Advertising

A paid form of non-formal communication that's transmitted through mass media

Generates AWARENESS - informs, persuades, reminds
- main comms tool used by orgs and where most budget spent
- esp. with consumer-based products which don't warrant cost of personal selling
- rise of sponsorship advertising

• Advantages: reaches large no's across geographic markets, effective targeting, low cost per contact, provides info at different purchasing stages, essential awareness creation at new product launch
• Disadvantages: productions costs, media purchase costs, measuring effectiveness (and how to isolate its effects from other marketing elements), difficult to ensure message is decoded in intended way

Objectives (SMART & relate directly to marketing objectives): promote product, stimulate demand, offensive/defensive advertising, growth, product/brand awareness, market development (into new), market penetration (encouraging current), reducing fluctuations

Two aims: SALES / AWARENESS (require different approaches)