The products advertised may be as varied as toothpaste and automobiles, and the services may range from laundries to travel agencies. The ideas advertised may involve contributing to a mental health agency, voting for a certain candidate, or going to church on Sunday. In each case the advertising points out the qualities of the product, the service, or the idea that would make it attractive to the persons the advertiser wishes to influence.

　　A single advertisement is usually only part of a total advertising campaign. Although the purpose of the campaign is to stimulate people to thought and action, this does not imply that the goal of all advertising is to make a sale. Instead, the goal of advertising is to awaken or produce predispositions to buy the advertised product or service.

　　This may be illustrated by the following three categories of advertising:

　　(1) Immediate Action. The primary purpose of some advertising is to induce immediate action. In this category is most newspaper advertising, especially for bargain-priced products, special deals, coupon offers, foods, and department-store items, as well as mail-order advertising.

　　(2) Awareness. Some advertising primarily creates an awareness on the part of the listener, viewer, or reader. This category includes announcements of a new product or model, improvements in a known product, a change in price, or a change in package design.

(3) Image. Some advertising seeks principally to create, reinforce, or change an image of a product or service (or organization) in the minds of those to whom the advertising is directed. Usually it is expected that the desired change of attitude will take place gradually over a period of time.

　　About three-fourths of the dollars spent for advertising messages are invested in six media, newspapers, television, direct mail, magazines, radio, and outdoor, in that order. Advertising provides the principal source of revenue for these media, which cost consumers relatively little.

　　Many persons object to advertising because some of it seems silly to them. They then conclude erroneously that most advertising is deceptive. Yet actual untruths are rare in most advertising. In the United States, this is especially true of products and services advertised on a nationwide basis. For example, it would be hard to find anything misleading in national advertising for insurance, shirts, soups, television sets, or pens.

　　One difficulty is that advertising tends to have a special language of its own. Most persons do not use such phrases as "cold, crisp taste,""fast, long-lasting, safe relief," or "volcano of fashion culture." Also, in many families more time is spent watching television than any other activity, and just looking at a great number of TV commercials over a long period of time leads many people to be critical of all advertising.

　　Some people who want new products and buy them make advertising the scapegoat by claiming that they were duped or forced into buying something they did not need. Yet the most far-reaching advertising campaign cannot force someone to buy something he does not want.

　　The consumer is still king (or queen) as to what he does with his money. The consumer is free to save or to spend his money in any way he wishes.
Advertising flourishes mainly in free-market, profit-oriented countries. It is one of the most important factors in accelerating the distribution of products and in helping to raise the standard of living.

　　Advertising has an important role in informing and influencing consumers. Virtually every individual in the United States is exposed to advertising. It has become one of the most important economic and social forces in society. Partly because of the influence of advertising, people have learned to want ever better products and services, to take better care of their health, and to improve their way of living.

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