Advertising is the paid, non personal promotion of a cause, idea, product, or service by an identified sponsor attempting to inform or persuade a particular target audience. Advertising has evolved to take a variety of forms and has permeated nearly every aspect of modern society. The various delivery mechanisms for advertising include banners at sporting events, billboards, Internet Web sites, logos on clothing, magazines, newspapers, radio spots, and television commercials. While advertising can be successful at getting the message out, it does have several limitations, including its inability to
(1) Focus on an individual consumer's specific needs
(2) Provide in-depth information about a product, and
(3) Be cost-effective for small companies.
Other factors, such as objectives, budgets, approaches, and evaluation methods must all be considered.
