice of buying space in various public media, often called “above the line” (a throwback to the past which it is probably not worth going into) in order to communicate a message to a wide market; and, whatever anyone says, it unquestionably influences buyers (whether businesses or consumers). In fact, it has been behind the success of many of the world’s most famous and favourite purchases (like Coca-Cola, Singer, Nike, Apple, Gillette, IBM, and Heinz).

Advertising is attractive because it communicates a message to a large audience very effectively. It is particularly good at communicating messages that require impact, like the launch of a new product or business. It is used extensively by both consumer and business-to-business companies but their commitment to it can be erratic and, as a result, not as effective as it could be. It has been most successful when business leaders have demonstrated a long-term financial commitment to it.

The media used include: ...