How Marketing and Advertising Differ

Marketing and advertising are very different things, though they are often considered to be the same.  While they do work as a tandem to benefit a company, they are two very distinct entities.

The primary difference between the two is the timing involved.  Marketing begins, or should begin, long before a product is even introduced on the market.  Advertising, however, is done to promote the product after it has been launched.

There are several goals to a marketing strategy.  For one, an effective marketing campaign will introduce consumers to a product, while piquing their interest in that product at the same time.  Furthermore, marketing will inform the target customers about the product, telling them what it is, why they need it, and when they can expect to see it available.

Advertising is like the anchor runner on a relay team: it comes in at the end to close the deal.  If a company’s marketing strategy is effective, then the stage will already be set for the product to succeed once it hits the market.  Advertising comes into play in two situations.  After a successful marketing campaign, advertising is used to reinforce the effects of that campaign, and to continue to build an identity for the product.  Or, if the marketing strategy is not as successful as planned, advertising is there to pick up the slack and fulfill many of the goals of marketing.

Marketing, as we mentioned, should begin long before the product launch.  There are many possible ways to market a product.  Literature becomes important at this early stage.  Introductory ads can be run in papers or magazines, and flyers can be printed and posted in conspicuous areas.  Another common strategy is to do a newsletter printing and distribute it to potential customers.

The advertising efforts conducted after launch take on the components that most people recognize.  These are the traditional ads that you see everywhere.  This advertising campaign also includes television commercials and radio spots promoting the product.  It is this type of advertising that is often confused for marketing.

Obviously, a successful company will place a great deal of emphasis on both marketing and advertising.  However, it should be noted that an effective marketing campaign will reduce the need for heavy advertising, because the product will already be well known and in high demand.  Even then, though, advertising can play a vital role for the company, if done in the right ways and in the right amounts.

As a company is planning a product launch, it should not even think about advertising.  Its entire focus should be on marketing, to introduce the product to the public and to create a need for it.  Advertising strategy should not come into play until the product has been successfully launched.

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