Marketing versus Advertising

I  am often asked the difference between the two.  Unfortunately, I always give a different answer.  It is not as simple as giving the  “definition” of the words.  But I guess I can start with that so here goes:

ad·ver·tis·ing v. tr.

1. To make public announcement of, especially to proclaim the qualities or advantages of (a product or business) so as to increase sales.

mar·ket·ing  (mär k -t ng) n.

1. The act or process of buying and selling in a market.
2. The commercial functions involved in transferring goods from producer to consumer.

Notice how advertising is pretty limited, and marketing is all encompassing.  Advertising IS marketing but Marketing is NOT just advertisting.

Marketing includes many aspects of your businesss. 

It’s the way you dress, the location of your building, the way the phone is answered, the color of your logo, the style of advertising you do, the places you advertise, the language you use, the way your voicemail sounds, the way your menu trees are set up, the way you use your website…etc.

Marketing encompasses the subtle things of your business, as well as the overtly obvious.

Marketing separates competitors into “classes” and positions them in a specific rank in the eyes of a consumer.

I have heard:

“Dell has great prices, but be careful if you need customer service, their reps do not speak English well.”

To better help you understand branding and positioning in a plain language way, I recommend the book “Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide To Modern Marketing” by Harry Beckwith. You can get it from Amazon for about 15 bucks by CLICKING HERE.

Here is a great illustration:

If you paint a sign on the side of an elephant, it's  ADVERTISING.

If you parade that elephant through town, it's  PROMOTION.  

If the elephant tramples the mayor's rose garden, it's  PUBLICITY.  

If you can get the mayor to laugh about it, it's  PUBLIC RELATIONS.  

If the mayor pays you to let him kiss the elephant, it's  MARKETING.  

I am not sure where I got this, but if you are the author, let me know, so I can give you credit!

Marketing is all encompassing and is a total solution for a small business.  Advertising is necessary for a small business, but you need much more than just advertising to grow a business.

I hope this helps you understand a little bit better what the difference between marketing and advertising is, which will also hopefully help you understand the difference between a marketing consultant (like myself) and an advertising agency.

Keep GROWING your BIZ!

Maurice Evans