Advertising is an umbrella term that encompasses many different varieties of mediums, from print and broadcast advertising to newer forms of advertising that relies heavily on social media, word-of-mouth, and guerilla marketing efforts. At one time or another it may have been the case that newspapers, radio, and television were the only outlets for news, and therefore, became the mouthpieces for everyone with something to sell. But nowadays, you may notice that advertising is generally infiltrating all aspects of life. The key for advertisers these days is not so much figuring out what to say and how to say it, as it is determining how to do so without seeming intrusive in a day and age when people have largely become blind and deaf to such things as pop-up advertisements online and annoying car salesmen screaming on the radio and TV. Because of the fact that there is so much saturation on virtually every website, not to mention television commercials and radio spots, marketers and advertisers who really wish to play ball will have to diversify their efforts and become far more innovative. Small companies can use printing to their advantage at times, but do not want to spend a disproportionate amount of funds on printed materials if the same things can be accomplished through digital efforts. For example, a company may have an idea to print 5,000 handbills to distribute around the community. The company has a database of around 5,000 emails. The company would be best served to send an email blast to the existing database and hold onto the handbills for a tradeshow, conference, or perhaps even a concentrated direct marketing campaign, as opposed to just handing them out to at random to people on the street.
