Advertising, derived from the Latin word “Advertere,” meaning “to turn towards,” holds a significant place in the contemporary business landscape. In today’s commercial sphere, advertising entails informing customers about specific products and services, ultimately steering them towards these offerings. It serves as a communication process through which new customers can be attracted and existing ones can be retained.
Definition of Advertising
As per S.R. Hall, advertising constitutes written, printed, or illustrated salesmanship, disseminating information through written and printed words or images.
According to the American Marketing Association, advertising is a form of impersonal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services, carried out through a specific scientific approach, for which the advertiser pays.
Wheeler defines advertising as the impersonal presentation of thoughts, goods, and services aimed at inducing people to make purchases, for which payment is made.
According to Frank Presbrey, advertising encompasses printed, written, pictorial, or graphic salesmanship.
From the above definitions, it’s evident that advertising involves the dissemination of visual, written, or verbal messages aimed at inspiring the public to make purchases through mediums such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, vehicles, buses, trains, and other means, for which the advertiser pays.
Characteristics of Advertising
- Public Presentation: Advertising serves as a means to present messages publicly to the general audience.
- Wide-reaching Medium: It is an extensive medium for reaching out with messages repeatedly.
- Variety in Presentation: Through advertising, a single message can be presented in various forms such as colors, images, words, sentences, and well-lit displays, providing clear and detailed information to customers.
- Impersonality: Advertising is always impersonal. Rarely does an individual advertise face-to-face.
- Multifaceted: Advertising can be oral, written, visual, or invisible.
- Paid Communication: It involves payment by advertisers for the dissemination of information.
- Versatility: Advertising offers versatility through various mediums that advertisers can use as per their convenience.
Objectives of Advertising
The primary objective of advertising is to acquire new customers and maintain existing ones. Non-commercial advertisements generally aim to provide information. In the modern era, advertising is a commercial activity that every business must engage in to some extent to enhance its growth prospects.
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