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In one sentence , what is advertising?by John Cooley - From Linkedin Advertising Professional Group Follow BretBret Sanders The effective use of any number of media vehicles to reach targeted groups of consumers with messages that capture their attention, interest, build desire and lead the consumer to action.5 months agoFollow JohnJohn Cooley Hi Bret! I'm getting ready to give a speech and i wanted to quote real quotes. Excellent insight. thank you for the great quote.best,John5 months agoFollow PratishPratish Mepani Advertising is the means by which goods or services are promoted to the public.Advertising = Communication.5 months agoFollow JohnJohn Cooley Thanks Pratish! Interesting perspective.How can we explain it small business owners can understand?5 months agoFollow PratishPratish Mepani Hi John,Well, without advertising, only a limited number of people would know about a said product or service.Advertising communicates (with a persuasive message) about a product or service to its target audience. So they (target audience) know about its features and availability and they can decide to purchase it.In numbers, if more people know about the product, greater chances of larger numbers of that product or service being sold.Good Advertising and Marketing can reap huge rewards and help stimulate a customer to take action towards a buying decision.5 months agoFollow CarolynCarolyn Goodman Advertising is the various ways by which a business draws attention to itself and/or its products and services.5 months agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Hill Fun idea, nothing beats 5 words or less...Advertising is the attractive message.5 months agoFollow TimotheeTimothee Semelin ok, let's try to be original :.)If your product or service is the answer to your client, advertising shall be about asking the right question.mmm I would need to develop that idea on a face to face presentation ahah. thanks for make me think about this from a new perspective.5 months agoFollow SumboSumbo Pinheiro Advertising is talking to your customers.5 months agoFollow shobhanshobhan dhruva advertising is simple communication to millions of people with a clear objective5 months agoFollow GregGreg Robertson For better or worse, everything a brand does is advertising.5 months agoFollow CindyCindy Lindenbaum Advertising is paid communications for a company or brand via a variety of media that has reach from mass audiences through to very targeted groups of people.5 months agoFollow ShejiSheji Kazmi Advertising is focused ... on communication for any targeted audience; related to a particular brand or service.5 months agoFollow PeterPeter Wharton Advertising is; 'turning people towards' a brand, from the Latin ad vertere. QED :-)5 months agoFollow Gia SintaGia Sinta Kartasasmita Advert - ising. Putting an icing on things to make it looks/sounds better.5 months agoFollow GeorgeGeorge Francis "Blow the trumpet when the red carpet is rolled"5 months agoFollow SteveSteve Ulin Salesmanship. In whatever medium you care to name.5 months agoFollow RudinaRudina Zeqiri Advertising= presentation of what"needed" with effective means.i.e. present the product/service as indispensable(irreplaceable) by means of the right media5 months agoFollow BarryBarry Silverstein Advertising is communicating your brand's unique appeal and benefit to your potential customers.5 months agoFollow JohnJohn Lowery Advertising provides top-of-mind-awareness so that when someone has a need for your product or service your name pops in their head instead of the name of a competitor.5 months agoFollow BillBill Benedict Advertising is brand positioning, when done correctly it will provide you with measurable Response, Retention and Recall within your target demographics.All the best,Bill5 months agoFollow CourtlandCourtland Smith Advertising = sensory engagement with the explicit intention of influencing perceptionTypically the sensory engagement is, to some degree, interuptive or intrusive, and the perceptions being influenced are those related to purchase decisions...either immediate (DR), or deferred (Branding).5 months agoFollow BrianBrian Jung Advertising is the art of persuasion.5 months agoFollow RalphRalph Winn Here's my thought on this. Advertising is creating meaningful messages directed at specific audiences, sometimes to promote and to sell products, sometimes to inform and teach.I hope that the presentations goes/went well.5 months agoFollow Joohong(Jay)Joohong(Jay) Yoo Storytelling5 months agoFollow BernardBernard Falkoff Before trying to answer this question, I "googled" and "yahoo'd" your question. There are pages and pages of answers. One definition even alluded to flower coloration as "advertising" to insects.The Institute of Practitioners of Advertising notes that :"Traditional views of advertising included:Advertising is any paid-for communication overtly intended to inform and/or influence one or more people.Jeremy Bullmore, Director, WPPAdvertising says to people, 'Here's what we've got. Here's what it will do for you. Here's how to get it.Leo BurnettI do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.David OgilvyDo public service announcements count as ads?Can social media product recommendations count as ads?What about word-of-mouth and guerilla marketing?Are PR, promotional items, t-shirts, web sites, blogs or anything with a logo or slogan ads?To me advertising all comes down to:Creating awareness, desire, and motivation to act (i.e., buy, switch, vote, etc.).5 months agoFollow RachelRachel Hamilton Social media relationships that establish firm customer loyalty while promoting your product/idea/service.That should be the 2010 definition!Rachel HamiltonSenior Industry Consultanthttp://www.americanconference.com/advertising_marketing/pharmaadvertising.htm5 months agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Hill Joohong Yoo is on it.How about: Advertising is assumed trust.5 months agoFollow AndrewAndrew Langdell Advertising is creating interest in a product or service.5 months agoFollow NealNeal Stamell the art (not science) of building bonds5 months agoFollow PaulPaul Campano Our job is to bring the dead facts to life. - Bill Bernbach5 months agoFollow RobRob Stanton One word: Sales.You can motive by fear, desire, or exclusivity. You can use print, web, radio, or social networks reaching a mass or targeted audience. You can create awareness, promote benefits, create a dialogue or build relationships. If any combination of these efforts are not moving a prospect to be a customer, it's not advertising.Over the years, I've seen people get lost in the execution and neglect (or even forget) the objective.5 months agoFollow RachelRachel Hamilton Is T.V. advertising worth it anymore?5 months agoFollow AndyAndy Sumlin Advertising is convincing someone that your product or service meets one or more of his needs.5 months agoFollow RobRob Stanton P.S. Great quote, Paul.5 months agoFollow RyanRyan Green To sum up what advertising means in one sentence...Advertising is building people's trust in brands. In 3 words or less..."Building brand-loyalty"5 months agoFollow RobRob Stanton @ Rachel. Absolutely, Television is still a vital channel for two classes of advertisers: large food/beverage/household goods brands (anything you would get at a supermarket) and the infomercial DRTV marketers.5 months agoFollow BernardBernard Matthews advertising is your name sung to the tune of your product5 months agoFollow Keith OrlandoKeith Orlando Hilton, PhD Advertising is growing your consumer base by persuasion. (That is my clean version :) KOH5 months agoFollow PeterPeter Wharton Keith, your clean version reminded me of Jerry Della Femina's definition: "Advertising is the most fun you can have with your pants on."Interestingly, when looking at JDF's supposed quotes the one below is attributed to Bill Bernbach on the discussion, "So posting an ad like this started an 8 month ...........""There is a great deal of advertising that is much better than the product. When that happens, all that the good advertising will do is put you out of business faster."Jerry Della Femina or Bill Bernbach?Makes one wonder who was first to say what but whatever was said by these two guys were invariably wise words!5 months agoFollow James E.James E. Friedman Advertising is...creating an equity position among a target market that reaches and motivates a sufficient number of consumers so a business can realize a specific growth objective.5 months agoFollow JeffJeff Harrison Advertising is what brings a product or service to life!! Before that it is just a dream that no one knows about.5 months agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Hill How about this...Advertising is whatever the Creative Director says it is.5 months agoFollow James E.James E. Friedman "Without advertising a terrible thing happens...NOTHING"Anonymous5 months agoFollow Susan TaitSusan Tait Porcaro show & tell5 months agoFollow SteveSteve Lehman advertising is a message of information.5 months agoFollow ShreeshShreesh Purushothaman advertising is an attempt to communicate "something" to your customers about your product / service.5 months agoFollow JeffJeff Sawyer Advertising is expressing relevant benefits in compelling ways.www.sawyerspeaks.wordpress.com5 months agoFollow EdEd Galm The emperor's new clothes.5 months agoFollow PaulPaul Zink To "advertise" is to turn someone's attention to something that's what the root of the word means. How you get someone's attention is up to you, but loud & frequent repetition of a message is usually a good start.Or as the old ditty goes:The codfish lays ten thousand eggs,The homely hen lays one;The codfish never cacklesTo tell you when she's done.And so we scorn the codfish,While the humble hen we prize;Which only goes to show youThat it pays to advertise.5 months agoFollow SteveSteve Schildwachter I'm a late entrant here, John, but I couldn't help jumping in. The advertising business is changing so rapidly that the definition changes constantly. That said, here's my attempt:"Advertising communicates between buyer and seller, and in the modern day it's successful when it starts a dialogue."Let me know if you'd like some additional thoughts tailored to your audience, strictly pro bono.Steve Schildwachterhttp://admajoremblog.blogspot.com5 months agoFollow DavidDavid West Good advertising is the equivalent of having 5,000 sales people on the road5 months agoFollow MITHUNMITHUN HN "Advertising is to bring in feeling and leading it to action"i am very young to make statement here, its just a try to understand how much do i know.mithun hnhttp://mtnscreativework.blogspot.com/4 months agoFollow RubyleneRubylene T. Advertising is a way to promote a product, service etc. to its target audience. In other words Advertising is a communication intended to persuade its audiences.Rubyhttp://www.dreamwalkmobile.com4 months agoFollow HenriHenri Duong Advertising is similar to fishing. Instead of bate you cast a message. The right bate for the right fish equals fish on the skillet. It is also me putting my link on this response:)http://www.arcmediasolutions.com4 months agoFollow GustavoGustavo Santana What kind of adverising? before internet or after internet?4 months agoFollow PrajwalPrajwal Viswanath advertising in layman terms is a paid form of user retention and conversion be it online or offline modes.4 months agoFollow TonyTony Kinzler Advertising is telling people what they need, even they don't need it.4 months agoFollow EllenEllen Healy Advertising is anything that captures the attention and hopefully the imagination and affinity of others towards your brand, your product or your message.4 months agoFollow RandyRandy Diplock Advertising is an industry that forks over more awards per capita (easily) than any other because of the insecurity of its practitioners.4 months agoFollow AlisonAlison Colby-Campbell Advertising is the attempt to draw people to a product.Effective Advertising is shining a spotlight on a product to make it more visible and memorable to the people most likely to need/want/buy it4 months agoFollow rajanrajan pandya advert - ising is rising ( announcing) your product value in adverse conditions4 months agoFollow CaroleCarole Gelm Holden Advertising is a form of PR that enables the paying advertiser to maintain control over the message, the delivery vehicle, and the timing.4 months agoFollow KevinKevin Endres it's getting your name and what you're about out there.4 months agoFollow MarvinMarvin Waldman Advertising attempts to drive purchase.4 months agoFollow NanNan XU Advertising is a combination of marketing tricks which can make the impossible possible.4 months agoFollow Ajeetpal singhAjeetpal singh sukhmani Advertising means getting your message to your target audience in the most effective way creating and impact.It starts with an idea, a message, the source who is delivering the message and the medium used to deliver the message.The perfect mix of the above will result an effective ad campaign.4 months agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Hill Amazing answers! Great job everyone!Advertising is a targeted message in the right placement that sells Motivation for Action.Chris HillPushforward iPhone app4 months agoFollow LoriLori Whitbey Advertising is about selling.4 months agoFollow EdEd Galm Advertising is convincing someone to buy something they most likely don't want, don't need, won't use and can't afford.4 months agoFollow RubenRuben Gonzalez Advertising is branding, awareness and please remember to purchase me when you see me.4 months