Text a What is advertising?

Advertising or advertizing is a form of communication for marketing. It is used to encourage, persuade, or manipulate an audience (viewers, readers or listeners; sometimes a specific group) to continue or take some new action. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common. In Latin, ad vertere means "to turn the mind toward.

"The purpose of advertising may also be to reassure employees or shareholders that a company is viable or successful. Advertising messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via various traditional media; including mass media such as newspaper, magazines, television commercial, radio advertisement, outdoor advertising or direct mail; or new media such as blogs, websites or text messages.

Commercial advertisers often seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services through "branding," which involves associating a product name or image with certain qualities in the minds of consumers. Non-commercial advertisers who spend money to advertise items other than a consumer product or

A Coca-Cola advertisement from the 1890s

service include political parties, interest groups, religious organizations and governmental agencies. Nonprofit organizations may rely on free modes of persuasion, such as a public service announcement (PSA).

Throughout human history, since ancient Egyptians and Greeks, later in the Middle Ages and during Modern History, advertising has existed in different forms and used different methods.

Businesses need to advertise. If they did not advertise no-one would even learn of the existence of their wares. In part, advertising is aimed at conveying information to potential customers and clients, but it is also used to persuade the public to buy. This is the area in which advertising is often criticised. Advertisements are sometimes misleading. Although it is illegal for advertisers to make untrue statements about their goods, services or prices, they still make their wares seem unduly attractive. They pander to our egos and our vanities. They create a demand which would not otherwise exist.

It is easy to say, “I’m not influenced by the adverts!” Everyone is influenced to a certain extent. There was recently some research on subliminal advertising. The word “coffee” was flashed on to the television screen. It happened so quickly that no-one was aware it had happened. For just a fraction of a second it registered on the viewers’ subconscious. The result? A surprising number of people chose to make coffee at that precise moment. Of course, it could have been a coincidence but it was highly unlikely.

Yet, for the typical manufacturer advertising is a form of insurance. The nature and extent of consumer’s needs have to be constantly assessed. If the needs are overestimated it is possible, through advertising, to soak up the surplus goods which have been produced. As a demand for a product sags, it can be stimulated. There are all sorts of useful by-products. Without the possibility of advertising, workforces would have to be laid off when sales fell. The warehouses would become overfilled and the stocks would deteriorate, perhaps even becoming obsolete.

An alternative to advertising would be to lower prices when sales fall. This would suit the purchasers but introduce an element of uncertainty for their manufacturers. They are always concerned to ensure that their revenue exceeds their costs, and where would they be if there were daily fluctuations in the prices of their products.

Advertising goes far beyond television and hoardings, newspapers and magazines. The manager of a clothes store is advertising when putting models wearing the store’s clothes in the window. A bicycle manufacturer is advertising when he sends a new price-list through the post to his retailers. How could trading be carried on without such devices?

Some would even go so far as to say that advertising actually enriches our lives. Commercial television is able to provide us with free programmes thanks to its advertising revenues. National newspapers derive much of their revenue from advertising. Look at a typical newspaper and you will discover the proportion of the pages devoted to advertisements. We also have advertisers to thank for the free colour supplements accompanying the Sunday newspapers.