What Are The Major Differences Between Advertising And Sales Promotions?

The combination of advertising and sales promotions is a striking one, which generates profuse outcomes for the brand in the short-run as well as in the long-run. The first difference deals with the duration of both the promotion modes for generating outcomes – while sales promotion generates short-term results, advertising is more suitable for achieving returns in the long run.

Another difference between advertising and sales promotion lies in their respective natures of appeal – while advertising incorporates an emotional approach to touch the viewer and prompt him / her to engage in a buying behavior, sales promotion activities focus more closely on a rational appeal nevertheless in some cases it does take the aegis of an impulse (emotional) appeal.

The third difference between the two modes of promotion is the benefit that is offered by them – while advertising, with its emotional appeal, offers intangible benefits, sales promotion activities provide the incentive of tangible benefits, pertaining to their rational appeal. Lastly while advertising has a moderate contribution in generating short-term results, sales promotion has a much greater share of contribution in generating short-term results.

There is a difference between the sales and the marketing functions. In marketing, two-communication process occurs between the customer and the seller. Therefore, marketing emphasizing more on the learning concepts as compare to sales which focus only on selling the products or services. Marketing aims to enhance the product visibility and demand in the market while sales function only aims to sell the products and services. Moreover, marketing involves in enhancing the brand image and customers' awareness while sales is only concerned with the demand and supply of the products.

Sales Promotion and Advertisements both are important elements of promotion mix. Advertising involves targeting message to the masses by using communications medium such as print media, Television or radio. The advertisements have certain messages which are communicated through different themes which help project the image of the product in the minds of consumers and aid in brand building. Sales Promotions unlike advertisement usually doesn't use media. Sales promotion includes rebates, contests, point of purchase displays  etc and the purpose is to increase the sales rather then brand building.

Its related to time factor advertisement is for long period but sales promotion is for short period

Differentiate Advertising from sales promotion?

Advertising is easy to understand with the help of pictures and graphics whereas sales promotion is easy to understand by a consumer

Sales promotion is cheaper and results in less loss if a business fails to appeal consumers.
Advertising costs are higher which may make the business to suffer more if consumers are not attracted towards the product.