Advertising is the widespread and readily sponsored contribution of goods, services, or ideas through any medium of public communication. The primary marketing media include newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and direct mail. Those who support advertising say that it is meant to sell products, not create values, and that it furthers product improvement through competition. Critics claim that it invents false values and compels people to buy things they neither need nor want. The United States is the world leader in advertising extravagance.

Advertising comes in other forms besides those of the electronic medium. The use of billboards, posters, printed bulletins and films are cheaper and can are more commonly used for local advertising. There are even more unusual forms of advertising such as blimps, skywriting and planes with banners attached. Advertising is only limited by the imagination.

One of the typical forms of advertising is a magazine. There are hundreds of varieties of magazines so an ad stands a good chance of being seen by a wide variety of people. Certain types of products would be advertised in a select few magazines. Dishwashers would not be advertised in boating magazines.

Mail is a means of communication used as a convenient and popular way to advertise. Bulk mailings, when you mail in volume the rates are discounted or cheaper. Flyers, bulletins, postcards, envelopes filled with discount coupons go directly to the home and into the hands of potential customers.

Newspapers are published frequently and are usually local except for the major ones like the Washington Post, New York Times or other nationally known papers that are distributed around the world. Ads placed in newspapers often bring results quickly. Either going to the paper or a call can easily place ads. An advertiser can choose to place an ad in a variety of sections in a newspaper, such as sports, food, or in the classified. The targeted audience or the people who are looking for the items of interest will see these ads.

Newspapers often carry advertising for nationally sold products. The addresses, emails and phone numbers reach large numbers of people for one price.

Radio and television advertising has the largest effect on advertising. The radio has given sound to ads and many jingles or catchy words put to music keep re-enforcing us to remember a product. An advantage the radio has over the television is that the radio can be found in cars, trucks, easily portable and less expensive then a television. The radio channels can be switched with ease and many more channels to pick from.

The television combines audio and visual. It is almost limitless what advertisers can do on this medium. Images, movies, sounds, special effects and a host of other creative ways can influence the consumer. This form of communication for advertising is expensive to advertise on. A commercial shown during for example the Super Bowl could cost over a million dollars.