What’s the simplest way to differentiate between advertising and marketing? Why not start by defining them?

Advertising is simply one slice of the marketing pie

Adverts are a means of spreading a brand message through a paid-for, public announcement. Whether that’s in the form of a radio ad, a TV ad, a billboard or a print ad — it’s all advertising.

It is merely one part of what the marketing function does. Advertising is the part of marketing that involves directly promoting the brand and getting the word out about the business.

Generally, advertising is the most expensive part of marketing — thanks to its various layers of art, design, copywriting, ad placement and frequency.

Marketing is a collection of a lot of moving parts

Marketing is a big mix of moving parts that all work together to bring buyers and sellers together for a mutually beneficial experience. Basically, it covers everything that a business does to facilitate a conversation between the company and the consumer.

Think of it this way — marketing is like a step-by-step process that starts with a business’s unique selling proposition (USP). This USP then acts as a guiding theme that helps businesses identify potential buyers for what they are selling.

Marketing is made up of numerous parts — advertising, media planning, research, public relations, sales strategy and many more. While each element does form an individual slice of the marketing pie, they also must work together towards the goal of a unified marketing campaign with a clear, recognisable message.

So, how else are they different?

Well, advertising is used to target your market. Your business’s adverts can be used to reach your prime audience more precisely, or even to attract a new audience.

Print ads in local newspapers and magazines can be used to reach out to local communities, whereas targeted digital adverts can be used to find people with specific interests. Radio and TV ads are generally the most expensive, but a well-placed ad during a popular time can mean a lot of reach.

Marketing, on the other hand, is used to spread your brand message further. Most companies don’t have huge, unlimited advertising budgets, so they have to get creative with all their marketing efforts. Press releases, mailing lists and events are other ways marketers can get their brand out there.

What are some of the other ways that advertising and marketing are different from one another? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

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Want to know how to get the most traction out of your press releases? We’ve got everything you need to know in our article, 10 Steps to getting your press release published.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy