The Tribune

Do you know the difference between marketing and advertising? All advertising is marketing, but not all marketing is advertising. It sounds like a riddle, which is why the two terms are often used interchangeably. The truth is, both concepts are related but different.

Knowing the difference between the two might not be the single most important thing you need to be aware of as a business person, but this knowledge will come in handy when you are speaking to clients or managers who may assume these separate terms mean the same thing.

So what exactly is the difference? Advertising and marketing both have the same goal, and that is to get your business and messaging in front of your target customers. Let us start with some key differences between marketing and advertising.

Marketing is all about fulfilling the unmet needs of the customers. It attempts to deliver value and provide satisfaction to the client through its offerings. Advertising is an organised, and composed, paid form of non-personal communication of ideas, goods and services by a recognised sponsor.

Marketing is a discipline, while advertising is a branch of marketing. Marketing is a process with a unique selling proposition (USP) and strong content that describes your business. In contrast, advertising covers the placement of advertisements on different channels such as TV, newspaper, billboards, radio, online ads and social media.

The goal of marketing is to create awareness about a company, its product range, services, variants and stores. But the goal of advertising is to get a quick and intended response from the customer. This response can be through store visits, clicks, impressions and so forth. It will ultimately result in an increase in the company’s sales.

While marketing is for the long-term, meaning it aims to boost the value of a company and its products in the customer’s eyes, advertising focuses on the short-term. Any advertisement that a company runs on various media is for a limited period only. Advertising is also done with a particular aim in mind.

Suppose the company wants to convey information about the sale. It will advertise the same on various media to get the desired response from the public, so the message will reach the maximum number of persons possible. Marketing focuses on creating a market for the product and building a reputation, whereas advertising focuses on seeking public attention.

While marketing facilitates the creation of awareness among consumers, advertising ensures the generation of sales for the company’s products. Ultimately, the marketing process begins long before production of the product. It does not end with the conclusion of the sale but, rather, it works on making customers feel satisfied. Advertising is a slice of the pie, while marketing is the whole pie. Moreover, if advertising is all you are doing to market your business, you are missing out on opportunities (or slices of pie) to drive sales for your business. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories rather than regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

• NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

ABOUT COLUMNIST: Deidre M. Bastian is a professionally-trained graphic designer/brand marketing analyst, author and certified life coach