Self-Reflexive

The Difference Between and Importance of Marketing and Advertising

Difference:
Many people confuse between marketing and advertising. Although they are connected to each other, they are distinct. Let us imagine that marketing is a big pie, for instance, and advertising is just a slice of that pie and the other slices resemble the target market, research about the target market, strategies and tactics, communication, media channels and other aspects related to advertising. Advertising and marketing must be an integral part of all businesses.

Importance:
For a business to thrive and prosper, advertising and marketing are crucial. Usually, businesses with poor or no advertising and marketing strategies do not expand in markets; hence, they do not succeed in the industry. Advertising and marketing enable the business to identify the needs and wants of the target market while researching. This process is very important in marketing and advertising because it helps in building and maintaining customer satisfaction; hence, generating revenue and maximizing profit. Without effective advertising and marketing plan, companies will not know the basis as to what their target markets want, this results in a great loss for the companies. Since individuals’ wants and needs are not static and always on a change, marketing and advertising research help the company keep track of these targeted audiences, their needs, desires and behaviors. Marketing and advertising also help them be informed of what is being newly introduced to the markets by other companies and whether consumers are attracted to these new products, services and ideas or not.
Marketing and advertising allow consumers to be aware of the products and services offered in the markets; they remind and reinforce individuals about the benefits of these products and services. In other words, marketing and advertising play big role in maximizing company’s profit.

The Beginning of Advertising and Marketing:
If I were to speculate when, where and how advertising and marketing were first used, I would say at the same time when human species started trading; selling and buying. I assume that traders and sellers needed advertising and marketing to inform individuals about the new products and services being introduced in the markets. Moreover, marketing and advertising were used when sellers wanted to affect consumers’ decision-making process while purchasing the product. In fact, traders and sellers used advertising and marketing to persuade consumers to buy the products. In other words, many years back, I think that advertising and marketing were used in many situations but it might not have been apparent that sellers are using them.
Nowadays, advertising and marketing have grown and developed causing drastic changes in the business and industry. They started with a word of mouth and now emerging to an integrated marketing communication.

The Power of Integrated Marketing Communication
Integrated marketing communication is the coordination of every communication method from the company to the target audience aimed to convey a consistent and complete message; achieving synergy. Although different promotion methods are used in different parts of the job, they are integrated so that the sum is greater than the parts.
Advertising and marketing managers select the media vehicle for promotion depending on the objectives. The ultimate objective of the integrated marketing communication is to affect behavior; meaning to encourage customers to choose a specific product or brand. However, there are specific objectives depend on the market situation and target market. The three basic promotion objectives are informing, persuading and reminding target customers about the company and its products and services.
Many successful companies follow the AIDA model. It consists of four promotion jobs. First is to get Attention. Second, is to hold Interest. To arouse Desire is the third. Fourth, is to obtain action.
Integrated marketing communication requires effective communication. The communication process which is a source trying to reach a receiver with a message, should be planned carefully. Different audiences may interpret the message differently; hence, there should be a common frame of reference between the sender and the receiver.

How is it used today in a Manipulative Way?
Individuals tend to overrate that advertising is manipulative. However, most successful advertisers keep in mind what impact their work might have on society. Critics claim that advertising creates social trends and has the power to dictate how people think and act. They say that although an individual advertisement might not influence their behaviors, the cumulative effect of the bombarded advertisements on TV or Internet might affect them. However, advertising basically mirrors values in a creative way; it does not set them. In addition, consumers have the choice to either refuse or agree to purchase the product; advertising does not force them to; it just illustrates the benefits of the products or services in a unique way.

What have you learned from this class MCM 255? (Personal + professional)

I learned that advertising means bringing a product, service or an idea to the attention of potential or current customers. Advertising is expressing your message in a creative, unique and different method
After learning the five factors of integrated marketing communication that are:
1. IMC is paid communication
2. Its sponsor is identified
3. It tries to inform or persuade
4. It reaches a large audience
5. It conveys a message through many different kinds of largely non-personal mass media or through a media mix.
I am now aware that IMC requires planning, creation and integration.
I learned that in order to effectively reach your goals, key features of IMC should be identified and applied. For this, advertising should always start with the customer or prospect. It also should use any form of relevant contact. Moreover, one important factor in IMC is that it should achieve synergy; speak in one voice through multiple channels. I learned that the goal of IMC is ultimately to affect the behavior of the targeted audience as well as to build relationships with customers.
Furthermore, I learned from the Fundamental Marcom Decisions that all integrated marketing communications should be directed toward a specific market based on consumer characteristics that are behaviorgraphics, psychographics, demographics and geodemographics.
I also have learned how to analyze an ad critically and identify the key elements of it. The sender, the message and the receiver are the key elements of a particular ad. The sender is always trying to accomplish a goal, solve a problem or solve a communication problem behind each campaign it launches. I learned that messages in ads evoke different ideologies, intertextuality and signs. The receiver could be appealed to through the rational model receiver such as using rational information. Also, through the conditioned model received, such as using simple hierarchy-of-effects principles. Moreover, the receiver could be appealed to through the integrated, emotional or active models.
Thanks to the technological advancements, advertising now can be embedded in different types of media. Broadcast media is one way companies rely on nowadays. Television and radio are forms of broadcast media. Infomercials is an example TV advertising. In addition, online media is becoming very dominant these days as it targets mass number of audiences.
After learning all these aspects of marketing and advertising, I think I am now able to apply them in my real life. Although this course is about the basics of advertising, I feel that now I am able to communicate effectively in the workplace as I have now more knowledge in this topic. The campaign plan we developed throughout the course as well as the assignments we did have made me confident in this field and made me understand what goes on in the advertising companies as well as the business companies.
In addition to the professional skills I learned in this class, there are some valuable personal aspects that I gained. One of these aspects is to think, read and speak critically. In order to fully understand what we are reading or listening to, we should ask questions, write comments, speak our minds and voice our opinions. Another thing I learned is that I should ask questions and participate in classes. Since I came to AUS, I remained silent in many of my classes; I learned a lot in these courses; however, not as much as I learned in MCM 255. The professors made us ask questions, make extemporaneous presentations and interact with students in class effectively.