advertising

Definition:
This can mean several things: the craft or science of creating and disseminating ADVERTISEMENTS; the business or profession servicing the craft; a social institution affecting the daily lives of everyone; a force shaping popular culture; a factor in the economic theory of the firm; an element in the MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MIX; a source of information about products, services and events. A narrow definition of the process rather than the concept might be: the placing of recognisable ADVERTISEMENTS in definable ADVERTISING MEDIA at a published rate for the purchase of the space or time used. An institutionalised advertising business has existed in Britain since about 1700, when newspapers began to feature advertising of a kind that present-day readers would recognise as such. Today, the business is characterised by five main organisational elements: (a) advertisers; (b) advertising agencies; (c) media owners; (d) various providers of ancillary services, such as market research agencies, design studios, typesetters, printers and so on; (e) trade bodies and professional associations.

Cross-References:
[advertising media] [advertisement, advert, ad] [marketing communications mix]

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