Defining Advertising
The first step to understanding the complex plane of advertising; a world that is all around us, worn by us, understood and reflected in ourselves.
-Webster's Dictionary1 defines 'advertising' as "the action of calling something to the attention of the public, especially by paid announcements, to call public attention by emphasizing desirable qualities so as to arouse a desire to buy or patronise: promote."
- Barron's Magazine, America's leading financial weekly states that 'advertising' is a "paid form of a non-personal message communicated through the various media by industry, business firms, nonprofit organizations, or individuals. Advertising is persuasive and informational and is designed to influence the purchasing behaviour and/or thought patterns of the audience. Advertising is a marketing tool which may be used in combination with other marketing tools, such as sales promotions, personal selling tactics, or pubilicity."
- The American Heritage®Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition defines that 'advertising' is:
1. "to make public announcement of, especially to proclaim the qualities or advantages of (a product or business) so as to increase sales."
2. "To make known; call attention to"
3. "To inquire or seek in a public notice, as in a newspaper"
For purposes of clarification, we have referred and adapted a multitude of definitions from a plethora of dictionaries and other sources besides the few stated above, also considering our own opinions, resulting in a final definition that we can call our own.
According to our group, advertising is "the acquisition of mass public interest and attention to the said product for purposes of promoting and the eventual sale of the product through paid communication of ideals or suggestions. Thus, the effectiveness of an advertisement can be judged from the amount of resulting sales of the product."