Advertise and Promote

Advertise/promote means drawing attention to a product, event, activity or service so that people take an interest in it. The response you are aiming for might be buying something, giving money, turning up, or simply finding out more.

Promotion is not only about selling. A media product made to advertise/promote can aim to:

• sell more of a product, such as a shop offering half price trainers for one week
• increase donations, such as a leaflet for a charity book sale
• raise public awareness, such as a poster about a new community garden
• encourage attendance, such as a social media post about a youth club open evening

Worked example: a radio advert for a leisure centre's new swimming lessons names the days, the price and a phone number, and finishes with a catchy jingle. It exists to advertise/promote the lessons, drawing attention to them and pushing listeners to book. The catchy jingle helps listeners remember the advert, but the reason the product exists is still to promote the lessons.

A poster for a school cake sale and a television advert for a new board game share the same purpose, even though one asks for donations and the other is selling. Both draw attention to something and encourage the audience to respond.