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Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) 

to purchase or take some action upon products, ideals, or services. It includes the name of a product or 

service and how that product or service could benefit the consumer, to persuade a target market to 

purchase or to consume that particular brand. These brands are usually paid for or identified through 

sponsors and viewed via various media. Advertising can also serve to communicate an idea to a large 

number of people in an attempt to convince them to take a certain action.

Commercial advertisers often seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services 

through branding,which involves the repetition of an image or product name in an effort to associate 

related qualities with the brand in the minds of consumers. Non-commercial advertisers that spend 

money to advertise items other than a consumer product or service include political parties, interest 

groups, religious organizations and governmental agencies. Nonprofit organizations may rely on free 

modes of persuasion, such as a public service announcement.

Modern advertising developed with the rise of mass production in the late 19th and early 20th 

centuries. Mass media can be defined as any media meant to reach a mass amount of people. Different 

types of media can be used to deliver these messages, including traditional media such as newspapers, 

magazines, television, radio, outdoor or direct mail; or new media such as websites and text messages. 

Advertising may be placed by anadvertising agency on behalf of a company or other organization.