agoFollow AlisonAlison Colby-Campbell Gee Ed, you're in a different ad business than I am . At Star Media weI very much believe in the products and services or our clients. That's what motivates us to go to work every day, getting to cheer on the products we want other people to experience because they've made our lives better or more enjoyable or if its a product we can't use (B2B and we're not either B, or health related products that we don't need) we have enough empathy to appreciate the benefits it could bring to someone else.4 months agoFollow PaulPaul Zink The responses to this question are now running to four pages long, and show no sign of falling off. Considering that this question was posted to a group named "Advertising Professionals", I find it very interesting that so many professionals in this business are so compelled to define our business to other colleagues working in the same business.4 months agoFollow EdEd Galm Gee Alison, no sense of humor?4 months agoFollow CarolynCarolyn Goodman Paul, I couldn't agree with you more. I'd also add that I've been stunned with the words some folks in this group have used to define "advertising." I was beginning to wonder if I was in the right group...4 months agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Hill Paul Zinkis right.I don't think anyone is learning anything. No one is so compelled, Don't you think this is fun? Its like a conversation game.Advertising is: "Do you want to play a game?"Advertising is: "Look over here, spend money."Advertising is: "You can be cool, spend money here."Advertising is: "Wash your hands and spend money here."Advertising is: "Spend money here and we will plant a tree for you."Advertising is: "Eat this and win."Advertising is: "Pay us to help you."Chris HillPushforward iPhone app---4 months agoFollow PaulPaul Zink Thanks Carolyn and Chris. I'll close this conversation with my favorite one-sentence summary, as told to me by the GM of a national agency's San Francisco office (where I once worked):"Advertising is a really shitty business."4 months agoFollow HebaHeba Hassan it's that fairy dust that makes you want more...4 months agoFollow PaulPaul D. How about one word: profit.4 months agoFollow PaulPaul Zink @Paul D: Alas, if that were true ("advertising is profit"), agencies would not fail all the the time. Perhaps you meant "Desire for Profit"?4 months agoFollow PaulPaul D. That would be three words. But yes, for the one sentence, it works!4 months agoFollow MichaelMichael Troiano Advertising is selling at a distance.4 months agoFollow AllanAllan Ross From Wikipedia "Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action." Can't say it any better.4 months agoFollow ThomThom Pulliam Advertising is what feeds our consumer culture and thus our economy and way of life.4 months agoFollow PeterPeter Wharton So Alan, if I fart in a crowded room I'll get action or a reaction. It's a persuasive technique, pleasant or otherwise, and by Wikipedia's definition that's advertising?4 months agoFollow SamanthaSamantha Renzi Advertising is a way to engage with consumers and inform them of available product and services. Without any communication, consumers would not know about their availability, benefits and uses.4 months agoFollow ScottScott McCracken My thought:Through a relevant and compelling message, inspire a defined market to know, consider, and ultimately purchase your product or service.4 months agoFollow TimTim Hinson one sentence means no "i.e.", no presentation, no preamble, no incoherence, no serial commas, no jargon--leave it to a copywriter ;D:Advertising is the argument to secure the greatest share of the consumers' mind.4 months agoFollow AxelAxel Iberti Bring us to you!4 months agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Hill OMG this is still going? We should go on tour.I welcome all of you to join my LinkedIn connections.I feel like we are friends now.Chris Hill123contactme@gmail.com4 months agoFollow BillBill Truran Enticement to buy.4 months agoFollow OnurOnur Yilmaz sex without orgasm4 months agoFollow PaulPaul Donley Advertising is customer education.4 months agoFollow ScottScott Brown Communication. Period.4 months agoFollow PeterPeter Martin I'll buy all that.4 months agoFollow MitchellMitchell Gumbley The pedant in me has to point out that "advertising" is not just about "consumers" or "selling", nor is it limited to "products" and "services"!Lobbyists advertise, as do politicians and charities. They will advertise to change perceptions, raise awareness and ask for help; none of it strictly categorised as "selling".My take on it?...advertising is communication to achieve a specific marketing goal.4 months agoFollow PeterPeter Martin Doesn't have to always being selling something to be sure, but having trouble thinking of any communication that involves advertising as being worth much if the target doesn't 'buy it' and respond as desired.4 months agoFollow MitchellMitchell Gumbley 'buy it' or 'buy into it'?...I think a lot of "advertising" (in any form or within any channel) can still be guilty of failing on that factor. But the question here was to define "advertising" in one sentence, rather than go into issues of what defines its effectiveness.4 months agoFollow Laura (Bell)Laura (Bell) Greeno Advertising = "Hey, look at me!" It reminds me of a child yelling for his mom to "watch me" when he does something he thinks is special.4 months agoFollow MitchellMitchell Gumbley Again... (Ted) trying to define advertising within the confines of "buyers" and an enticement to "purchase". This is not the limit of "advertising" and therefor is not its definition.Also, I believe Mr. Bernbach had something to say about it not being a science...4 months agoFollow TomTom Cunniff To paraphrase George Orwell, advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket done so artfully that you start to think the swill is swell.4 months agoFollow JamesJames Skiles As per Mitchell Gumbley's astute entry, regarding Mr. Bernbach's quote -"Persuasion"4 months agoFollow DylanDylan S. How about one word?EXPOSURE4 months agoFollow CerroneCerrone Lundy Good advertising is 'match making', bad advertising is 'stalking'.4 months agoFollow JeffJeff Sawyer Turning a marketers They have to have it! into a buyers I have to have it! thats advertising.4 months agoFollow AndreaAndrea Giacobbe Advertising is a mix of art and science that persuades the consumer to make purchases that enrich their lives.4 months agoFollow FavioFavio Martinez Advertising is a one-way form of communication aimed at driving a target audience to take a specific action and meet a marketing objective.4 months agoFollow AllanAllan Wash What isn't advertising. That's the better question. Every time I decide what shirt to put on, smile at someone, answer a phone call...I'm advertising. Communicating. It's all selling, no matter how oblique. Or, how cynical?4 months agoFollow MitchellMitchell Gumbley Dylan, I think "EXPOSURE" could also refer to PR; another form of communication entirely, so not defining enough.I think that James and Favio are spot on with their perceptions on the topic. And Tom, I love the Orwell paraphrasing brilliant!Too many still believe that advertising has to be about commerce; resulting in the exchange of goods and services for some form of currency (doesn't have to be money; could be bonds or shares). In fact lots of things are 'advertised' that aren't for sale at all.Here in Britain, the COI is the largest advertiser in the country, with an annual budget of over £200; yet they 'sell' nothing! They are a Public Service organisation, announcing and distributing information for the government. Some of the 'advertising' could be about what citizens are entitled to by way of allowances, grants or rebates; so actually, the currency exchange in these instances are the reverse of that associated with commerce no "buyers", no "purchases", no "consumers".4 months agoFollow PeterPeter Martin When it comes to the COI's output, while there is much to commend in intent and/or execution, I regret that, for this target audience of one at least, there is also on occasion the odd message that I don't 'buy' at all.4 months agoFollow BillBill Christensen Advertising helps people understand your product or service.4 months agoFollow VenVen Batista advertising is what creative people do during daylight. (The ones that want to eat anyway)4 months agoFollow BlankaBlanka Roundtree Thanks Ven, that says it all :)4 months agoFollow WayneWayne Wiggins Jr Advertising is a brand's insurance policy4 months agoFollow MarkMark Greenberg I think Brian Jung hit it squarely on page two... but I will add one word to his:Advertising is the art of attractive persuasion.4 months agoFollow JeffJeff Sawyer Advertising is what we're not doing right now.4 months agoFollow YiYi Jiang Advertising;making dreams everyday & night4 months agoFollow JunJun Capati Advertising is Sales and service in all medium you could possibly used4 months agoFollow HamadaHamada Taleb-Agha (Successful) Advertising entices consumer to take action in trying something new that could help them in fulfilling their needs with satisfaction.4 months agoFollow MitchellMitchell Gumbley How about..."Advertising encourages relationships."It's also true that 'bad' advertising could equally discourage it by creating a negative reaction.I've seen some advertising recently, with the message of intentionally discouraging a relationship... that was for an anti-Fascist lobbying group trying to disrupt the BNP election campaign!4 months agoFollow VishwanathVishwanath Kannan A means to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity!Thats what advertising is all about!!4 months agoFollow MitchellMitchell Gumbley Vishwanath... surely advertising is an important component used by brands in order to construct the "brand image" within peoples minds. Therefore, rather than a a bridge between brand image and brand identity (or more correctly, a brand and its image), it is about bridging the gap between a brand owner and their marketplace.Who would have thought such a seemingly simple question would prompt such thought provoking debate? Just goes to show how much of what we do is either taken for granted or misunderstood.A big 'thank-you' to all who have contributed!4 months agoFollow VishwanathVishwanath Kannan Yeah it surely is. Thanks to John for starting this healthy discussion!Also, can anybody tell the difference between Marketing & Advertising?4 months agoFollow PaoloPaolo Rumi Advertising is making people feel something, or trying to.4 months agoFollow MitchellMitchell Gumbley Marketing takes many forms and advertising is just one part of the process; a 'tool' that can be used as part of a marketer's (or marketeer's) armoury!4 months agoFollow TimTim Hinson so glad you asked about marketing v. advertising: http://vicariousplease.blogspot.com/2010/01/on-corporate-marketing-and-why.html4 months agoFollow KimKim Baker Advertising = asking for attention.4 months agoFollow RicRic Bachrach Advertising is the paid placement of brand messaging.4 months agoFollow JimJim Nealey adding value.4 months agoFollow ScottScott Schlichter Acknowledgement to Activation4 months agoFollow PaulPaul Campano Can we start a new discussion? I think it has all been said.4 months agoFollow ScottScott Armstrong What I am paying to tell you about myself4 months agoFollow XavierXavier O. Campos I just came across this quote from the 1930s performer Will Rogers. He referred to it as: "Ah, advertising, the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need."Honestly, how much has changed?4 months agoFollow ThereseTherese French Refining Kim Baker's comment- Advertising = PAYING for attentionor in other words- 'Paid Graffiti"typically shows up in the darnedest places most commonly unsolicited and unwelcome... OH BOY- I hear a "social networking" discussion about to break out!4 months agoFollow Duane L.Duane L. Dyer Advertising: 1. To give attention to... 2.The act or practice of calling public attention to one's product, service or need by paid announcement. 3. The profession of planning, designing and writing advertising.Marketing: 1. the act of buying or selling in a market. 