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What Is Commercial Advertising?

Cindy Quarters
Cindy Quarters

Advertising is typically designed to make consumers more aware of people, places or products. In some cases the advertising occurs as a public service, such as a campaign to make people more aware of the dangers of smoking or alcohol use. In other instances, the purpose of advertising is to gain the interest and trust of consumers. Advertisers seek to increase interest in buying a product, visiting a place, or using a specific service. Commercial advertising in general is the use of advertising to generate revenue.

One important aspect of commercial advertising is that it creates a demand or a perceived need for something. As soon as the consumer has a reason to want, advertising is there to offer a solution to that need. Advertisements give answers to a consumer's questions, including where to eat, where to go, or what to buy. Effective advertising works to create a desire while offering an attractive solution.

Commercial advertising can come in the form of billboards.
Commercial advertising can come in the form of billboards.

Not every aspect of commercial advertising relates to fulfilling an immediate need. Advertisers also strive to create name recognition, which is commonly called "branding." Effective branding means the consumer instantly recognizes the company or the product name and has come to feel positively about it. Companies use advertising in an effort to impress consumers with how happy they will be once they buy the item or use the service offered. .

Commercial advertising is often found in magazines.
Commercial advertising is often found in magazines.

Often in successful commercial advertising, a company hits on something that strikes a chord with the consumer, such as a mascot, spokesperson, or jingle. These are tools advertisers use to help consumers remember a product and purchase it when a future need arises. Although it may not result in immediate sales increases, consumers are thought to buy more frequently from companies with a recognizable, positive image.

The marketplace is flooded with advertising. It's found on television, in magazines, and on billboards. Advertising is often found printed on the sides of buses, and it is commonly splashed all over the Internet.

Local ballparks might feature advertising from local businesses.
Local ballparks might feature advertising from local businesses.

Football stadiums, baseball parks, community pools have all become part of the commercial marketplace, selling naming rights to companies wishing to bolster their name recognition. There is no one type of media that defines what commercial advertising is. Advertisers try to use nearly any means available to them to spread the word about their goods and services.

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Discussion Comments

Drentel

@Laotionne - Many people feel the way you about less being more when talking about commercial advertising. However, even though you may not like all of the commercials, you probably remember them, and maybe you even remember the company or the product being advertised. As this article says, putting their brand names out there so consumers will recognize them is what companies are trying to do.

Laotionne

When company's are advertising, I think they should do fewer quality ads rather than bombarding us with so many cheap ads. Nothing bothers me more when I am watching a movie on TV than when the same advertisements play over and over during the commercial breaks.

If I'm watching a two hour movies then I don't want to see your ad more than a couple of time, three or four at most. What's even worse is when one product or company sponsors the entire movie. This means I have to watch actors talking about replacement windows or super garden hoses every commercial break.

Feryll

There is a stretch of Interstate highway in one of the Southern states where an amusement park has billboard signs every couple of miles or so. This goes on for a hundred miles and maybe even more miles than that. There is no way you can drive that stretch of highway and not see the signs.

By the time you reach the exit for the park, you have seen so much advertising about it that you are tempted to stop simply to see what it is all about. I don't know how much money the company has to pay to keep those billboards up, but the advertising definitely gets the attention of anyone driving on that stretch of highway.

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    • Commercial advertising can come in the form of billboards.
      By: David
      Commercial advertising can come in the form of billboards.
    • Commercial advertising is often found in magazines.
      By: Rido
      Commercial advertising is often found in magazines.
    • Local ballparks might feature advertising from local businesses.
      By: Actionpics
      Local ballparks might feature advertising from local businesses.
    • Some people criticize commercial advertisements that push images of sex.
      By: Forewer
      Some people criticize commercial advertisements that push images of sex.
    • Commercial advertising often features close ups of the product that is being endorsed.
      By: Alejandro Catalan
      Commercial advertising often features close ups of the product that is being endorsed.
    • Commercial advertising is often geared toward specific demographics.
      By: Monkey Business
      Commercial advertising is often geared toward specific demographics.