Why Advertising is Important

“Doing business without advertising is like winking at someone in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does,” said the notable Stuart Henderson Britt, a major leader in the field of consumer behavior and long-term editor of the Journal of Marketing. And yet, people today claim they are hardly influenced by advertising.

Furthermore, companies are spending over $109-billion in digital advertising[1], $242-billion in magazines[2], and $260 billion in television[3]! What do they know that Britt knew and perhaps we have forgotten?

Advertising works! As one associate put it, “If I don’t advertise, I die.” But then, why do people pull back on advertising whenever there is a recession? Why is it the first thing dropped from budgets whenever possible?

As much as we hate to admit it, you HAVE to advertise if you want to increase business! But, the very definition of “advertising” might be changing – or is it? Social media rules tell us you can’t be “selling” on their channels. It’s about being social, not selling. Our question, however, is: Can you ever NOT be selling? You sell your boss that you have the company’s interests in mind. You sell your friends on the fact that, well, you are their friend.

But wait! “That’s not selling,” you might say. The truth is: if you are attempting to convince anyone of something, you are selling. If you’re selling, you are by default, advertising. Accordingly, if you’re not advertising, you’re not selling, and you won’t have to worry about business because there won’t be any.

[1] Vox, https://www.vox.com/2019/2/20/18232433/digital-advertising-facebook-google-growth-tv-print-emarketer-2019

[2]Statista,  https://www.statista.com/statistics/236958/advertising-spending-in-the-us/

[3] Statista, https://www.statista.com/topics/979/advertising-in-the-us/