Overview
advertisement
Quick Reference
An attention-grabbing presentation in any medium which typically serves the marketing function of persuading consumers to purchase a product or service but which may also function to raise or maintain awareness of a brand and of the distinctive values with which it seeks to be allied (part of the way a brand is positioned against its rivals: see brand positioning). In terms of communicative functions, although the advertisement is primarily a persuasive genre, ads are not limited to commercial purposes (e.g. political ads); they may also be informational (notably in advertisements from public bodies) and in the context of the clutter of competing claims for attention, they often seek to be entertaining. See also above-the-line; advertising appeals; advertising formats; commercial.
