Different forms of advertising

Word Example
television commercial The BBC is perhaps unique for not carrying any
commercials
radio spot Radio stations make most of their revenue by selling
airtime in the form of radio spots
billboard Most major highways now have billboards by the
roadside advertising everything from soap to gas
flyer It can be very effective to hand out flyers
small ads/personal ads Not all advertising is commercial, many newspapers
carry small ads for personal services
trailer The trailer, as often as not, is actually better than the film
itself
product placement We are not always aware that we are being ‘sold’ a
product; for instance, when products are placed in films
promotion The two for the price of one promotion can often be very
misleading
endorsement Many sports stars earn the majority of their income from
endorsing various products
sponsorship It is unarguable that tobacco firms should not be allowed
to sponsor sports events

Adjectives to describe advertising

Word Example
witty/humorous The idea is that if you can make someone laugh with a
witty advert, then they will be more likely to buy the
product
memorable Almost all the best adverts are memorable in some way
persuasive Some ads are extremely persuasive and we find we buy
products we do not really need
misleading Although there are regulations against this, many adverts
are still misleading
word-of-mouth It is frequently said that the most effective form of
advertising is word-of-mouth advertising

Other related words

Word Example
regulation Most people would accept that the advertising industry
needs some form of regulation
advertising agency Advertising agencies frequently do extensive market
research to discover what attracts consumers
target The difficulty comes when adverts target young children
who are too easily influenced by them
consumers It can also be argued that consumers are able to decide
for themselves what to buy
brand awareness Advertising is essential for companies that need to build
their brand awareness