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The public debate about marketing vs. advertising is filled with mistaken beliefs of their various roles, often seen by the average man in the street as one and the same thing, tricks used by sellers to capture their interest and manipulate them into buying the product or service. Tricks and manipulation though are terms most marketers and advertisers would be horrified to hear about their campaigns.

Marketers vs Advertisers Defined

Marketing is usually seen by practitioners as the overall discipline used to promote products, services, brands, election candidates, programs etc. Marketing includes advertising as a child discipline, along with market research, public relations, sales, branding etc. Pricing for products and services is usually set by the marketing team of any organization.

Entrepreneurs and successful CEO’s typically have a solid grasp of marketing, they need this because the success of any business, non-profit, or governmental organization rests on being able to satisfy the needs of the market.

Advertising, as mentioned earlier, is largely responsible for appealing to the emotion of the consumer, and is seen as a first critical step in the sales process.

Advertisements that target the wrong emotion in the buyer are not likely to work, and run the risk of alienating the market. Advertisements take many forms, and are most commonly seen in print (newspapers, journals, and directories) and visual media (Internet, TV, Cinemas), but are also considered to be sales letters, viral marketing programs, and event sponsorship.

No doubt, advertising is intended to appeal to the buyer’s emotions, and sales people are trained to use empathy and emotional appeal to get the sale, however without solid marketing to back it up, the advertising will not be successful.

Steps to Marketing and Advertising Products

The usual steps in a successful marketing campaign involve initial market research into the market need, and how well the product or service is likely to be received. Once this is complete, the marketing team know what potential buyers are looking for and how good a fit their product is. A campaign is designed and potential buyer objections and triggering emotions dealt with in market testing. Once testing is complete, problems are ironed out in preparation of the final campaign. At this stage the brand has been decided on and packaging or promotional material designed.

Now it’s time to create the advertising material. The advertising team is responsible for determining the best avenues for promotion, and will conduct their own research into where the consumer is most likely being receptive to the product. Many products are only advertised at the point of sale, simply because they are considered to be impulse purchases, others are promoted in all available media.

Advertisers are responsible for selecting the format of the advertisement, from billboards to color spreads in major journals, free standing cardboard cut-outs, and everything in between. Suppliers are sourced who will be contracted to produce the advertising, from graphic designers to printshops. The advertising team then presents their proposed campaign and implementation plan to marketing.

Everything has now come full circle, and the marketing team has their complete campaign researched, planned, and ready to roll. Shortly before the campaign hits the market the sales channel is introduced to the product and given training on converting interested consumers into buyers of the product.

Marketing vs Advertising is a complex subject, and the definitions often blurred by outsiders in the face of so much exposure within the various media to both advertising and marketing campaigns. It is little wonder so many are confused, not realizing that marketing refers to the overall process, and advertising is just one of its constituent disciplines.

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