What is Advertising?

Advertising is the action of calling public attention to an idea, good, or service through paid announcements by an identified sponsor.

Advertising involves paying to widely spread a message that identifies a brand (product or service) or an organization being promoted to many people at one time. The typical media that organizations utilize for advertising includes television, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, direct mail, and radio. Businesses are also advertising on social media such as Facebook, blogs, Twitter, and mobile devices. Each medium (television or magazines or mobile phones) has different advantages and disadvantages.

According to Kotler, “Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation & promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor.”

According to the Advertising Association of the UK, “Advertising is any communication, usually paid-for, specifically intended to inform and/or influence one or more people.”

A simpler (and modern) definition of advertising can be, “A paid communication message intended to inform people about something or to influence them to buy or try something.”