Advertising is a message designed to promote a product, a service, or an idea. In everyday life, people come into contact with many kinds of advertising. Printed advertisements make up a large part of newspapers and magazines. Poster ads appear in many buses, subways, and trains. Neon signs along downtown streets flash advertisements. Billboards dot the roadsides. Commercials interrupt TV and radio programs. Advertisements appear on many sites on the World Wide Web.
The purpose of most advertising is to sell products or services. Manufacturers advertise to try to persuade people to buy their products. Large business firms also use advertising to create a favorable "image" of their company. Local businesses use it to gain new customers and increase sales. Advertising thus plays a key role in the competition among businesses for the consumer's dollar. In many businesses, the volume of sales depends largely on the amount of advertising done.
Advertising is also used by individuals, political parties and candidates, social organizations, special-interest groups, and the government. Many people advertise in newspapers to sell used cars, homes, or other property. Political parties and candidates use advertising to try to win votes. Social organizations and special-interest groups often advertise to promote a cause or to influence the way people think or act. For example, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America sponsors ads designed to discourage people from using illegal drugs. The United States government uses advertising chiefly to recruit volunteers for the armed forces.
Advertising is a multibillion-dollar industry in the United States. More than $200 billion is spent on advertising and advertising-related activities in the United States each year. About $400 billion is spent on advertising in other countries.
Advertising is common in almost all countries. In many countries, however, advertising is more restricted than it is in the United States. In most of the countries of Western Europe, for example, the governments limit the amount of advertising that appears on television. In addition, these governments make greater use of advertising for social, political, and educational purposes.
