INDEX:
1. to advertise something
2. the activity of advertising
3. an advertisement
see also
↑ PERSUADE
↑ BUY
↑ SELL
↑ NEWSPAPERS
↑ TELEVISION/RADIO
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1. to advertise something
▷ advertise /ˈædvəʳtaɪz/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to tell people publicly about a product or service in order to try to persuade them to buy it, for example by showing short films on television, or by showing pictures with words in newspapers and magazines :
▪ There was a big poster advertising a well-known brand of cola.
▪ We are a small business so we can only afford to advertise in the local press.
be advertised on TV/on the radio
▪ ‘How did you find out about the new software?’ ‘It was advertised on TV.’
be advertised in a newspaper/magazine etc
▪ The concert was advertised in all the national newspapers.
be heavily advertised
be advertised a lot
▪ Young smokers tend to buy the brands that are most heavily advertised.
▷ promote /prəˈməʊt/ [transitive verb]
to try to make people buy a new product, see a new film etc, for example by selling it at a lower price or talking about it on television :
▪ Meg Ryan is in Europe to promote her new movie.
▪ To promote their new shampoo, they are selling it at half price for a month.
promote something as something
▪ They’re trying to promote Dubai as a tourist destination.
▷ publicize also publicise British /ˈpʌblɪsaɪz, ˈpʌbləsaɪz/ [transitive verb]
to tell the public about a situation, event, organization, problem by advertising, writing, or speaking about it on television, in newspapers etc :
▪ Hollywood gossips were saying that the studio lacked the funds to publicize its new film properly.
▪ A good estate agent will know the best ways to publicize the fact that your home is for sale.
▪ A series of articles and television shows publicized concerns that the chemical Alar, used to keep apples red and firm, could cause cancer.
well-/highly/widely/much publicized
publicized a lot
▪ Jurors were asked what they knew about the highly publicized case.
▷ market /ˈmɑːʳkɪt, ˈmɑːʳkət/ [transitive verb]
to try to sell a product or service by deciding which type of people are likely to buy it and by making it attractive and interesting to them :
▪ In order to market a product well, you need to be aware of public demand.
▪ The company has exclusive European rights to market the new software.
▷ hype/hype up /haɪp, ˌhaɪp ˈʌp/ [transitive verb] informal
to try to make people interested in a product, entertainer, film etc, using television, radio, and newspapers - use this to show that you do not trust this kind of information :
▪ Like most Hollywood movies it was so hyped up that when I saw it I was completely disappointed.
▪ The cosmetics industry is usually quick to hype its new products.
hyped [adjective]
heavily/greatly/much etc hyped
▪ Douglas Kennedy’s hugely hyped first novel ‘The Big Picture’
▷ plug /plʌg/ [transitive verb] informal also give something a plug /ˌgɪv (something) ə ˈplʌg/ [verb phrase] especially British informal
to try to persuade people to buy a book, see a film etc, by talking about it publicly, especially on television or radio :
▪ The only reason she agreed to be interviewed was to plug her new record.
▪ The author used the opportunity of appearing on TV to give his latest book a plug.
▷ sell /sel/ [transitive verb]
to encourage people to buy something :
▪ There’s no question about it - scandal sells newspapers.
sell something to somebody
▪ It’s not just a question of making a good product - we also have to go out and sell it to people.
▷ push /pʊʃ/ [transitive verb] informal
to try to sell more of a product or service by advertising it a lot :
▪ Revlon is really pushing its new range of beauty creams.
2. the activity of advertising
▷ advertising /ˈædvəʳtaɪzɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the business of trying to persuade people to buy things, using pictures, words, songs etc on television and radio, large public notices, and magazines :
▪ The big cigarette manufacturers spend billions of dollars a year on advertising.
▪ CBS/FOX said that its advertising was mostly aimed at young adults between the ages of 18 and 23.
▪ Sara is looking for a job in advertising or the media.
advertising agency
a company that advertises other companies’ products
▪ Deutsch is the biggest advertising agency in the world.
▷ promotion /prəˈməʊʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
an attempt to make people buy a new product, see a new film etc, for example by selling it at a lower price or talking about it on television :
▪ Robbie Williams arrived in New York to do a week of promotion for his new record.
