INFORMATION SHEET 1.

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Introduction to Advertising and Promotion
Learning Objectives
After reading this Information Sheet, you must be able to:
1. Identifying the concept of Advertising
2. Defining the meaning and definition of advertising
3. Examining the origin and development of advertising

Introduction:
Advertising is a powerful communication force, highly visible, and one of the
most important tools of marketing communications that helps to sell products,
services, ideas and images, etc. Many believe that advertising reflects the needs of
the times. One may like it or not but advertisements are everywhere. Advertisements
are seen in newspapers, magazines, on television and internet and are heard on
radio. The average consumer is exposed to a very large number of advertisements
every day, particularly the urban and semi-urban population.
It seems almost impossible to remain totally neutral and not take any notice
of modern day advertising. The most visible part of the advertising process is the
advertisements that we see, read, or hear and praise or criticize. Many suitable
adjectives are used to describe advertising, depending on how an individual is
reaching, such as great, dynamic, alluring, fascinating, annoying, boring, intrusive,
irritating, offensive, etc.
Advertising is an indicator of the growth, betterment and perfection of
civilization. It is part of our social, cultural and business environment. It is not at all
surprising that advertising is one of the most closely scrutinized of all business
institutions. In today’s environment, not only are advertisers closely examined by the
target audience for whom that advertisement are meant, but by society in general.
Marketing-Mix and Promotion-Mix
The marketing mix is the combination of elements necessary to the planning
and execution of the total marketing operation. The ‘Four Ps’ concept of the
marketing mix, developed by Philip Kotler, and widely adopted by marketing
teachers, creates four division of the mix, namely, product,, price, promotion and
place. Advertising comes under promotion. Under promotion mix there are several
components like advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, publicity, direct
marketing etc. Advertising is one of the components of promotion as shown in fig
below

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 Fig. 1.1 The Marketing Mix
Origin of Advertising
It has been wrongly assumed that the advertising function is of recent
origin. Evidences suggest that the Romans practiced advertising; but the
earliest indication of its use in this country dates back to the Middle Ages,
when the use of the surname indicated a man’s occupation.
The seller in primitive times relied upon his loud voice to attract
attention and inform consumers of the availability of his services. If there
were many competitors, he relied upon his own personal magnetism to attract
attention to his merchandise. Often it became necessary for him to resort to
persuasion to pinpoint the advantages of his products. Thus, the seller was
doing the complete promotion job himself.
The invention of hand press increased the potentialities of advertising.
By Shakespeare’s times, posters had made their appearance, and assumed
the function of fostering demand for existing products. Another important
event was the emergence of the pamphlet as an advertising medium. The
early examples of these pamphlets disclose their sponsorship by companies
want to generate goodwill for their activities. The low cost of posters and
handbills encouraged a number of publishers to experiment with other
methods.
History of Advertising
Various forms of advertising have been around for thousands of
years.  The Egyptians used papyrus to advertise goods and services. In
ancient Rome and other parts of the ancient world mosaics, pictures on signs
or walls were used by businesses to advertise their wares.  The Athenians,
however, took advertising to a whole new level by using town criers to stroll
the streets advertising products and services (very similar to our television
and radio commercials) and can probably be credited with being the inventors
of advertising as we know it today.

The earliest surviving printed ad in English (above) was published in

1477 by William Caxton, English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. This

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ad announces Caxton's edition of the "Sarum Ordinal" or "Pye", a list of rules
for clergy at Salisbury on how to deal with the changing date of Easter.

At the beginning of the 17th century printed advertising was very

common and was written by the merchant himself. La Gazette, the first
French newspaper established by Theophraste Renaudot in 1631 contained
personal ads for those seeking and offering employment, buying and selling
goods and services and announcements of all kinds.  In the 18th century
illustrations began to appear in advertisements and advertising agents, as
they became known, started writing and illustrating the ads. 

Advertising– Definition
“Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and
promotion of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor.” – American
Marketing Association.
“Advertising is controlled, identifiable information and persuasion by
means of mass communications media.”
“Advertising is the non-personal communication of marketing-related
information to a target audience, usually paid for by the advertiser, and
delivered through mass media in order to reach the specific objectives of the
sponsor.” – John J Burnett.
“Advertising is a message paid for by an identified sponsor and
delivered through mass medium of mass communication. Advertising is
persuasive communication. It is not neutral; it is not unbiased; it says; ‘I am
going to sell you a product or an idea.” - J Thomas Russell and W. Ronald
Lane

What Advertisement Is?

Advertisement is a mass communicating of information intended to
persuade buyers to by products with a view to maximizing a company’s
profits. The elements of advertising are:
 It is a mass communication reaching a large group of consumers.
 It makes mass production possible.

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  It is paid non-personal communication, not delivered by an actual
person, nor is it addressed to a specific person.
 It is a commercial communication because it is used to help assure the
advertiser of a long business life with profitable sales.
 Advertising can be economical, for it reaches large groups of people.
This keeps the cost per message low.
 The communication is speedy, permitting an advertiser to speak to
millions of buyers in a matter of a few hours.
 Advertising is identified communication. The advertiser signs his name
to his advertisement for the purpose of publicizing his identity.
What is Included in Advertising?
 The information in an advertisement should benefit the buyers. It
should give them more satisfactory expenditure of their rupees.
 It should suggest better solutions to their problems.
 The content of the advertisement is within the control of the advertiser,
not the medium.
 Advertising without persuasion is ineffective. Advertisement that fails
to influence anyone, either immediately or in the future, is a waste of
money.
 The function of advertising is to increase the profitable sales volume.
That is, advertising expenses should not increase disproportionately.
Advertising includes the following forms of medium: The messages carried in:
 Newspapers and magazines;
 Radio and television broadcasts;
 Circular of all kinds, (whether distributed by mail, by person, thorough
tradesmen, or by inserts in packages);
 Dealer help materials,
 Window display and counter – display materials and efforts;
 Store signs, motion pictures used for advertising,
 Novelties bearing advertising messages and Signature of the
advertiser,
 Label stags and other literature accompanying the merchandise.

What is excluded from Advertising?

Advertising is not an exact science. An advertiser’s circumstances are
never identical with those of another; he cannot predict with accuracy what
results his future advertising efforts will produce.
 Advertising is not a game, because if advertising is done properly, both
the buyer and the seller benefit from it.

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  Advertising is not a toy. Advertiser cannot afford to play with
advertising. Advertising funds come from sales revenue and must be
used to increase sales revenue.
 Advertisements are not designed to deceive. The desire and hope for
repeat sales insures a high degree of honesty in advertising.
The activities excluded from advertising are:
 The offering of premiums to stimulate the sale of products;
 The use of exhibitions and demonstrations at fairs, show and
conventions;
 The use of samples and activities, involving news releases and the
activities of personal selling forces;
 The payment of advertising allowances which are not used for
advertising;
 The entertainment of customers

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