The different types of consumer advertising are all defined based on what is being promoted. Consumer advertising can promote a specific product, a brand, or an entire corporation. It is also possible for this kind of advertising to promote retail businesses, services, and cooperative efforts between two different products or brands. The one factor that all of these types of advertising have in common is that they are aimed at consumers. One type of consumer advertising that is typically monitored by regulatory agencies is pharmaceutical marketing, since some drug companies choose to market directly to consumers instead of to doctors and other medical professionals.
Consumer advertising is a variety of marketing strategies that address the end users of various products and services. It is possible for a consumer to be either an individual person or a company, so many types of advertising can fit this description. All kinds advertising media can used for these types of marketing, including broadcast, print, outdoor, and direct mail. The one common factor is the target of the advertising.
The most common type of consumer advertising exists to promote specific products. When an ad for a product runs on a television or in a newspaper, it represents this kind of advertising. Another related form is referred to as range advertising. These ads are typically for a group of related products, such as a line of cosmetics, instead of one particular item. Brand advertising is another similar concept.
Retail advertising is a type of business or corporate promotion that seeks to draw consumers to stores. This type of consumer advertising often promotes individual products as well, but the main point is to generate business for a particular retail establishment. Attractive prices for specific items are often used as a selling point to draw in customers, though many other techniques can be used as well.
In addition to ads for specific products and businesses, generic advertising is another consumer oriented marketing strategy. Generic advertising is usually paid for by a consortium of producers, manufacturers, or growers. These ads may promote a particular type of meat, grain, or vegetable, though they can also cover products such as cotton.
Business to business marketing is a type of consumer advertising that deals with very specific market segments. This kind of advertising rarely appears in traditional print or broadcast media, since the consumers that are being targeted are actually businesses. Trade magazines and direct mail are usually employed to ensure that the correct types of businesses are targeted for this variety of advertising.