2. The activites of a company associated with buying and selling a product or service. It includes advertising, selling and delivering products to people. The four 'P's' of selling are Product, Place, Price and Promotion. By definition.4 months agoFollow RUTTONRUTTON KERSHAW CUSTOMER SEDUCTION4 months agoFollow RachelRachel Hamilton Rutton,That's the best answer yet! But the seducing is all wrong. ROI on most advertisements are embarrassingly low. Massive direct advertising works only with companies that can afford the frequency. Besides that, they only make one time costumers and fail to convert them into assets! Social media is heading in the same direction and will end up as unsolicited saturated clutter, if not abused. The good seducers are relevant seducers, fabricating the appearance of there services to the clients specificationsAdvertising: Fail.Best regardsRachelView my event on Financial Services Marketing Compliance. Message me if interested. Special offer is available. http://www.americanconference.com/finance/FSMarketing.htm4 months agoFollow DonDon Brashears Advertising is paid persuasion.4 months agoFollow RickRick Rosner Trying to get people to buy thingsthey don't need with money they don't have.4 months agoFollow AlbertAlbert Wood Advertising is providing just enough selected information to an audience, to cause them to act to seek out more information.4 months agoFollow MM J advertising = impress.. however you define it.. express it it.. twist it.. top it up.. whatever definition you give it.. its just how you impress.. :)4 months agoFollow SonnySonny Villarreal III Companies spend an infinite amount of time creating goods/services to enhance the lives of consumers, and advertising is essentially a concentrated "blast" of all of company's efforts that will explain all the benefits (aka meat and potatoes) and how the product/service will better the life of the consumer.4 months agoFollow DavidDavid Phillips Advertising is content precisely placed on any medium4 months agoFollow HermannHermann von der Meden It΄s the art of eating shit without making any gesture4 months agoFollow TracyTracy Crowell Advertising is any means that drives sales and grows yours business.4 months agoFollow DarrinDarrin Sarto Advertising is nicely asking someone to do or believe something.4 months agoFollow GedGed Stankus Whether it's a 30 sec tv spot, print ad, outdoor board, banner ad or any other medium or tactic, advertising is in lieu of you going door-to-door selling your product, service or cause in-person.4 months agoFollow AndyAndy Feldman A paid method of communications designed to achieve engagement by its target audience.4 months agoFollow RichRich Miller Advertising is an empowering idea that motivates a person into action. See also "What is Advertising?" at http://bit.ly/blrd5V4 months agoFollow TadTad DeWree Advertising is the paid, tactical placement and display of visual and aural communication intended to inform, explain, enlighten or influence an audience in order to incite reaction, response or elicit specific behavior.Or., my preferred description: Innovative interruption.4 months agoFollow EdEd Galm Reading this discussion is like getting your doctorate degree Advertising Spin.1 question 151 answers all different and absolute. Yet the same.My favorite part is we are defining what we do to people who do the same thing we do. I love this discussion!!!4 months agoFollow RandyRandy Diplock I guess you missed mine Ed: Advertising is an industry that forks over more awards per capita (easily) than any other because of the insecurity of its practitioners.4 months agoFollow EdEd Galm Randy I could not agree more. I stand corrected 150.4 months agoFollow C. StevenC. Steven Garcia Any presentation of a product.4 months agoFollow RayRay Campbell Advertising is the devil's playground!4 months agoFollow BlankaBlanka Roundtree Thanks for the link Rich,I do enjoy the "Little Prince" - It means to establish ties, answers the fox."4 months agoFollow RobbyRobby Campbell Advertising: "Look at me."Bad advertising: "Hey, please look at me!!!???!!"Good advertising: "Here's looking at you."4 months agoFollow DiegoDiego Cappella the art of making you buy things you don't need.4 months agoFollow AliciaAlicia Ierardi ...linking consumer insights and business strategy, with creative execution to increase awareness and sales4 months agoFollow MathieuMathieu Bouyrie Create enough endorsement on a product that people will buy it4 months agoFollow ErnestErnest Burden My job.4 months agoFollow RyanRyan Murrin Paid pluggery.4 months agoFollow MarkMark Greenberg Damn... right when I decided to stop following this thread you give me "paid pluggery'. Well played sir! OK, I'm back in.... for a bit anyway....4 months agoFollow AlisonAlison Colby-Campbell "Paid pluggery" is worth the time and effort it took to delete 163 less inspired answers (including my own)4 months agoFollow KevinKevin Simcock I'll sum it up in one word...persuasion. Advertising persuades people to purchase, to interact and engage with brands.4 months agoFollow GregGreg Allardice Advertising is telling the truth about your product, brand or service.The media formats to achieve this run into millions......but always tell the truth.Greg AllardiceMedia Futures Pty Ltdwww.mediafutures.com.au4 months agoFollow PaulPaul D. @ Greg Allardice: well said. Always tell the truth about your product or service!4 months agoFollow JimJim Muck Advertising is subtle (or not so subtle in some cases) communication to a group of consumers in which we try to persuade them to make a product purchase in the very near future.4 months agoFollow GeoffGeoff Whitlock Advertising is a widely used marketing tactic that predominantly relies on paid media outlets to gain Brand impressions or to promote products and/or services.4 months agoFollow ShiuliShiuli Mukherji Advertising is just like salt, do not overuse, underuse, abuse or misuse, else it disrupts the perfect taste.4 months agoFollow MohitMohit Kalra Advertising is something which connects me with a brand and reminds me to buy that particular brand out of the whole segment.4 months agoFollow MohammedMohammed Siddique Advertising is getting attention of the consumer mind for the brand or product4 months agoFollow ZackZack Kinslow Advertising is the opposite of boredom.4 months agoFollow IonutIonut Preda Advertising means to sell ice to the Eskimos4 months agoFollow HansHans Blaas In one sentence, what is a question?Common, this isn't rocket science...stating the obvious...or a contest who has the most witty answer...or is it?4 months agoFollow KevinKevin Weagle Advertising is the Opiate of the people.4 months agoFollow AshleyAshley Morrison "Sometimes you sell the sizzle, sometimes you sell the steak" - either way, it's ultimately about selling something.4 months agoFollow GlennGlenn Holberton Allowing consumers to realise how much they need to purchase your product.4 months agoFollow TracyTracy Crowell It is a contest Hans Blaas, and you lose.4 months agoFollow HansHans Blaas WOW Tracy Crowell great reply! Hope it took you more than 10 seconds...4 months agoFollow StephenStephen Levy Buying water in a container.4 months agoFollow RaghuramRaghuram MK :-)http://steppenwolfcreative.wordpress.com4 months agoFollow ManishManish Singh Creative ways of creating a pull.4 months agoFollow DoreenDoreen Dvorin A different take, but it's kept me in business: Advertising is advocating for a product, service or social movement, etc., the practitioner believes in.4 months agoFollow HenryHenry Martinez Advertising is the act of informing the public of a product or service.4 months agoFollow KritikaKritika saxena Advertising is fun!its showing others what is the product capable off!4 months agoFollow RajeshRajesh Bhatkal Budget alocated to promote product/services4 months agoFollow VinodVinod Gajghate ADVERT((refer))I((me))SING((to celebrate is song; to give praises to in verse; to relate or rehearse in numbers, verse, or poetry))4 months agoFollow JaimeJaime Collins paid promotion.......what's fascinating here is that so many people in the business have just as many differing conceptions of what we do.4 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Is a means to an end4 months agoFollow Jennifer LeighJennifer Leigh Williams - Harris Advertising says to people, 'Here's what we've got, here's what it will do for you, here's how to get it.' - Leo Burnett4 months agoFollow AlAl Shultz I most agree with Bret, Barry and John.Al Shultzhttp://www.alshultz.com/4 months agoFollow LouisLouis Wittig Buy this.4 months agoFollow ChristianChristian Leatham http://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-category-Advertising-page-3.htm4 months agoFollow SteveSteve Schildwachter Which defintion did John Cooley actually use? Which of you submitted the best definitions? Find out on the Ad Majorem blog:http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/quick-define-advertising-in-one.html4 months agoFollow NajamNajam Ahmed Don't ask about Advertising! Ask about Digital Advertising:Digital Advertising = Maximum Results at Minimum Cost4 months agoFollow DennisDennis Parker Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action.At least according to Wikipedia4 months agoFollow MayaMaya Fayfer Advertising is a science, which orients consumer choices toward mostfeatured brands. Repetition create familiarity. Would you ever consider to buy non-standard cerial and building set in plain brown boxes or plastic bags?4 months agoFollow EricEric Fernandez "The art of behavioral engineering."Advertising shifts our behavior by pulling at the strings of what makes us human. It's operates on two levels: nature and nurture. With one hand it manipulates universal human tendencies and cognitive biases and with the other it taps into cultural and subcultural environments, relationships, and value systems.4 months agoFollow ArunArun KP advertising -necessary because seeing is beliving4 months agoFollow ScottScott Warhurst Advertising - The face of your business.4 months agoFollow ThierryThierry Van der Hoeven Advertising is creating action & reaction4 months agoFollow Ryan B.Ryan B. King Any brand communication aimed to create or further consumer experiences and integrate into their sub-culture. Or if you go by George Lois' definition, it's poison gas.4 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy "Advertising is salesmanship. The only purpose of advertising is to make sales."Claude Hopkins wrote that in his landmark book Scientific Advertising.He was right nearly 90 years ago. He's still right today.Our industry has collapsed because we've strayed from that tenet. It may come back if we return to it.4 months agoFollow OzgurOzgur Dogan Creating impact for selling more and more.4 months agoFollow SteveSteve Schildwachter Several of you have also made suggestions on Ad Majorem:http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/quick-define-advertising-in-one.html4 months agoFollow PeterPeter Wharton What is advertising? This is:http://www.admanta.com/add/10/admanta_adc.html4 months agoFollow KeithKeith Whitmer I always loved Jerry Della Feminas quote "I honestly believe that advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on." Ha!!I am not sure advertising is a relevant term anymore. I no longer see separation in the disciplines that now come under the heading Branding.Under my definition you can include what was once called PR or before that, publicity. Also included could be what was once packaging and identity design. Firms like Landor led the way to broaden the definition of branding and blurred the lines between advertising and branding in my opinion. Digital web / interactive firms are blurring the lines between branding and media and web design.So if advertising can now encompass all that above, today my one-sentence definition would be, Advertising is any paid communication designed to influence a specified targets opinion, impression, feeling, belief or notion.I also dont believe advertising can make anyone buy or vote for anything. The final sale is the responsibility of the product, service or candidate. You can lead a horse to water .Maybe that's a better definition: Advertising is leading a horse to water.;7)>4 months agoFollow LoudLoud Pen Advertising is making your customer want your good or service by presenting images through different forms of media.4 months agoFollow GregGreg Donelan-Rapacki Advertising is getting the important information out there.4 months agoFollow CarolinaCarolina Ovi Advertising = DreamWalk an amazing marketing tool that can provide thousands of new clients for your business at a very low cost, improving the sales.4 months agoFollow GregGreg Allardice Keith Whitmer has hit the nail on the head. The blurring of the lines puts advertising into a whole new era. Also included in this blurring is the unpaid exposure that come from one off mentions and ad libs within the media.The term advertising is no longer what is was over the past 50 years.The rise of social networking and the expansion of referral groups places advertising into the generic category.Advertising or should we say communications are now a specialist fuction with many subsets in which to participate.Yes it is still a fun business........but changed forever.Greg AllardiceMedia Futures Pty Ltd4 months agoFollow GregGreg Allardice Keith Whitmer has hit the nail on the head. The blurring of the lines puts advertising into a whole new era. Also included in this blurring is the unpaid exposure that come from one off mentions and ad libs within the media.The term advertising is no longer what is was over the past 50 years.The rise of social networking and the expansion of referral groups places advertising into the generic category.Advertising or should we say communications are now a specialist fuction with many subsets in which to participate.Yes it is still a fun business........but changed forever.Greg AllardiceMedia Futures Pty Ltd4 months agoFollow TonyTony Miller Creative problem solving.4 months agoFollow SamirSamir Verma Advertising is simply the art of persuasion!SAMIR VERMA,MANAGING DIRECTOR,MYRIAD CONSULTING.4 months agoFollow FranηoisFranηois Jullien in a TED speech, Rory Sutherland quoted an old saying about poetry that goes : "Poetry is when you make new things familiar and familiar things new" which would also be a very good description of what we do...4 months agoFollow PaoloPaolo Rumi advertising is ohh!4 months agoFollow ClaraClara Llamas The skill of building *trust* and *relationships* that allow you to build more value for your customers and for your business.4 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy Looks like an awwwwwww-ful lot of people need to discover/re-discover Claude Hopkins: "Advertising is salesmanship. The purpose of advertising is to make sales."David Ogilvy practically worshiped Hopkins. Direct Marketing couldn't exist without Hopkins' simple, unassailable wisdom. The world's greatest copywriters have been those who panned for Hopkins' gold.Once you stray from Hopkins' simple definition of advertising, you have nothing. Well, not totally nothing. You have an industry that has become a sort of Frankenstein's monster pieced together from whatever the current fad or definition du jour is.In short, you have Advertising, circa 2010.Here's an easy way to prove Hopkins was (and is) right: When your client looks you in the eye and asks, "How will your efforts sell my products and services?" What do you say?If you toe the dirt, hem and haw and speak of "impressions" and "hits" and "awareness" and "persuasion" or "social media," a savvy client (or would-be client) is liable to bolt for an agency or freelancer with more definitive answers.In this day and age, clients cannot afford fuzzy thinking. They want *results*. They demand ROI. If we advertising professionals cannot demonstrate ROI to them, if we cannot develop a strategy that leads to tactics that lead directly to sales, they'll go elsewhere -- likely straight into the arms of Direct Marketing professionals who *can* demonstrate ROI and who *do* think in those terms.Bill4 months agoFollow ClaraClara Llamas That is one great name you've mentioned and author of some of the most relevant *accountability* frameworks used (or ignored) by direct marketeers worldwide today - even though he was doing his work in the 20s. To anyone who does not have the tome, they can find it here: scientificadvertising.blogspot.com4 months agoFollow RandyRandy Diplock Wow.I came this_____close to sending a pithy note asking people to move onto another topic. For obvious reasons. And then something occurred to me.Like many segments of society or business, it seems to be our nature to want to have a blanket statement that applies to something with many variables.