Advertising is a marketing communication strategy that involves promoting or selling products, services, ideas, or brands.

It’s primarily used by businesses to attract attention, generate interest, and stimulate demand for their offerings. The ultimate goal is to drive consumer behavior towards a commercial offering, although non-commercial entities also use advertising to promote their messages.

Various channels can be used for advertising, including:

• Television and Radio: These traditional forms of media reach a broad audience but can be expensive and difficult to target precisely.
• Print Media: This includes newspapers, magazines, brochures, and other physical formats. Like TV and radio, it’s a traditional form that can reach a wide audience.
• Outdoor Advertising: Billboards, bus stops, train stations, and other public places can carry advertisements to a large number of people.
• Digital/Online Advertising: This includes search engine advertising (like Google Ads), social media advertising (like Facebook and Instagram ads), display ads on websites, email marketing, and mobile ads. Digital advertising has the advantage of precise targeting and detailed analytics.
• Direct Mail: This involves sending physical promotional materials directly to people’s homes or businesses.
  Advertising is typically paid for by the advertiser and can be recognized by the “ad” label. The content of the advertising is created by the advertiser or an advertising agency on their behalf.

It’s worth noting that advertising is different from other promotional tactics such as public relations and personal selling, although all are part of the broader marketing strategy.