廣告是一種有償的產品和服務推介或促銷形式。一般不是個人行為，做廣告者的身份必須在廣告中顯示出來。廣告的作用是通過為一種產品或一項服務創造一個正面積極的形象來影響目標消費者的行為。要進行廣告宣傳活動，首先需確定以下項目：

Form 形式

National: advertising a copyrighted product or service across the national footprint. Identifies brand name and emphasizes national presence.

Retail: advertising by outlet emphasizing image and variety.

Direct: advertising directly to customers to avoid middlemen and response delivery costs.

Advocacy: public communication that uses a perspective on a recognized controversial issue.

Style 風格

Humorous: light-hearted.

Comparative: compares one product to another, highlighting strengths and benefits over a competing product.

Emotional: creates a mood, arouses feelings, tries to meet psychological needs.

Lifestyle: associates brand/product/service with the way people live and work.

Testimonial: affidavit of support by a customer or celebrity.

Reason why: touts the benefit and necessity of a product to avoid adverse situations.

Slice of life: typically focuses on an average family and everyday or common setting.

Media傳播媒介

Television: most expensive, audio-visual impact, reaches a mass audience, easily and effectively targeted based on well-known viewer demographics.

Newspaper: most widely used medium, rapid and flexible coverage, ads easily changed, less expensive than television. Short attention span, poor reproduction quality, usually no color, not easily targeted.

Direct mail: less expensive than TV or newspaper but higher advance costs, audience easily selected, demographics of percentage of serious recipients can be predicted in advance.

Radio: fairly inexpensive, mass audience, audiences are largely segmented and easily targeted. Only audio, brevity doesn't allow for educating viewers about complex products, audience less attentive.

Magazine: relatively inexpensive, huge variety provides a high level of market segmentation, lots of space for detailed product information, excellent graphical reproduction, long life span, repeat exposure to multiple readers. Not quickly modifiable, long lead time before printing, no guarantee of placement within the magazine.

Outdoor: inexpensive, little competition for customer attention, high repeat exposure. Limited information, little control over target audience.

Internet: potential mass audience, but no control and little targeting capability. Difficult to control reader's attention, some delivery problems.