(So, what the hell is my point?)My point is that the Ogilvy/Hopkins debate makes perfect sense. When you've got something to sell.What if you don't? What if your clients' product is no better than the competition? That's where information takes a back seat and entertainment/ creativity takes a more important role.Nike shoes are no better than Reebok though you'd never know it if you looked at the numbers.The difference? The creativity (and exposure) that surrounds the brand.On another note, asking what advertising is, is like asking if tourism advertising is tough. It all depends on whether your client is the Costa Rica tourism board or the Iraq tourism board.All of which means that, like so many other things in life, there's advertising and there's advertising just like there are advertisers and there are advertisers.4 months agoFollow EUREKAEUREKA N.W.AYER Advertising is getting people to wish what you want while enjoying your work.4 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy @Randy, your statements require a response:1. "My point is that the Ogilvy/Hopkins debate makes perfect sense. When you've got something to sell."Answer: If you don't have something to sell, you shouldn't be advertising.2. "What if you don't? What if your clients' product is no better than the competition?"Answer: Get a different client. Or use your creativity to FIND something different about your client's product and differentiate it in the market place. If you chose that option, you have something to sell.Advertising is ONLY about selling. It has no other function or purpose. When you start talking about something else ("exposure," for example) you just crossed over into another discipline: Public Relations.Would you honestly look into your client's eyes and say, "Your product is no different from your competitors. So here's what I'm gonna do: I'm gonna be real creative and design this really cool campaign. It probably won't sell any more of your widgets. But at least more people will know about your widgets."If you have clients who believe that, please send them my way. I'll find a way to differentiate their products and create campaigns that SELL them.Bill4 months agoFollow RandyRandy Diplock Just to clarify Bill, in terms of having something to sell, I mean a perceived difference, USP. I should've been clearer there.On the second point, as you know of course, most agencies can't or won't simply give up a client because they want you to do a :30 for new Chocolate Cheerios.I totally agree with you that the only function for advertising is selling. I've met far too many who think it's some sort of art form that you're obliged to stick a logo on.I've often thought about the clients who would cringe if they listened in on some of the talks I've had with young creatives on what the business is all about. Sad that the discussions ever have to take place.And to your last point, I was lucky enough to work with one of the main creative guys who developed much of the Nike campaign back in the 80's (Dan Wieden's more talented brother, Ken) and essentially, that's exactly what they said to their Nike client many times.That they don't have a tangible point of difference. As Ken used to say, "If we don't have a shoe that has a real point of difference, make the public want to hang out with your brand".And they've done that for umpteen years.To the point where I've seen people who have hand-cut Nike logos to stick on the back of their car window and football players putting black Nike logos under their eyes instead of charcoal to cut the glare.To be honest, to a point where I'll do anything to avoid their logo because of the saturation and won't wear anything with it on, or even use a Nike golf ball I come across (all too often) in the woods.And to your point about the widgets, just have a look at the numbers in terms of Nike/Reebok/Adidas/Puma sales.More people know about Nike's widgets and more people want to be seen in Nike's widgets.The numbers don't lie.4 months agoFollow TimTim Hinson Bill...You're so focused on the hard sell. You neglect the number one reason why people buy: because it makes them feel good. Emotion. And emotion is art. If you can't convince your client that art and culture is a necessary component of the strategy, then you're bound to ball-and-chain advertising, where status quo reigns and innovation pains. Advertising brings sales by building brand, making people come to us in a true tipping-point fashionmarketing increases sales by numbers and by exhausting brand equity.4 months agoFollow KeithKeith Whitmer To me "selling" is the point of entry for advertising, it is not the sum of it's being. Today advertising is so much broader than the simple sale. Yes in the end you want to sell something, a product, a reputation, a service. But saying that advertising is simply a sale is like saying "driving a car is arriving at a destination." I want much more than to simply arrive at the end of my journey.4 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy Tim, did I say anything about advertising lacking emotion? Did I say anything about "hard sell"?The very best advertising pushes every appropriate emotional button. It motivates. It persuades. It captivates. It compels.But it must always result in sales.When I survey the state of the advertising world today, I don't see sales. I see emotion. Or cleverness. Or hipness. I see ad agencies at work, rather than products working hard to be sold.What's ball-and-chain advertising got to do with it? Why is it a chore or a bother or a reluctant indulgence to have our advertising efforts result in SALES for our clients?The word "brand" is not that old. Claude Hopkins and John E. Kennedy probably didn't know it or concern themselves with it. I doubt Ogilvy thought of "brand" first and foremost, either. He was concerned with SALES. His job was to make his clients rich. In so doing, he made himself incredibly rich. "Brand" is a lovely by-product of selling products and services worth selling, that people love to buy, tell others about, and continue to buy repeatedly.When I teach college students about advertising, I start with explanations like yours. Then I ask, "What if a product had massive name recognition and yet not enough people bought it to keep the company in business?"Or, to put it another way, "What if I created the greatest, most creative ad campaign, one the generated massive buzz, one that was talked about around the water cooler for days...and yet no one bought the product. Would you say that was a successful campaign?"The answer, of course, is No. It doesn't matter how cool, creative, emotional, hip, clever, or brand-building a campaign is. If it doesn't produce sales, it's a bust. Your client will go out of business. And, eventually, so will you.Advertising is about sales. It has to be. Or else all we're doing is fooling ourselves -- and our clients.4 months agoFollow CarolynCarolyn Goodman Bill: I agree with you 100%. And wasn't the campaign for Pets.com a perfect example of a company with massive brand recognition but they went out of business? That singing dog hand puppet during the Super Bowl put them on the map of "fun TV commercials"; but the business failed. PetSmart bought the URL...4 months agoFollow TimTim Hinson Thanks Bill,I hear you, I think it's merely a difference in persuasive priorities. I believe sales should be a byproduct of brand, and you believe, i believe, brand should be a byproduct of sales. Interesting discourse. And, I teach my students that contextual relevance is king and incorporating your message into the lives of your audience will result in long-term identification with a company, resulting in full support of present and future products.4 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Bill Murphy: What exactly is say Legacy selling? Well I guess they are anti-selling right? Performance is measured by how many people...well is it stop smoking or not smoke at all? Or is it influence others not to smoke? Maybe it is to get legislation passed? It really does not lead to a "transaction" does it?What about a company that decides to do a corporate imaging campaign? Say no products but just a feel good about how company 1 is looking out for the environment? If overall sales go up does that mean success? Well only if that is the only campaign in market and no other changes have happened. But what if we measured how a segment's attitude towards a brand has changed and that segments likelyhood to buy in the future? Is that not success? Or do we have to follow that segment for years, disregard any other messages they might see, and apply results back to the corporate imaging campaign?The problem with the belief that good advertising=selling stuff (there is another word instead of stuff that is usually used) that it doesn't take into account the complexity of actually "selling" to consumers. It is not always a simple as certain direct marketers or promotions people make it out to be. The point of advertising is to shape or change an attitude, belief and/or behavior. Sometimes that behavior is buy product A instead of product B, buy more of product A in category X instead of spending on category Y, buy category X for the first time, etc. Other times it could be change your attitude about product A and/or category X so I can "sell" you something later, develop a belief about category y so you never buy it...and so on.I do like Tony Miller's suggestion or my own which was "a means towards an end." I think your opinion is too down funnel and limiting.4 months agoFollow KeithKeith Whitmer Jonathan, I think you've sold me.... whah ....DOHH!!!!4 months agoFollow GregGreg Allardice " What is advertising " has certainly created a lot of comment.Everything from selling to creating a favourable image.The true impact of advertising is in the heart of the customer.Unless there is a compelling emotional reason to buy, then there is no sale.Let your creative and artistic talents come to the fore.The customer will perceive immediately if there is a fit or not with your product, brand or service.Greg AllardiceMedia Futures Pty Ltd4 months agoFollow RandyRandy Diplock Is it just me?I don't think anyone is questioning that we're here to sell.It's just that different products and services and their respective attributes need to be sold differently.4 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Randy, what I am questioning is the point of view that everything should lead DIRECTLY to a "sale" - e.g. quantifiable ROI linked to a specific piece of communication, campaign and/or initiative. You might have heard of this little award called an EFFIE (I say that tongue and cheek of course)? Well my agency, in collaboration with Crispin and American Express OPEN, just was awarded one for "Open Forum" (announced this past month). Having personally written briefs for this initiative I can assure you there was never mention of "selling" of any product that DIRECTLY lead to any revenue for AmEx. In fact, if you go to openforum.com you might notice you are unable to "purchase" a single revenue producing AmEx product DIRECTLY. Moreover, it actually gives free stuff away!So, either the EFFIE judges have awarded "Open Forum" for its effectiveness in selling nothing or the judges recognized the value of communications and advertising that don't DIRECTLY lead to sales. I am not saying that the initiative does not INDIRECTLY lead to sales, but for the life of me I can't quantify it directly (no pun intended). I certainly can qualify it though (having spoken and listened to numerous consumers and customers) and tell you how it builds brand value. But I can assure you that "Open Forum" is not meant to sell anything DIRECTLY.4 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy Jonathan, congratulations. You just won an award based on selling nothing.Remember that scene in City Slickers where Mitch (Billy Crystal) is