Andy Sernovitz, a marketing guy, wrote:
Advertising is the cost of being boring.
If your customers won’t talk about your stuff, you have to pay newspapers and TV shows to do it for you.
Robert Stephens, founder of the Geek Squad, made a similar statement:
… advertising is a tax you pay for being unremarkable.
Have you ever seen an ad for Google or Facebook? When was the last time you saw a Starbucks TV commercial? How often does a pro sports league like the NBA advertise its product?
Advertising is a part of marketing. Advertising is always marketing but marketing is not always advertising. While advertising is usually more visible than other marketing efforts, it’s not necessarily more effective.
By definition, advertising is when someone buys media space to publish their message. When a business advertises, it’s trying to take money from customers.
Non-advertising forms of marketing can include such things as public relations, doing customer research, being part of a public event, and being active on various social media. When a business does non-advertising marketing, it’s trying to give information to customers.
Being remarkable, such as having a good shopping experience, free delivery or great return policy, isn’t advertising and may not even be considered marketing. But being remarkable is often enough to cause your marketing, and hopefully also your business, to flourish.
Apparently, acts of generosity are one of the best ways to become remarkable. Examples: a restaurant being generous with free desserts, a photographer being generous with their time, a company being generous with its customer service, a manufacturer being generous with its product warranty.
Advertising is usually the easiest and most expensive form of marketing. It’s just not always cost effective.
Other forms of marketing can be less expensive and yet, more effective than advertising.
Being remarkable is usually the most effective. It may also be the most difficult.
