Often times people think of advertising and marketing as one and the same. It’s no wonder! We watch new stories and articles that talk about marketing strategy while at the same time we’re hit with advertisements on just about any medium you can think of: the back of the tray table in an airplane, on the side of a bus, on your mobile phone, in your web browser, on television … the list goes on!
But the distinction between the two is important, especially for business owners. Advertising is a component of marketing. It is the deliberate packaging and delivery of a message to the general public intended to influence the decision making process.
Marketing, on the other hand, is a catch-all word that covers all activities related to causing a buy/sell transaction to occur … that includes advertising!
For some additional reading, check out the Wikipedia entries for Advertising and Marketing.