talking to the classroom full of kids? He realizes the futility of his life when he boils down his job to "selling air."Somehow, advertising today -- according to EFFIE judges -- is about "selling air."Can you imagine what awards would mean -- not just to the agencies who take them home, but to the clients of the agencies as well -- if they were based on a combination of creativity AND results?Wow. Be still my heart. That's a bona fide win-win situation! Agencies get to brag. Clients get to increase their business.Alas, such is not the case today. One side of that equation is missing.I'll go back to one of my original questions. Jonathan, let's say you win a dozen awards for your Open Forum gig. Let's say AdAge gives you a two-page spread. Let's say "brand value" (however you measure that nebulous term) is built up -- yet AmEx doesn't increase market share or the number of its customers one whit. At that point, would you say your efforts were helpful to AmEx? Or just to Digitas and Crispin?I don't know about you guys. But the clients I've worked with over the years -- and especially now when money is tight -- don't give a rat's behind about awards. Awards don't put food on the table. They don't save jobs from the axe if the department heads, charged with increasing market share/business, don't produce.Don't get me wrong. Clients love award-winning work as much as agencies do. But clients live in a much colder world of bottom lines and blacks and reds. As a result, increasing numbers of clients would much rather work with an agency that gives them results than, well, "air."4 months agoFollow EricEric Fernandez The objective of many advertising campagigns might be about sales, but all of them? Not, without a clever word trick."In one sentence, what is advertising?"There are many ways to approach an advertising definition: a focus on the process, it's significance, the final objective, it's impact etc. But, regardless of the area we choose to focus on, the strongest definition will always be the one that best helps us sort 'what is advertising' from 'what it is not.' Anything else leans towards advertising advice/wisdom, but is not a real definition.So let's assess the strength of a common way of defining advertising that we are hearing a lot in this forum, "Advertising is about generating sales."If that's a strong definition, it should hold true in all cases. But, before we put "sales" to the test, let's take a closer look at the word "sales." Both the denotive dictionary meaning and popular connotations point you to an exchange of goods and services for money. So now we ask ourselves, is the ultimate objective of all ad campaigns about sales?Not really. Think about ad campaigns aiming to sway public opinion to alter legislation, or election ad campaigns. Are those outside the realm of advertising? Was the Obama Cannes Lion unwarranted? No. That's all advertising too. Yet, no sales were involved.Sales are a common objective, but not the only one, and not always the most important one. So it seems that we need a stronger definition, because this won't really help us define what makes something advertising or not. We need a broader concept that covers all campaigns including those that target sales as well as votes, voicing a cause, signing petitions, etc.What unites all these campaigns under one roof? They all alter behavior. Whether it's shifting behavior from one action to another, or increasing/decreasing the frequency/intensity of a certain action, all advertising is fundamentally about causing an eventual change in behavior.The "sales" argument, works much better as a piece of advertising advice. If the question was "In one sentence, what key objective do most advertisers overlook" then I'd agree, 'Driving sales' is a good answer. But, stronger definitions exist for advertising.P.S.For fun, we could imagine a logical way that the "sales" objective could be positioned as an advertising definition. But this would involve a definitional trick using semantic ninjutsu. :) Simply take the word "sales" and define it in broader terms so that it stands for all sorts of beneficial behaviors. When you do that, sales payments transform from money exchange to any action (votes, letters to senator, etc.) Another, similar approach would be to take the word advertising and limit it so much that by definition it covers only Sales and then to label everything else PR, etc.Does this work? Technically. But, it requires some heavy conceptual rewiring, and is a kludgy work around. It also leads to a lot of heated discussion because people are no longer speaking the same language, and confusion ensues. It's better to search for a more accurate concept than to try to rewrite how a concept is commonly used.4 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Bill...at this point I have to question if you even know what an EFFIE is? You do realize that it is an award for EFFECTIVENESS? Or did that not register? Here is one measure for you...American Expresses' stock price rebounded by going up nearly 400%. Obviously there are many, many factors that led to the rebound but I'm sure they don't mind one or two of those winning an award for EFFECTIVENESS! Who said anything about an award that recognizes creativity only?4 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Eric, another account planner (the very people who are responsible for measuring success for our clients), gets it...4 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy Jonathan, I was reacting to your admission that you won the award for "selling nothing" juxtaposed against the "effectiveness" aspect of the EFFIE. That's called an oxymoron, my friend.And are you trying to tell us that AmEx stock rose 400% because Digitas/Crispin won an EFFIE? If you're not saying that, why did you bring it up?Look, it's okay to sell air...as long as you discover Curly's "one thing" before the end of the last reel.4 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Bill, maybe it is due to the difference in the size of the clients that we both work for but I think you are missing the point. First, if you are strictly doing product marketing you are centered primarily on how much product you are pushing (I agree there). But products tend to have a short lifespan and are either improved upon or replaced (I mean you are not still using an Apple IIe are you?). Brands, on the other hand, tend to live a lot longer (and turn into things like iPods and iBooks) and enable you to sell many products over time. Now most of product marketing also builds the brand and much of brand marketing ends up focused around a product/service or two. Its many times hard to distinguish what is truly product vs. brand marketing but it doesnt mean you cannot measure the impact advertising has on the brand. How to measure it is a discussion in itself but it is not as hard as you think and involves using words like equity and brand value.The thing you have to remember, which applies to the Open Forum case, is that strong brands (with the ability to live over time and outlive individual products) tend to be built more on how that brand acts and not just on what it says. Some of those actions, at times, need to be advertised. It would be great if everyone just knew a brand did this or that but unfortunately that is not always the case. Thus a brand is unfortunately forced to prove its own actions and values through advertising. In American Express case they found a perfect storm where they were able to use communications and advertising to act. With Open Forum AmEx was able to create a community which supported business owners with unique content that helped them run their business. It turned out to be more EFFECTIVE in building a positive perception of OPEN than just running a bunch of ads that said something like we are behind you buddy. But still, it did not DIRECTLY lead to purchase not in a way you can directly measure it as in we ran these ads, so and so saw one, so and so got a card.AmEx has a budget that allows it to market both brand and products. Im guessing, based on reading you background, that your clients dont have this luxury. In your case I can completely understand why they want to directly measure results to and through a purchase. In my case, the only way to truly measure it would be to stop doing product marketing. Or you can add a layer, that is not directly measurable in terms of directly linking to an exact sale, and see if sales go up (over extended periods of time). If you had previously benchmarked an attitude or belief that was an obstacle to purchase, then later measure the change in that attitude or belief (feeding the brands perceived position yes I know that is redundant) you can (with a degree of confidence) call it success (indirectly adding to sales). Make sense?4 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy Jonathan, no need to get in a whizzing match. And there's definitely no need for condescension. I'm not one of your clients.My "background" has little to do with our discussion. But if you'd delved a little more deeply I'm sure you would have discovered I've worked with some of the world's largest corporations, true global giants that create some of the world's most recognizable products. I can assure you, they were no more interested in throwing money away than some of the mom & pop clients I work with now.So if this were an actual whizzing match, I'm quite certain we'd come out even.Therefore, I'm not sure why you felt the need to lecture me about brand versus product versus life cycles vs God-knows-what. I've been in this business for 20 years. I teach these wacky notions to students.You're talking in circles. Seriously, dude. You need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and examine what you're telling me.Even "brand marketing" has to relate to sales.At some point, it ALL has to relate to sales. There's no difference between brand marketing and product marketing, in that sense. You're either doing your best to sell your client's products and services (in whatever tactical form that may be) or you're not. It's that simple.A way to prove this is to ask yourself this question: "What is the goal or purpose of my [fill in the blank] efforts?"Let's say it's "brand marketing," which you seem to think has no purpose other than itself. The answer to the question is this: "To help my client grow his/her business."Any agency that does "brand marketing" for its own sake ought to be run out of town. The purpose of brand marketing is to increase business for one's client. It may not be as direct as literally joining one product with one customer. But the purpose is to increase sales. If that's not your purpose then you just threw away your client's money.Contrary to what you may think, even brand marketing can be measured. Launch a campaign. See if sales increase. Or, if it's brand marketing on TV, include a unique URL to track hits (that you should track all the way to sales). Print advertising is the same way. Create a special code or unique URL. TRACK and MEASURE. That way you know if you wasted your client's money, or if you were an actual help. (To my knowledge, every brand marketing tactic can be measured if you took the time to set up the metric ahead of time.)I'm not sure why you're afraid of the word sales.Remember the old WWJD? fad from awhile ago? Wrist bands everywhere. Bumper stickers, books -- the works. If you'd like a real good feeling when you go home at night, why don't you adopt one of these slogans:WWCHD?...or...WWDOD?...or...WWID?What Would Claude Hopkins Do? or What Would David Ogilvy Do? Or, most important of all, What Would I Do?If you kept in the forefront of your mind the fact that your job as an adcat is to increase your client's business, and if you sought every conceivable way possible to measure your results, and if you could show your client that X efforts produced Y results (demonstrating a very clear and positive ROI), you could go home, let your head hit the pillow, and snooze like you were five years old again.Sales. Increase of business. Accountability.If the money were yours (instead of your client's), what would you do to increase your business? How would you spend it?And if you blew it all and had nothing to show for it, could you go home and tell your wife? :)Cheers,Bill3 months agoFollow SteveSteve Schildwachter A lot of these answers define advertising in far more than a single sentence!Could you all agree that results matter? There are various ways to measure and report results. http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/moment-of-truth.htmlYou can also add your definitions in the comments section at http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/quick-define-advertising-in-one.html3 months agoFollow HeidiHeidi Ehlers Advertising, well done, is the best competitive advantage a business can have.3 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Bill...you almost had it...almost...when you said "at some point" it all needs to relate back to sales. EXACTLY!!!! (well if you are indeed selling something that is..."selling" a change in behavior, like with Legacy, without an actual transaction is a little different). At some point...that's quite different than DIRECTLY isn't it?3 months agoFollow NigelNigel Fishwick George Orwell's definition was: "Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket."Whereas Thomas Jefferson wrote: "Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in newspapers."Long live debate.3 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff btw bill...could you please tone it down a bit (though I admit I played