What Is The Purpose of Advertising?

I’ll never forget the first day I decided to advertise my business. Believe it or not, it was slightly embarrassing. The reason is, that I was putting myself out there! Once I signed the contract, a lot of hand-wringing ensued like, “Will people think it’s stupid? Do People need it? Will anyone see it? Will it work?” 

This was in the days of dial-up internet by the way. Things were still done by paper and DM-ing was on AOL. 

Needless to say, that Ad didn’t work. 

By the way, most advertising doesn’t work today and that is a huge problem for marketers. It’s also why I have pulled all my advertising. 

What Is The Purpose Of Advertising (If It Doesn’t Work)?

While advertising serves multiple purposes, the purpose of advertising is to persuade potential customers to purchase or try out a product or service. Its secondary purpose is to make the public aware of the product or service. Advertising can also be called interruption marketing according to famous marketers like Seth Godin.

Seth would probably look at advertising like this:

In essence, it's the paid media, the commercials, the billboards, and the ads that pop up when you're trying to watch a video or read an article. Duh, right? He often points out that traditional advertising interrupts consumers to get their attention.

In his book "Permission Marketing," Godin contrasts traditional "interruption marketing" (which includes most forms of Ads) with "permission marketing." The purpose of interruption marketing is to grab the consumer's attention momentarily, while permission marketing is about building a longer-term relationship based on the consumer's explicit permission to be marketed to. 

One you pay for, one you develop over time.

That said, Godin acknowledges the role of advertising but believes its traditional forms are becoming less effective in a world where consumers have more control over what they pay attention to. He would likely argue that for advertising to be effective today, it needs to be more relevant, valuable, and permission-based, rather than just an interruption. More on this in a bit.

Gary Vaynerchuk, commonly known as Gary Vee, is a prominent entrepreneur, speaker, and digital marketing expert. Personally, he is a genius attention hacker who can have a great hook to get you interested in what he does then probably say nothing for an hour. He would probably say that the purpose of advertising is about communicating your message to your target audience, but the effectiveness of that communication hinges on understanding where your audience's attention is and how to best engage them on a platform. He also stresses the value of authentic storytelling in advertising. Rather than just pushing a product, Gary Vee believes in providing value, telling genuine stories, and building a brand over the long term.

Neil Patel is a well-known digital marketing expert, entrepreneur, and author. He's particularly recognized for his expertise in search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing. Based on his writings, videos, and interviews, Neil Patel might describe advertising as:

A tool to strategically position your brand, product, or service in front of your target audience, leveraging data and analytics to optimize for conversions and ROI (return on investment)..

David Meerman Scott, Author, speaker might describe advertising as:

A component of the broader marketing landscape, where organizations can no longer rely solely on traditional, interruption-based methods. Instead, they should focus on creating valuable content that pulls people toward a company and its products organically, by positioning the brand as a trusted resource. 

Big Takeaway

For me: Advertising in the traditional form no longer works as it used to. Yes, there are platforms out there where you can poke your head out in the middle of a doom scroll for your target customer. Yes, they will probably see it. Yes, maybe after “X” amount of times they will purchase it… but it’s not the early days of click marketing anymore. The cost to get yourself out there is increasing. So much that you probably are, and I am taking a huge liberty here because I don’t know your situation, probably not reaching who you want in a way that’s meaningful.

Suggestion

Start your social media revolution by creating videos, writing articles, and leaning on email marketing. You want a connection to the consumer, not an interruption. While this tactic needs time and consistency, you will not only find your market but you will be a trusted resource for countless consumers for longer. By not outwardly selling your product or service, you are creating a bond with them that makes them trust you thereby becoming a fan, not just a consumer.

Daniel Powers Jr, the founder of Real Brave™, serves as the chief inspiration to thousands of students in the Real Brave music instruction program. He's also the visionary behind PracticePad™, an online platform for live one-on-one music lessons, lesson tracking, and scheduling. Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, Daniel leads a non-profit organization that provides formerly homeless children with access to music education, making a profound impact on their lives. His unwavering dedication to music, innovation, and education continues to inspire individuals to reach their fullest potential while creating positive change in communities.