4 min of reading

Index:

1º What is marketing?

2º The 4 P's of Marketing

3º What is advertising?

4º Differences between Marketing and Publicity

5º Marketing case studies

Knowing the differences between marketing and advertising can bring you closer to success in your business strategy. It is common to confuse both terms, although they have their differences, they complement each other. Taking advantage of the potential of both disciplines can create stronger strategies. 

What is marketing? 

Marketing goes far beyond what we see in advertisements. It is a complex system involving multiple processes designed to identify, understand, and satisfy consumer needs. Marketing, in its purest essence, is the bridge that links what the company offers and what people want or even need. This entire journey encompasses a spectrum of activities starting from market analysis and extending to after-sales service, creating a constant and deep relationship with the consumer. 

Marketing is like a complete orchestra that must work in perfect harmony. In an orchestra, there are violins, brass, there may be percussion, etc., and everything must be as synchronized as possible so that everything sounds perfect. 

This cohesion makes all the processes form an experience that goes far beyond just making noise. If we extrapolate it to marketing it is exactly the same, it coordinates all these efforts to create value for consumers, and of course, for the company offering the product or service. 

The 4Ps of marketing 

Within marketing, there is a fundamental concept that helps to understand how the discipline works: The 4Ps of marketing. These P's represent the basic pillars that every marketing strategy must take into account to be effective. 

Product: This is the good or service that the company puts on the market. It is not about selling an object, but about creating something that really makes sense to the consumer, solves a problem, or benefits them in some way. To give an example, when the electric vehicle brand Tesla launched its vehicles on the market, it was not just selling cars, it was contributing to a user being able to have a more sustainable means of transportation. 

2. Price: The process of setting a price is one of the most important and complicated tasks in a company's policy. Price is a variable in the perception of value. A product with a high cost may be perceived as a high quality product, or affordable and accessible if it is lower. In addition, when entering a market, you must observe what prices the competition has, and what the consumer is willing to pay. 

3. Point of sale: Your product can be a star, but if you don't know how to get it to your customers efficiently, it's like having a great fishing rod, but you're going fishing in a desert. Logistics, supply chain, distribution channels (physical stores or online platforms) have a fundamental role to play in order to reach your customers in the right way. A good distribution strategy is fundamental. 

4. Promotion: This is where advertising comes in, although promotion encompasses much more than just advertising your product. It includes all the activities you carry out to communicate with your audience. Public relations, personal selling, digital marketing, and special promotions fall under this P. 

Finally, to understand the concept, marketing is a strategic combination of all these activities, with the aim of selling and creating a lasting relationship with the customer. 

Advertising, the voice of your products 

Advertising is a specific part of the marketing strategy, with a key function: to communicate a message through media, usually paid media. If we have said that marketing is an orchestra, advertising is a soloist who takes center stage and captures the public's attention. 

When you see an ad on television, or a campaign on social networks, we are experiencing the result of an advertising action. Unlike other promotional tools, advertising has three clearly distinguishable characteristics: 

1. It is paid: Companies invest money to get space or time in the media. It can be a Google Ads campaign, or buying an ad in a magazine. There is always an economic outlay. 

2. It is massive: Advertising has the ability to reach large audiences. Instead of talking directly to one customer, you are trying to capture the attention of thousands or millions of users at the same time (if you are thinking about it, depending on the investment). This advantage of advertising is very significant. 

3. It is controlled: Unlike other types of communication, advertising is totally controlled by the company sending the message. You can decide exactly what to say, when to say it and how to say it. 

Differences between marketing and advertising

Scope and approach: Marketing encompasses a broader vision than just communicating messages. It includes the creation of the product, up to the after-sales service. On the other hand, advertising is only a tool within marketing, whose purpose is to communicate a specific message that generates an action on the part of the consumer. 

2. Objectives: Marketing focuses on building long-term relationships and delivering value to customers on an ongoing basis. Advertising, on the other hand, focuses on capturing the attention of consumers quickly and directly. Advertising, on the other hand, focuses on capturing customers' attention quickly and directly. 

3. Strategy vs. tactics: Marketing is very strategic. It has a long-term plan, guiding all the activities of a company, based on its mission and objectives. Advertising, on the other hand, is tactical, because it is oriented to specific actions, such as a campaign to launch a new product or service. 

4. Measuring success: Marketing is measured by how the company builds relationships with its customers. This includes indicators such as customer satisfaction, loyalty and customer lifetime value. Advertising evaluates its results based on metrics such as ROI or ROAS. 

To better distinguish the differences between marketing and advertising, let's talk about a case study example in each modality. 

Marketing case study: 

Imagine that a fitness company wants to develop an app to create personalized diets and routines. In its marketing strategy, it should include: 

• Market research: Before creating the app, the company must conduct market research to find out what users are looking for in an app that provides this type of fitness solutions. 

• App development: Based on the research, they must develop an app that meets certain characteristics that will satisfy a user who decides to obtain diets and workouts with this app. 

• Pricing strategy: The price should be set considering the cost of app development and the market's perception of the value provided by this app. 

• Distribution: On which platforms the app should be on to maximize its accessibility to users. 

Advertising case studies to promote the app

Once the app is developed and launched to the market, the company must decide to invest in advertising campaigns to publicize the product. This is where advertising comes in, with paid media campaigns. The campaign includes: 

1. Advertising in other apps: Ads in other apps that have thousands or millions of users. This enhances the reach of the fitness app being promoted. 

2. Social media advertising: Sponsored posts on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok that seek to capture the attention of users who might be interested in the solutions offered by this app. 

3. TV commercials: Commercials highlighting the app's features and presenting it as an innovative and essential solution for fitness enthusiasts. 

Both marketing and advertising are essential in today's business world. Although they have distinct differences in their objectives and methods, both work together to achieve the same goal: to connect with the consumer and create value for the company.

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