back a little bit)? I wasn't judging your experience. I was recognizing that we have had different challenges to face. I read your bio in its entirety (and as a Umich grad know some of the places you've lived...I'm not just an NYC snob). You have long career in B2B and local marketing. That is not better or worse than say doing global cpg but does often times come with different models, challenges, etc.3 months agoFollow ShawnShawn Downey The communication of the product's or service's story.3 months agoFollow ReaRea Kelly Information wrapped in delicious, engaging, irresistible wrapping paper.3 months agoFollow GlennGlenn Holberton I agree with Nigel - Long Live Debate!This has certainly been one of the longest on-line mass debates I can remember...Now....exactly how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?Isn't it better to just do it rather than trying to define it, because we all do it slightly differently and this is what makes it great - experiencing other people's new and surprising visions!3 months agoFollow PeterPeter Wharton Well said, Glenn.3 months agoFollow JohnJohn Cooley WOW! WOW! WOW! -This is great stuff! I LOVE IT! The best and brightest minds in the industry debating what Advertising is!!! AWESOME!!!May the debate begin!3 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy This is precisely what I've enjoyed most about this thread, John.For me, the creative process has always been the most fun. I love the give-and-take synergy of ideas.Even when things get heated -- such as trading barbs with Jonathan -- I would still rather be an adcat than just about anything else.Now, if I could just get more people to think in terms of SALES from their advertising/marketing efforts, I'd consider my contribution here to be a success. :)Thanks for starting this thread. It's been fun.Cheers,Bill3 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Bill...we are still not disagreeing (though you think we are) that the end goal of any advertising is "sales." For some reason you tried to put words in my mouth that clearly weren't there. What I have been saying, the entire time, is it's not ALWAYS about DIRECTLY.Think about this another way...let's think about...well sales. You have done quite a bit B2B so I am sure you are familiar with "the one call close." There are some organizations that believe the only efficient approach is to close on the first meeting. However, there are some organizations that believe the it is more effective to have multiple meetings, the first with no pressure, to complete a sale. (As you know) Neither approach is always right and one size doesn't fit all. Both, however, tend to reflect on the brand experience and should be applied to appropriate products, brands, situations and goals (short term and long).It is the same with advertising. Not every ad/execution and/or campaign is meant to solicit the direct reaction of "purchase." Many times there is an intermediate step if not two or more. Say...change the way I feel about the brand...hit them later with an offer that directly triggers purchase...or say engage the customer with an experience (such as on the web or in-store like Starbucks or Apple) and somewhere along the way sell them a product. In that case the only thing you might be "selling," upfront, is the experience and not a revenue garnering transaction. I even worked on a brand, years ago, that was ALL about brand recognition. 1-800-Collect had a "crisis" strategy. The intent (of what many called very annoying ads) was not to make people to want to make more collect calls. It certainly wasn't measured on how many consumers purchased within say 48 hours of watching a spot. It was meant to trigger recognition during time of crisis so that the only thing buzzing through your head was 1-800-Collect.So to recap...I've never said advertising wasn't about "sales"...just said it is limited to think about it as "direct sales" which is what you originally opined. And for the record, have enjoyed the debate as well.Cheers,JWP.S.More food for thought seeing that you are a B2B guy...say you have a product that potential customers will only buy in person. Would you say the point of the "advertising" is to create "sales" or to create "an opportunity for sales?" Before you answer, think about this...say you do a campaign and requests for a meeting increase 500% (original goal was 100%). However, the sales guy goes to each call, tells off color jokes, insults the buyer then strips off his/her cloths and runs out of the building quacking like a duck. Although you were able to open the door for a "next step" you never complete a single transaction. Would you consider the advertising a success or not? Before you say that "you sold a next step" remember that you originally said that it didn't matter unless it added to the bottom line.3 months agoFollow JuanJuan Calvillo A message designed to convince an audience to buy an idea, service or product.3 months agoFollow GφzdeGφzde Attila adding sentimental value to a neutral thing3 months agoFollow MarkMark Burlinson The means by which to shed light or to make self evident.- thought I'd take a more esoteric approach.3 months agoFollow CobyCoby Neill Advertising is boosting the sale of a brand or product.3 months agoFollow NanNan XU Advertising is a magic tool to add value through innovation.3 months agoFollow MEL!MEL! Epstein Communicating to sell something using media you pay for.3 months agoFollow ManoloManolo Vargas Even the most emotional ad gives the consumer rational reasons to justify emotional purchases.3 months agoFollow JohnnyJohnny Ray Two words: Brand Recognition.Let me ask this: Why spend a bazillion dollars on a Superbowl commercial that only lasts 30 seconds? To put that image, that shape, that name in front of the WORLD, so that when they see it in the grocery store, they buy it over Brand B. That is what advertising is, to get brand recognized, so when the consumer makes a decision, they are more apt to purchase one brand over another.3 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy @Jonathan, methinks thou doth protest too much.You're splitting hairs and posing straw-man what-ifs -- all in an attempt to get around the actual selling of products and services. I'm not sure what your phobia is about that concept. But it's apparent.To answer your hypothetical question ("Would you consider the advertising a success or not?"), the answer is YES. And, in fact, I have been in that situation before. My efforts brought in so many qualified leads that the sales force was overwhelmed and couldn't get to them all. That ticked off the would-be customers. But the leads the sales force DID get to resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in short-term sales and long-term customer purchases.I have no control over others. All I can do is live by the credo that advertising must equal sales. If I stop thinking that way, or if I assume the sales team will screw up the leads, or that the post office won't deliver the mail, or that the magazine will misprint the ad (whatever), then I'm no longer living honestly.All I've been trying to say in these comments is that I believe our industry has strayed very, very far from its moorings -- with the obvious result that we've become irrelevant. (Not to mention painfully downsized.) Direct Marketing and PR have replaced Advertising as the weapons of choice. Only very wealthy, or very foolish, companies can afford to throw money away on advertising that doesn't result in sales at some MEASURABLE point along the channel. (Not in some far-distant future, or maybe somewhere, somehow along the way. But at a fixed, discernible point.) Clients MUST see an increase -- otherwise we've failed. I'm not why that concept appears foreign to some folks.Here's a corollary to my advertising-must-sell credo: "It's not about me. It's about my client."With that firmly in mind, I draft strategies and craft executions that build my client's business.It's really as simple as that.At the end of the day, you and I have to live with our consciences. We are responsible to ourselves and to our clients. That's it. Whatever you do in that regard is your business. Whatever I do is mine.'Nuff said.Cheers,BillP.S. If you go back to read your comments, you'll notice that you DID say your specific advertising campaign was awarded for "selling nothing." The whole idea of sales never came up in your briefs, you told us. So, apparently, you must think advertising doesn't need to sell anything otherwise the concept would have arisen in your strategy and execution. You would have devised a way to measure an increase in business from your efforts.But who am I to argue with you? You're happy. Your client is happy. The award judges are happy. Jonathan 1 Bill 0. I can live with that.3 months agoFollow KeithKeith Whitmer Bill, here it is in a nut shell, you said "....I believe our industry has strayed very, very far from its moorings...." Bill, I think it's the opposite. What some of us are saying is that we have not strayed at all but built onto the moorings with more tools and strategies and media etc. Sales figures are simply one part of an industry that has so much more to offer it's clients. So I would not "define" advertising as simply about sales. It's much bigger than that. That was the request. A definition that encompasses advertising. That definition just needs to be broad enough for everything that is advertising today.3 months agoFollow SteveSteve Schildwachter It is wonderful that a discussion about what advertising IS has morphed into one about what it DOES. That is, deliver results. Here are some thoughts to add on delivering results:http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-dont-know-which-half-of-my-ad-budget.htmlhttp://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/oh-were-we-supposed-to-prove-results-of.htmlhttp://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/tv-is-popular-medium-but-how-does-it.htmlhttp://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/moment-of-truth.htmlhttp://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/your-results-are-worth-more-than-your.htmlThis is fun!3 months agoFollow BillBill Murphy Keith, the state of the advertising industry today tells a different story. It has never been less relevant or more ineffectual. (And I don't recall seeing this many closed agencies or creatives on the street in my 20 years in the profession.)What you see as a "broad" definition of advertising, I see as its undoing. Advertising that doesn't sell simply isn't advertising. It's PR. It's social media. It's...something. But it's not advertising as it was defined for so many decades.Sales figures are the ONLY thing that ultimately matters to clients. What do our clients care if they have 100% brand recognition if consumers choose other brands? What does it matter how many followers clients have on Twitter if they go out of business because they aren't selling products and services?Tools and strategies and media are great. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with using every tactical weapon in our arsenal -- as long as they meet the strategic requirement that they have to sell products and services. Everything we do should be questioned: "Will this help my client sell products and services? If so, how? If not, why?" and "Can my efforts be measured to demonstrate ROI to my client?"What we have to offer our clients is the brainpower to be strategic, the creativity to be clever, and the wisdom to know that if they don't sell products and services they won't stay in business. Anything beyond that is completely pointless.Cheers,Bill3 months agoFollow PeterPeter Wharton Is it Steve? Time to take my trousers off, methinks.3 months agoFollow KeithKeith Whitmer Bill, Ahh yes the "good 'ol days" complaint. OK... You win Bill, the only thing that matters is sales. I will get on the phone with Steve Jobs and tell him I have a great idea to increase sales - Cut the price of everything in half. In fact that will be my "creative concept" for every client. Sound good?3 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff Oh Bill, why did I expect you to give an answer like this? You, for some reason, seem intent on winning and not discussing (just ribbing you a bit, it's all in good fun). I don't know why this didn't hit me before but the thing that is lacking, in just about everything you say, is a very key component...us account planners like to call it "the consumer." You keep talking about the client goals and never mention the consumer/customer goals. You suggested others read some of the classics, well I have a suggestion for you...go read the original works by Steve King (from JWT London which coincidently where my lineage ties back to). What he says is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago when he wrote it.What you seem to be excluding, in what you are saying, is the role of the consumer and customer when conceptualize what exactly advertising is and isn't. While I will give you an A+ for marketing 101 we are in a discussion with professionals so I hope we raise the bar a bit. Just thinking out loud...the role we play, as ad people in the digital age, is to acquire, service and retain customers. When we do this, we allow our clients to monetize and profit from their customers. We do this through building marcomm eco-systems that engage our consumers (turning them into customers) and customers. This is the complexity of "selling" I referred to in my first post. Thus we have to measure each individual action and/or set of actions in multiple ways and not always by DIRECT sales. Again, we