Types (Kinds) of Advertising

Advertising can be classified in several ways, according to its purpose, the audience it addresses, and the geographical area it covers. A student should be able to name and explain the main types of advertising.

A. On the basis of purpose

• Product advertising. Advertising that promotes a particular product or brand in order to sell it. It may be further divided into:
  • Informative (pioneering) advertising — used when a product is new, to make its existence and uses known and to create primary demand.
  • Persuasive (competitive) advertising — used when the product faces rivals, to build preference for the firm's own brand over competing brands.
  • Reminder advertising — used for a well-established product, to keep its name before the public and sustain repeat buying.
• Institutional (corporate) advertising. Advertising that promotes not a product but the firm itself — its name, reputation, values or social contribution — in order to build goodwill and a favourable image.

B. On the basis of the audience addressed

• Consumer advertising. Aimed at the final household buyer of a product.
• Industrial advertising. Aimed at firms that buy goods for use in production (raw materials, machinery, components).
• Trade advertising. Aimed at wholesalers and retailers, to persuade them to stock and resell the product.
• Professional advertising. Aimed at professionals — such as doctors or engineers — who recommend or specify products to others.

C. On the basis of area covered

• Local advertising. Confined to a single town or locality, often placed by a local retailer.
• Regional advertising. Covering a particular region or state.
• National advertising. Covering the whole country, used by large manufacturers with a nationwide market.
• Global (international) advertising. Directed at markets in more than one country.

D. Other useful classifications

• Primary-demand vs. selective-demand advertising — advertising that promotes a whole class of product ("drink more milk") versus advertising that promotes one particular brand within that class. …