▪ The author was signing copies of his new book as a part of the publisher’s promotion campaign.
sales promotion
▪ They ran a sales promotion scheme in which a World Cup coin was given away with every four gallons of petrol purchased.
promotional [adjective only before noun]
promotional video
▪ a promotional video made by the Apple Computer Company
promotional copy
▪ I managed to get hold of a promotional copy of the Manic Street Preachers’ latest album.
▷ marketing /ˈmɑːʳkɪtɪŋ, ˈmɑːʳkətɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the business of trying to sell a product or service by deciding which type of people are likely to buy it and making it attractive and interesting to them :
▪ The business course includes classes on marketing.
marketing strategy/campaign
▪ The reason their cars sold so well was that they had a brilliant marketing strategy.
▷ publicity /pʌˈblɪsɪti, pʌˈblɪsəti/ [uncountable noun]
the business of making sure that people know about a new product, a new film, a famous person etc, for example by talking about them on TV or writing about them in magazines :
▪ The show’s organizers spent over $500,000 on publicity alone.
good/bad publicity
▪ The band appeared on Larry King’s show, which was good publicity for their US tour.
▷ hype /haɪp/ [uncountable noun] informal
attempts to make people interested in a product, entertainer, film etc, using television, radio, and newspapers - use this to show that you do not trust this type of information :
▪ Despite all the hype, I thought the book was pretty boring.
media hype
▪ Is it really Kevin Costner’s best film performance, or is that just media hype?
3. an advertisement
▷ advertisement /ədˈvɜːtɪsmənt, ədˈvɜːtəsməntǁˌædvərˈtaɪz-/ [countable noun]
something such as a large public notice, a short film on television, or a picture with words in a newspaper, that is designed to persuade people to buy something :
▪ Most car advertisements are aimed at men.
advertisement for
▪ At this time of year, the papers are full of advertisements for skiing holidays.
▷ commercial /kəˈmɜːʳʃ ə l/ [countable noun]
an advertisement on television or radio :
▪ Have you seen the new Levi jeans commercial?
commercial for
▪ a commercial for low-alcohol lager
commercial break
when there are commercials in the middle of a programme
▪ We’ll be right back with you after a commercial break.
▷ ad informal also advert British informal /æd, ˈædvɜʳt/ [countable noun]
an advertisement :
▪ She had started her acting career by doing shampoo ads on TV.
ad for
▪ I saw an advert for some cheap furniture in our local paper.
put an ad in a newspaper/magazine
▪ We put an ad in ‘The Times’ and got a terrific response.
▷ campaign/advertising campaign /kæmˈpeɪn, ˈædvəʳtaɪzɪŋ kæmˌpeɪn/ [countable noun]
a planned series of advertisements for a new product or service :
▪ The company got into a lot of trouble over its last advertising campaign.
launch a campaign/an advertising campaign
start a campaign
▪ Nissan is about to launch a nationwide campaign for its new range of cars.
▷ slogan /ˈsləʊgən/ [countable noun]
a short clever phrase used in an advertisement :
▪ a dry-cleaning company that used the slogan ‘We know the meaning of cleaning’
▷ hoarding British /billboard American /ˈhɔːʳdɪŋ, ˈbɪlbɔːʳd/ [countable noun]
a large flat board in a public place, where large printed advertisements are shown :
▪ Beside the freeway was a huge billboard showing an ad for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
▷ junk mail/direct mail /ˈdʒʌŋk ˌmeɪl, də̇ˈrekt ˌmeɪl/ [uncountable noun]
advertisements you receive in the mail from different companies, often with special deals or sales in them. Direct mail is the word used by the companies who send out these advertisements :
▪ Statistics show that 44% of junk mail is thrown away and never read.
▷ infomercial /ˈɪnfəʊmɜːʳʃ ə l/ [countable noun]
a television or radio advertisement made to look and sound like a real programme, often a financial news report or an advice show :
▪ Cable channels began broadcasting the 30-minute infomercial in April.
▷ banner ad /ˈbænər æd/ [countable noun]
an advertisement that appears at the top of a web page (=a page on the Internet), that you click on to find out more about the company, product, or service :
▪ A banner ad for NewsPage, a personalized Internet news service, appeared on part of the screen.