It’s very easy to confuse advertising and marketing as the same thing but in reality advertising is a component or niche discipline of marketing. About.com has a really good article and description of this saying.

Marketing can involve everything from advertising, public relations,  market research, media planning, etc.

The advertising aspect however is probably what most people think of when they think of marketing.  According to Wikipedia, Advertising is a form of communication whose purpose is to inform potential customers about products and services and how to obtain and use them. Many advertisements are also designed to generate increased consumption of those products and services through the creation and reinforcement of brand image and brand loyalty.

Advertising when done wrong can be seen as very intrusive but when done right can be a welcome message when targeted to the right people. One of the biggest advertising complaints is annoying ads, especially on T.V. and the Internet.  On T.V. I’m sure most of us have been exposed to the loud and obnoxious car commercial and on the Internet with the use of annimated banner ads or even worse pop up ads or e-mail spam.

I’m listening and watching podcasts that reach niche audiences and while some are often ad supported I hardly ever feel interrupted because the ads are usually targeted to my interests. A very good example is the PhotoshopUserTV podcast which teaches people how to use Adobe Photoshop better.  The ads will usually be for cameras, camera equipment or software I would more than likely consider buying or at least would like to buy when I had the money.

Google has improved the reputation of online advertising by the use of “contextual text ads” based on the search terms people use on their web site.

Wide area and interupptive advertising is not always bad.  You may have a product that would appeal to the general population such as a new soft drink, electronic device or pair of shoes.  Especially if it’s brand new. The important thing is to consider your audience and their reaction.

How is advertising being used in your business?  Are you trying varying forms and hoping something just works or do you have a strategy within the context of the market you are trying to sell to? Are you taking full advantage of your current marketing pieces or position in the community to advertise effectively?

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 9:09 am and is filed under Tips, branding, marketing, networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.