Advertising is defined as a paid, mass-mediated attempt to persuade. Advertising can be done for a product, service, idea, person, or an organization. One important factor to keep in mind is that no advertisement contains one single message that all of the members of the audience will interpret alike. Advertising is a part of the marketing mix, under promotion, and is a very important aspect in Marketing (O'Guinn Ch. 1-2). .
In today's competitive market, only the product and service advertised can be sold competitively for a fair price. Advertising is all around us. It is in everything we do, whether it be looking up a number in the local phone directory or taking a ride down an old road and noticing the billboards along side of the road. For most Americans, not a single day will go by without seeing some form of advertisement. Because of the increasing amounts of advertising in the media, marketing and advertising professionals along with other copy writers began to use a more creative twist on advertisements sometimes being quite risqué, that has affected consumers both negatively and positively.
There are many media outlets available to advertise, including broadcast and print media, billboards/kiosks, magazines, local and special cable channels, pamphlets, information sheets, boards, broadband, word-of-mouth, and nearly any way imaginable. Some people believe that all of this advertising combined is creating clutter, but others disagree and say it shows creativity and helps to sell and differentiate products to consumers (O'Guinn). Advertising helps show potential consumers different choices for the items that they buy to live an everyday average life. According to marketing consultants Stann Rapp and Tom Collins, on a typical day, the average American sees over 5,000 advertisements (Wow: Effects of advertising ).
There are five main types of advertising to note. The first type is primary demand advertising, in which the advertiser is looking to create demand for a new product.