Advertising vs. Marketing

Advertising is the dissemination of information about companies, prices, products, product placement, sale and other marketing events to wider audience in order to impact consumer action and attract potential customers. Usually, advertising is paid, non-personal and public.

The main components of advertising are: information about the advertised good, strategy and placements. Advertising determines the time of product promotion - it considers season's fluctuations, peak hours or leisure days.

Advertising requires the choice of the most appropriate media. When planning advertising action, you need to answer the question how are you going to reach your audience -online, in the press, or on TV, or radio, or on billboards?

Advertising may be conducted in different ways - like for example by using direct marketing mailshot, public relations or Internet advertisement.

When planning advertising you need to consider the behavior and advertising actions of you competitors and their influence on your promotional activity.

Advertising, along with sales promotion, public relations and personal selling, is a component (usually the most expensive ) of Marketing promotion - the fourth component of Marketing Mix.

Marketing is a group of actions which company uses in order to achieve its objectives. These actions are focused around four areas traditionally named as the 4Ps of the marketing mix: product, price, place and communication-promotion.

The role of the product is to offer to the consumer the solution for his necessity or need. The price represents the cost paid by the consumer for satisfying his need. The appropriate pricing within the marketing process determine the potential demand and supply of the product.

The place refers to the convenience of buying the product - mainly its accessibility through appropriate distribution channels. Promotion represents the communication targeted to the client.

So, in summary:

Both advertising and marketing aim at the realization of company's selling objectives. Advertisement is only one, but the most expensive component of the marketing mix.