Are marketing and advertising the same thing?

Marketing is usually associated with campaigns, advertising and public relations. Most people are aware that a company would hardly sell anything without advertising its products. However, the exact composition of marketing is often underestimated. 

Are marketing and advertising the same thing? Marketing and advertising are not the same thing. The term marketing covers the complex area of product and pricing policy as well as communication and distribution. Advertising is one part of marketing.

Contacting customers is primarily in the hands of the marketing department. A marketing department deals with the question of who the target group is. Analyses play a major role in the preparations for the market entry of products and offers. An advertising strategy can only be drawn up on the basis of comprehensive findings and results. 

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Good and successful advertising is not possible without market analysis and product policy. The requirements of the individual target groups are different. Advertising can only be effective if it reaches and appeals to the right people and makes them want to buy. 

What is the definition of marketing? 

To give you a feel for why marketing and advertising are not the same thing, let's first put together a definition . 

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Marketing is a process that consists of various steps and has the following objectives: 

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• Definition and structure of product and service

• Selection of a price based on various parameters

• Communicating the benefits and solutions offered by the product

• Available for purchase on the market

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The industry also likes to talk about the four P's. The product, the price, the placement and the promotion. Of course, advertising plays an important role here. However, it only comes into play later. 

Where is the advertising in marketing? 

The very definition of marketing shows you that it is a very complex field. Advertising is only one part of it. This part is located in the area of promotion, as well as public relations and networking or the organization of events. 

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This means that advertising is an important part of marketing, but marketing is much more than just advertising. 

The individual areas of advertising

Advertising itself allows you to publicize your products or services in various ways. However, which of these channels is used depends on your company's marketing concept. We would like to give you a few examples to give you a good overview.

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The task of advertising in marketing is to increase awareness of a product or service and reach the target group. You can also use good advertising to arouse needs or positively influence a purchase decision. 

From marketing strategy to advertising

Before you advertise your product, you first need to develop a marketing strategy. This begins with defining the goals that are also relevant to your advertising strategy: 

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• What does my target group look like? 

• Which products would I like to offer? 

• How would I like to offer the products? 

• At what price do the products go on the market? 

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An important tip is that the goals should always be measurable. This allows you to check from time to time whether your strategy still fits or whether changes need to be made. 

The marketing plan as the basis for further action

A marketing plan is drawn up after the objectives have been set. Among other things, it also serves as a plan for advertising. The plan contains all the activities you want to use to achieve your goal. 

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Tip : As an external marketing department, we at MORE know exactly how important it is to give the entire team access to the plan and the current situation. Communication is made easier through the use of management tools. 

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The marketing plan also defines the planned approach for advertising. The development of these milestones is then the responsibility of the advertising and marketing departments. 

The implementation of advertising 

Advertising, in contrast to marketing, always refers to a product. The focus is on making the product better known and awakening or reinforcing the customer's desire to buy. 

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Advertising can also be part of achieving overarching goals. Imagine an analysis in the first quarter shows that 20% of your target group is aware of your brand. For the second quarter, you set yourself the goal of raising this figure to 30%. 

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How can advertising help you here? Many people associate a brand with products. If good advertising is published, awareness of your brand will also increase. 

When marketing consists only of advertising

At MORE, we often find that companies see marketing only as advertising. The great complexity of the topic of marketing is lost. Many companies focus primarily on advertising. They want to get their products on the market quickly. 

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This is understandable, of course, but you can only achieve a limited increase in sales this way. If you know neither the current market situation nor your target group and their interests, it is almost impossible to successfully place targeted advertising. 

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Companies assume that this gives them a higher budget for advertising. However, the lack of a marketing strategy and analyses means that advertising is launched on the market without sound results. The lack of defined goals also means that success cannot be measured. 

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Often this even happens unconsciously, as the expertise is simply lacking. By hiring an external marketing department, as provided by MORE, you don't run the risk of seeing and carrying out marketing as just advertising . 

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We are now doing something that no marketing agency would do. We'll tell you how to prevent your marketing from consisting solely of advertising: 

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1. Operational measures in second place

Before you plan an operational measure, you should always carry out a strategic consideration first. How useful is it to place this advertising now? How well will the advertising be received by the target group? Who is my target group anyway? Only when these questions have been answered can you start to think about implementing the advertising. 

2. Clearly define goals

Of course, the aim is to sell as much of the product as possible. But it is not a measurable goal. Concentrate on setting measurable goals. Strategic considerations are also important here. You can use the goals to define advertising measures. 

3. Distribute budgets

When allocating budgets, make sure that you have several areas of marketing. Allocate individual budgets for the marketing strategy, analyses, advertising and also for the area of pricing policy. Don't forget that the budget for marketing is not just an expense, but primarily an investment to increase sales. 

4. Monitoring success

Always check the goals you have set yourself from time to time. How close are you to them? Do you need to make any changes to your strategy? By regularly reviewing your strategy, you are always focusing on the essentials, going through your marketing strategy again and not just relying on advertising. 

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Initial strategic planning will enable you to allocate your available resources optimally, improve the economic aspect and keep to the schedule. 

Conclusion: Marketing and advertising are not the same thing

Advertising is a part of marketing that is made up of the four Ps. The marketing strategy is structured in detail, from the product and pricing policy to the place and promotion. 

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As an external marketing department, we attach great importance to strategic marketing. The path from idea to advertising is marked with milestones. At the beginning, we focus on analyzing the market and the target group, examine the needs of customers and don't lose sight of your competition. 

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Advertising only comes into play in one of the last steps. It is part of communication and promotion. The task of the advertising strategy is to awaken or confirm the target group's desire to buy. This can happen in various ways. 

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Our experienced experts at MORE skillfully implement the interplay of marketing and advertising measures. As your external marketing department, we support the awareness of your brand and ensure an increase in sales.