are not disagreeing that the END goal (of an entire eco-system) is sales...just that by defining all advertising by DIRECT sales you limit the scope of what advertising means, can be and is.I actually think our industry is getting better at this abiet slower than we need to. I guess we disagree on that. What you call "throwing money away" companies like Apple, AmEx, P&G, Coca-Cola, Nike, etc. call 21st century marketing. If they are wrong...well I guess I'll go down with them. Hey again...we are not disagreeing that it has to result in sales at SOME point. You have no argument from me. If I argued that I should be fired. But I didn't argue that. "Open Forum" was qualitatively cited as a top reason for OPEN's growth....but it was an intermediate step (to prime later offerings by changing SBOs attitude about the brand) and not a DIRECT step to sales. This is the complex role advertising does and many times has to play in "selling." Are we now on the same page?BTW...I only wish you were right that our industry was going towards direct mkt. If you didn't know, Digitas is the largest digital and direct agency in the world (I guess we must be doing something right). I came here from the traditional world because I know the way we market to consumers and customers has to change. And I do think some of the digital and direct shops are well positioned to come out of this restructuring as the lead agencies of the future (we are now the "lead agency" on a number of our clients). But it is not because we (digital and direct agencies) believe we are in the business of "direct selling" but because we are in the business of creating experiences.P.S.Not sure how many planners you come across in your world but I'd love to buy you a cup of coffee if you ever hit NYC...Ogilvy didn't have us planners in his day but Ogilvy, the agency, sure uses them now. I guess we have a bit of a different way of seeing things.3 months agoFollow JonathanJonathan Wolff BTW...Steve...kudos for your observation...I completely agree that a hiccup in this discussion is that "what it is" has morphed into "what it does"...now let's see if Bill agrees or not...3 months agoFollow KeithKeith Whitmer Yes Steve nailed us all for getting off track here. Thanks, Steve!!3 months agoFollow KatherineKatherine Veze "It's the concept, the perfect combination of copy and visuals that separates the ordinary from the truly extraordinary." Robert Veze3 months agoFollow JerryJerry Shereshewsky McCann Erickson says it best (and briefest): Truth Well Told3 months agoFollow SteveSteve Schildwachter @Jerry Shereshewsky: The Invention of Truth!http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/invention-of-truth.html3 months agoFollow BrianBrian Jung I agree with Bill Bernbach - "Advertising is persuasion".NOT David Ogilvy - "Advertising is about selling stuff".Advertising is not ALWAYS about sales. PSA, awareness, environment conservation, etc, are done by many famous advertising agencies but are not designed to sell but to persuade. Persuade people in order to promote CHANGE. A savvy B2B guy might say that Advertising is about ROI however. Because ROI can come in many ways; tangible and intangible.3 months agoFollow AlanAlan Rado Advertising is a multi-layered, conceptual, and executional approach, that delivers a product-to-market through a variety of media channels, with the main goal to create or increase brand awareness.3 months agoFollow GregGreg Allardice Advertising in this day and age is always focussed on sales.A sale is the return on investment.Just ask your client a silly question.....I heard a rumour going around.....is it true you don't want to sell anything in response to your advertising?Be prepared to run fast or admit you are a bad comedian.Greg AllardiceMedia Futures Pty Ltd3 months agoFollow JamesJames Coates Essentially sales is the end result of advertising. The advertisement is the promotion while the sale (tangilble or intangible) is the result. Thus Ogilvy was correct when he said "advertising is selling stuff." The act of selling is the same as the act of promotion3 months agoFollow AlanAlan Rado Next to prostitution, the oldest profession.3 months agoFollow MichaelMichael Angelovich Storytelling with the purpose of persuasion.3 months agoFollow OanaOana BARBU Advertising is communicating an identity for which people are willingly to pay.3 months agoFollow SamirSamir Dixit advertising is a tool to help drive emotional engagement with the brand and products, which nobody uses it for unfortunately.3 months agoFollow SergioSergio Rincσn Restrepo is the personality of the brands3 months agoFollow DanDan Cunningham Advertising is when you introduce the public to something they didn't yet know they needed.3 months agoFollow SirajuddinSirajuddin Syed In simple words ADVERTISING is nothing but the means of introducing or reminding products and services to the masses.3 months agoFollow RayRay Bouley Advertising is just one of the many tactics utilized by an industry whose basis of being is persuasion.3 months agoFollow RobRob Dalton Advertising is connecting brands to tribes by telling stories that matter.3 months agoFollow SteveSteve Fitch Advertising, in it's very simplistic form ... Reactivates a preexisting urge to buy ...3 months agoFollow KatherineKatherine Veze Advertising is the way an individual or corporation utilizes the media to convey a message, about what makes their product unique and why we should buy it.3 months agoFollow BillBill Anderson The ability to provide preference for one product or service over another.3 months agoFollow MichaelMichael Gury "A dollar a holler!"3 months agoFollow RandyRandy Diplock Advertising: An industry stocked by well-meaning people who feel the need to incessantly beat a dead horse when defining things.3 months agoFollow GlennGlenn Holberton AD (lat. To or Towards) - VERT (fr. Green) - I - SING (eng. To utter sounds with musical inflections or melodious modulations of voice, as fancy may dictate). Therefore, Advertising: To charm people towards the grass which is always greener on the other side.3 months agoFollow GlennGlenn Holberton Or for those who understand the advertising process it could be "Tad Revising", to explain what we always do.3 months agoFollow SteveSteve Schildwachter @Glenn: Since you introduced Latin, consider "Ad Majorem", or "to the greater" because we should all be trying to improve our game in a time of great change.http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-is-ad-majorem.html3 months agoFollow GlennGlenn Holberton Steve,Like Ad Majorem. Have commented on your blog. Will look forward to reading more.3 months agoFollow KristinaKristina Sorrelli Advertising is the ability to capture a customer at the time of need!(Yellow pages had 57% of adults referring to it weekly and 89% of those users made a purchase.)3 months agoFollow KarenKaren Goldfarb Advertising is a sales pitch disguised as a story designed to make you feel a want disguised as a need.3 months agoFollow KarenKaren Goldfarb Glenn, I love your answer, btw.3 months agoFollow MANISHMANISH DESAI ADVETISING IS THE BASIC THING REQUIRED IN TODAYS MODERN SALES DAYS WHICH GIVES THE INFORMATION ABOUT A PRODUCT OR SERVICES TO A CONSUMER WHO IS INVITED TO BUY IT3 months agoFollow ShyamShyam Abhishek Srivastava Advertising is all about decoding people's aspirations.3 months agoFollow YvonneYvonne Hillier Advertising is communication (by way of radio, TV, print, billboard, internet, etc) intended to persuade a target audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to purchase or take action upon products, ideals, or services.14 days agoFollow sanjeevsanjeev singh A few person are unhappy by current income given by their company, they are searching for some beautiful job. http://printmediajobs.webs.com/index.htm14 days agoFollow BobBob Duerr quote per George Lois "POISON GAS..."14 days agoFollow Jorge JJorge J Takahashi Connecting brands with consumers by providing "information".14 days agoFollow RobRob Dalton Connecting brands to tribes by telling stories that matter.14 days agoFollow SolomonSolomon Raj Personal fame Vs Product Fame ... :)Referee in the scuffle between pride & pocket13 days agoFollow sanjeevsanjeev singh Big chance in Management careers. http://managementjobs.webs.com/pm.htm13 days agoFollow MarshallMarshall Gisser "Look at THAT...I want one!"That's your template, now just exchange the pronoun with an image or an item reference...and build the allure.13 days agoFollow MichaelMichael Carrington Making someone remember IT in a way that when they need IT they remember whom to call or refer.13 days agoFollow JohnJohn Tester Advertising = The presentation of a product / service to one or more of the five senses to stimulate a want or need which triggers the thought to exchange value for the benefit.13 days agoFollow JaneJane Simon Where the rubber meets the road.13 days agoFollow JessicaJessica Levine Advertising is the sperm hoping to make it's way up to the egg.13 days agoFollow rajeshrajesh agarwal High Management career, The Manager values responsibility, efficiency and concrete . http://managementjobs.webs.com/pm.htmhttp://jobscore.webs.com/13 days agoFollow WesleyWesley S Advertising - Demo of a USP for a Product.13 days agoFollow OanaOana BARBU @Wesley S: I believe the USP version of Advertising is long gone!13 days agoFollow BillBill Murphy There is only one answer possible to this question. Claude C. Hopkins penned it about 80 years ago in his book Scientific Advertising. Thanks to this simple (yet powerful) understanding of advertising, the industry as we knew it became the giant it was -- and adcats like David Ogilvy became the stuff of legend. Here is the one and only answer to the question:"Advertising is salesmanship...the only purpose of advertising is to make sales."There you go, ladies and gents.13 days agoFollow JonJon Pelzer Advertising is the art and science of applying pressure behind the decision funnel process: awareness, interest, engagement, intent and purchase.12 days agoFollow DomDom Cimei I'll go with the definition written by John E. Kennedy almost a hundred years ago, when he wrote it on the back of his business card and handed it to Albert Lasker of Lord & Thomas:Salesmanship in print.Of course, today you'd expand that to a host of channels. But I believe that basic definition still applies.12 days agoFollow RichRich Timmons Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals - David Ogilvy12 days agoFollow RichRich Timmons This is a good one ! How to Make Your First Advertising Buy http://bit.ly/9iBI8N12 days agoFollow EricEric Johnson Pop culture, presentation, communication, and of course, money. There is no such thing as cheap and effective advertising. They are mutually exclusive in advertising.11 days agoFollow ZahidZahid Hussain Advertising is the art of selling products, services and commodities through creative ideas based on relevant behavioral research and choice of appropriate media.11 days agoFollow RonaldRonald Bolden Jr Written, Verbal, Visual, and Physical information that is so clearly communicated that the recipent of that action will react in the way that you envisioned when you orginally designed the ad.11 days agoFollow RalphRalph Resnik ooops ... 325 comments ... can't read through them all to know if anyone else came up with the same answer i have ...to your question: "In one sentence, what is advertising?" ...i'd answer: "For Sale!"11 days agoFollow sinhasinha dubay All types of Management careers. http://managementjobs.webs.com/pm.htm & http://jobscore.webs.com/11 days agoFollow sinhasinha dubay All types of Management careers. http://managementjobs.webs.com/pm.htm & http://jobscore.webs.com/11 days agoFollow JeannineJeannine Lewis Advertising is a relationship metaphor where both sides, advertiser and target, become positively connected and they exchange value, like a friendship, that is quid pro quo.11 days agoFollow DavidDavid West This is getting ridiculous people!Advertising is simple. No one has said it better than the American Advertising Federation when they placed a full page ad in defence of advertising back in the 80's (look it up). Its a medium where sellers (of products/services/information) can let the public know of their products/services/information. Or to be critical, it's a medium to create consumption. People spending money they don't have to buy goods they don't need to impress people they don't like (Anon).11 days agoFollow HarshaHarsha Achhra Advertising is a way to promote your products or services for increasing the sales as well as profits.11 days agoFollow AnaAna Placinta Advertising is when a crispy brown beer becomes the Guinness beer10 days agoFollow AshleyAshley Morrison ...and you know it works, when everyone starts dancing and singing along:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdKI1TyDhawEnjoy !10 days agoFollow AlAl Shultz Done properly, advertising is differentiating your product/service from everyone else's.Al Shultzhttp://www.alshultz.com/10 days agoFollow StephenStephen Rowe Advertising is explaining to your potential customer how your good or service will most effectively fulfill an need that they have.10 days agoFollow sanjeevsanjeev singh Are you looking Management careers - Improve your status in Management http://www.freewebs.com/printmediajobs/dt.htmhttp://jobscore.webs.com/executivemanager.htm http://managementjobs.webs.com/om.htm10 days agoFollow HardikHardik kapdi Anything that is visible (made visible) is what sells-- Advertising is what makes everything visible-!!10 days agoFollow AnthonyAnthony Butler The right message to the right customer