With fall fast approaching, we know that everyone's calendars are starting to fill up. To
keep things simple for the next few months we are going to be looking at the differences
between different types of promotional tools.
Promotional Tool 1: Advertising
Advertising is defined as: any PAID form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor.
Everything from TV, newspaper, magazines, radio, billboards are included and because of advertising's public nature, consumers tend to view advertised products and services as more legitimate.
Advertising allows businesses to be expressive through visuals, sounds and colors which can allow a business to build a long term image for a product or brand. For example: McDonald's Golden Arches, Nike's Swoosh, the sound of Monday Night Football or the theme from Star Wars.
The downside to advertising is that it is seen as impersonal and lacks the direct influence that a sales person has. Also, while it can reach many people quickly, it is also more expensive and is only a one-way street of communication, where the audience doesn't have to pay attention or respond.