How do you define advertising?

Advertising has been around since the beginning of time. Archaeologists have found many paintings in diverse cultures around the world that clearly announced an event or pointed to trade/the opportunity to acquire goods. I think that’s pretty cool. Even in pre-historic times, folks were trying to influence behavior through published messages. I wonder how the owners of the walls or rocks charged for the use of their medium.

To help frame the discussion in this blog, I want to answer the question, "What constitutes advertising?" I'll start this short discussion by presenting some definitions:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/advertising

• Main Entry: ad·ver·tis·ing
• Function: noun
• Date: 1751

1 : the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements
2 : advertisements {the magazine contains much advertising}

3 : the business of preparing advertisements for publication or broadcast

Jeez. Is that it? Can advertising be adequately described in so few words. This isn’t Twitter, so let’s delve a little deeper.

The Marketing Dictionary:
http://www.answers.com/topic/advertising

Paid form of a nonpersonal message communicated through the various media by industry, business firms, nonprofit organizations, or individuals. Advertising is persuasive and informational and is designed to influence the purchasing behavior and/or thought patterns of the audience. Advertising is a marketing tool and may be used in combination with other marketing tools, such as sales promotions, personal selling tactics, or publicity.

OK, this is better, and in general, I think it captures the spirit of the term. Yet, the definition made me think, “How blasé. Dictionary definitions can be real snoozers!” They lack the appeal, pizazz and sham-wow that advertising can engender.

I prefer a broader and more chromatic definition of what constitutes advertising:

Every attempt to secure the sale of a product or service is advertising. The wares of the primitive merchant displayed invitingly in front of his booth is advertising. A want ad, to secure a job or an employee, is advertising. An inscription on a wall, the barker in front of a side show, the promises of an internet marketer, the announcement of a new online technology, membership in an affiliate program, wearing a peculiar shirt or distinctive sticker in your car - all these are forms of advertising in that they seek to attract attention to a product or a service that is for sale. For a product or a service of general use, rich and poor, high and low, men, women and even children, must be appealed to.

Works for me! Thanks to Fidel Prida, work@home entrepreneur, for breathing life into the definition of advertising. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-definition-of-advertising.html

Does this definition work for you? Let me know your thoughts.

Later on, I intend to challenge the notion that advertising is confined to the promotion of products and services, or the acquisition of votes. Hmmm, could be salacious.

Advertising rocks my world!

Anyone who knows me understands that television commercial breaks are not the time to engage me in conversation. My poor wife, who loves to chat, discovered this early in our relationship. Lucky for me, she didn’t ditch me after the first few times of unsuccessfully attempting to rip my attention away from the television to share a brief story of her day, only to discover my brain was fixated on the 30-second vignettes on the tube.

This attraction to advertising started at a young age. I can recall being mesmerized by TV, radio, print and even billboard ads when my age was represented by a single digit. Over the years, the attraction turned into a passion, a college degree, and ultimately, a career in marketing communications.

Something 2 Ad is my forum for sharing my passion. This will be more than a review of ads past and present that have captured my attention along with an explanation of why I like them (or not); I'll also be discussing advertising in all its forms, the power of advertising to affect change in society, both positive and negative, and whether or not agencies and their clients have responsibilities to their customers and the public at large. I also plan to research and comment on where advertising is going. It's a vast and exciting subject and I intend to delve into all areas where I have an interest, a point of view, and a desire to learn.

So let's start the journey and see where this blog goes. I hope you enjoy what I have to say and are motivated to provide your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree with me.

Let's start with a look at a commercial that is currently airing on national TV. Embedded here is one of my faves from the AT&T U-verse campaign:

This ad just cracks me up. The girl is a hoot. Love her attitude! The brief exchange between Tim and Mason is great; especially how Mason endures Tim's wisdom and then dismisses him with a simple "Yea, but I, I don't have that." His facial expression and body language speaks volumes.

This AT&T U-verse campaign is brilliantly executed. I'll be re-visiting it in future posts.