at the right time.9 days agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Radcliffe making yourself visible9 days agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Radcliffe Unfortunately.... we appear to have landed in a world of blah, blurr and bah, as in sheep. Mediocracy is the new black (sheep) and we need a torch to see one another, what with the smoke and mirrors in the market place. Last one out can turn off the light.P.S. Has anybody seen a red spaceship with L.F.C on it?9 days agoFollow BipinBipin Hire Advertising in one sentence is recalling your brand in customers mind time to time.9 days agoFollow SuryanarayananSuryanarayanan ON Advertising is the attire for your brand. Your attire suggests what kind of a person you are. Similarly advertising suggests your product's personality in the market place.9 days agoFollow ChristianChristian Harris Acts that change human behaviours.9 days agoFollow BillBill Murphy Why is there so much spam in this thread? I'm so tired of seeing crap like "List of media jobs opportunities..." Either someone has devised a way to post spam in mass quantities, or all of those faceless people with Indian names are really there sharing their garbage with us.Bring back the days of the stranded African diplomat who just needs my checking account number so he can transfer all his wealth to me to thank me for rescuing him.8 days agoFollow JasonJason Deiso Advertising is the manufacture of need.In general consumer advertising, it is the lowest common denominator of communication.8 days agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Radcliffe Jason,Considering you are a copywriter of sorts, don't you think your comment requires a grammar check? Plus, isn't what you say a little harsh or are you just having a hard time in the office this week?Communication is interpretation....afterall8 days agoFollow JasonJason Deiso My comment still sounds like two complete sentences to me, but grammar is a matter of interpretation in advertising, ain't it?Actually, your interpretation, not my comment, is the only negativity I see.Yes, communication is interpretation. In a mass market, you'd better hope you can communicate to the greatest number of individuals in whichever demographic or audience you're targeting, as they say. That's why it's the lowest common denominator. The key word here is not "lowest", but "denominator". What is "common" is what is shared in the communication. As for manufacturing need, imagine a product for which no advertising was necessary in order to sell it.Grammar check in advertising. That's kind of amusing.8 days agoFollow BillBill Truran Advertising means knowing what one sentence means.8 days agoFollow ShaunShaun Worcester Advertising is convincing total strangers that your product or service is the best, and each person NEEDS to have it!8 days agoFollow KimKim Baker Do we win a prize for the right answer?8 days agoFollow RubenRuben Evens Maybe the name of my blog sums it up very good:Mark It Thing, Mark the thing/idea and make it it!8 days agoFollow DAMIANDAMIAN JOZAME Advertising is finding what people knows, but nobody has said...8 days agoFollow WilliamWilliam Chouffot Advertising should be: funny, disturbing, informative, rewarding, annoying, relevant and actionable - not necessarily all at the same time. Advertising is: all to often none of these.8 days agoFollow ChristopherChristopher Radcliffe Much clearer Jason, thank you.John, in one sentence, what do you think advertising is?8 days agoFollow TraeTrae Halkitis The simplest way to explain successful advertising is this: Successfully communicating to consumers that a product/service is a need and not a want. Take a simple product like Purex 3 in 1 for example. This brand explains to the consumer that it is a hassle (difficult to remember) to add detergent, fabric softener and a dryer sheets to the wash and dry process. However, as any of us who have done laundry knows, this is not that trying of a task. Purex though, has successfully convinced many consumers that their product for laundry is by far more superior and doing laundry any other way is unnecessary. Thus creating a need in the mind of the consumer that probably wasnt there, or not that vital in the laundry purchasing decision process.7 days agoFollow JuliusJulius Weil Albert Lasker put it best over a hundred years ago. "Advertising is, Salesmanship in print." Print became TV and now Interactive. Whatever the media, the rule still applies.7 days agoFollow WarrenWarren Davis Jr. Advertising is the Art of Self Promotion. If you do not promote yourself, your products or your cause then no one can hear or see you.7 days agoFollow GlennGlenn Holberton Julius - Succinct and to the point as ever. Lovely to see you joining this discussion.To paraphrase the old Oscar Wilde Foxhunting quip, how about "The Unspeakable in promotion of the Un-Sellable!" - weak I know, but Hey! - I'm a Producer!7 days agoFollow HenryHenry Averette III, MBA Advertising is the science of matching consumer wants with business needs.6 days agoFollow SteveSteve Schildwachter Hi everyone -- it's interesting that this conversation picked up momentum again. My list of the most interesting responses is on Ad Majorem:http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/take-2-define-advertising-in-one.html6 days agoFollow HenryHenry Pepper The business of selling goods, services, brands, information and ideas.6 days agoFollow MridulMridul Joshi Advertising is the convergence of Art + Science to create innovative campaigns and help brands connect with their consumers.5 days agoFollow sanjeevsanjeev singh Careers as you like http://managementjobs.webs.com/pm.htm http://rojgars1.webs.com/gov.htm5 days agoFollow PetePete Jones Advertising is the positioning of science over art by an increasing number of staff and clients in order to dispose of creativity as a necessary factor within the business.5 days agoFollow Maria FernandaMaria Fernanda Torres Advertising is how a brand seduces it's audience by showing what it is capable to offer in a creative, relevant and engaging way.4 days agoFollow AndyAndy Rycroft Measurable persuasion of commercial behaviour.4 days agoFollow RoelRoel Tiemessen Nobody used George Lios quote yet?Advertising is, in his words, Poisen Gas.4 days agoFollow Anup S.Anup S. Nair Advertising is educating about a product to people, with emphasis on the USP of your production a way it creates an impression in the mind and influences the behavior of the confronter.3 days agoFollow Ryan B.Ryan B. King Poison Gas? -- I had to per someone else's request for a George Lois quote.3 days agoFollow rajeshrajesh agarwal Career in Management. http://managementjobs.webs.com/pm.htm & http://jobscore.webs.com/3 days agoFollow JeromeJerome Pudwill I said it before, I'll say it again:Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket. - George Orwell3 days agoFollow KenKen Church Sometimes you don't even need the swill.3 days agoFollow CraigCraig Black ? Freelance Pharma Copywriter One sentence? I can sum it up in one word: Persuasion.3 days agoFollow PatrickPatrick Johnson Deception that sells brands.3 days agoFollow KenKen Church I think rajesh agarwal says it best. In every disscussion group.3 days agoFollow ArifArif Khan Addvertising = Add value in your product and service or brand through different media.3 days agoFollow MarMar Sαnchez I think that Arif Khan is a good definition but he has missed something important: The message.Advertising is to launch messages aimed to improve the product/service/brand image in the mind of the people (better if it happens on your target group).3 days agoFollow MadsMads Voigt Hingelberg Advertising = Building a demand for a product/service in a population using whatever method neccesary. It worked for Bush, when he led to world to war in Iraq.3 days agoFollow BillBill Murphy Mads, I strongly encourage you to keep your political views to yourself. You'll notice none of us have written anything about Denmark's politicians. You'll also notice we haven't mentioned Obama leading the world into financial ruin through encouraging unsustainable global deficit spending via "stimulus" programs and bailouts...or the unchecked (and, in our case, unconstitutional) growth of government programs, bureaucracies, and entitlement programs that inevitably lead to unsustainable deficit spending and financial collapse. Nope. Haven't mentioned any of that. At all.Let's keep this thread about advertising, which only has one function: to sell products and/or services. Anything less than that is a total waste of time, money, and effort.3 days agoFollow TimTim Addison It is a simple as this, nothing more nothing less: Advertising is getting it noticed.3 days agoFollow TimTim Addison Getting it noticed.3 days agoFollow MadsMads Voigt Hingelberg So, Bill, to your opinion, advertising and politics are two seperate things ? Knowing one sure gives you an edge on the other. Regardless of political standpoint advertising is your only tool to build demand for voters/products...By the way, Obama is right, Bush was wrong....2 days agoFollow BillBill Murphy Mads, with all due respect, how does knowing politics help one sell surfactants for the chemical industry? Or Coke to thirsty consumers? Or bowling balls to a chain of bowling alleys? Are you saying all advertising in your country is associated with politics?2 days agoFollow StephenStephen Rowe Bill, While I hate to agree with Mads, he is correct that politics, in our day and age, is advertising. Obama sold the country on the idea of change through a highly effective advertising blitz. Unfortunately, the country bought it without knowing what was inside the box. Our Congress recently sold us on the idea of universal health care. Now that we have seen what is inside the box, we would like to return it to the sender. You will notice that all politicians do this. They try to "sell" the people on the idea. Unfortunately they rarely explain what is in the box, and they always tell us that it won't cost us. That, I believe is the largest problem we have with modern politics in this country, too much advertising and too few real statesmen.2 days agoFollow BillBill Murphy I agree with you 100%, Stephen -- with the possible exception that I don't think politics is involved with selling everyday products and services. Selling big stuff like politicians, of course. No argument there. But I don't think in terms of conservative, liberal, Democrat, or Republican when I'm selling rock bands, shoes, or chemicals.2 days agoFollow PaulPaul Wigelsworth A peacock strutting your stuff or a marketing manager putting millions behind your brand, it's all advertising - engagement, communication & response.2 days agoFollow StephenStephen Rowe Bill, there are goods and there are services. Politicians, like media companies, and travel agents are selling the service. Instead of thinking Republican or Democrat, we think low cost carrier (Jet Blue) or high end luxury (Swiss Air). The concept is really the same. Do I want to listen to the Beatles, or LL Cool J, Florsheim or Eddie Bauer.2 days agoFollow MadsMads Voigt Hingelberg Bill. No, but some of the best advertising, is the one that will move the audience to focus on the product/service. My statement about Bush, was, admittedly not totally fair. He used the media to convince the world to go at war, by repeating the same statement until it was true. Obama used social media, and micropayments to sponsor his campaigns for president. Who is right and wrong is not the question, really. I just think, that we must look, also at political advertising, whilst answering the question the discussion started with. Historically, political advertising has been the frontrunner in advertising. Look no further than to the propaganda of a certain head of state in Germany 1936-1945. That advertising was unmatched years ahead.2 days agoFollow StephenStephen Rowe Mads, I agree with your statement concerning Obama's use of the media in his presidential campaign, however, your statement concerning Bush is revisionist. No head of state makes a decision of that magnitude based on advertising. If they did, or do, they should be removed from office immediately. The war was declared first by Saddam Hussein, who continued to make statements about having weapons of mass destruction, murder his own people, continually threaten his neighbors, scour the black markets for weapons and defy UN resolutions to allow inspections per his own personal agreement that ceased the hostilities in 1991. The feeling at that time was that Hussein had the weapons and unless stopped would use them. This was based on the intelligence community of the United States, England and France. It was not based on Bush's use of the media.2 days agoFollow SujeetSujeet Pathare Ad-Vert-icing2 days agoFollow rajeshrajesh agarwal Careers for all. http://managementjobs.webs.com/pm.htm & http://jobscore.webs.com/1 day agoFollow FarhanFarhan Ali advertise :-)1 day agoFollow rogerroger moggs ADVERTISING - "The art of arresting human intelligence long enough to extract money from it". (I don't claim this to be mine as I read this somewhere a few years back...and I have yet to find a better description!).20 hours agoFollow StephanStephan Helmhout Advertising = Create desire to sell your product!6 hours ago Reply privately Flag as inappropriateFollow StephenStephen Ryan Advertising is the most persuasive possible selling message of a product or service to a defined target audience at the lowest possible cost.1 hour agoFollow WillWill Hamilton Demand creation.10 minutes ago
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