Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action with respect to products,

ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behaviour with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common. Advertising messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via various traditional media; including mass media such as newspaper, magazines, television commercial, radio advertisement, outdoor advertising or direct mail; or new media such as websites and text messages.

Commercial advertisers often seek to generate incr eased consumption of their products or services through "Branding," which involves the repetition of an image or product name in an effort to associate certain qualities with the brand in the minds of consumers. Non-commercial advertisers who 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 (PSA). Modern advertising developed with the rise of mass production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 2010, spending on advertising was estimated at more than $300 billion in the United States and $500 billion worldwide Internationally, the largest ("big four") advertising conglomerates are Interpublic, Omnicom, Publicis, and WPP.
Definition Impersonal; one way communication about a product or organization that is paid by a marketer Types of advertising

Television advertising, Radio advertising, Online advertising, Press advertising, Billboard advertising, Mobile billboard advertising, In-store advertising, Street advertising

Regulations

Advertising regulation refers to the laws and rules defining the ways in which products can be advertised in a particular region. Rules can define a wide number of different aspects, such as placement, timing, and content. In the United States, false advertising and health-related ads are regulated the most. Many communities have their own rules, particularly for outdoor advertising.

Sweden and Norway prohibit domestic advertising that targets children. Some European countries dont all ow sponsorship of childrens programs, no advertisement can be aimed at children under the age of twelve, and there can be no advertisements five minutes before or after a childrens program is aired. In the United Kingdom advertising of tobacco on televis ion, billboards or at sporting events is banned. Similarly alcohol advertisers in the United Kingdom are not allowed to discuss in a campaign the relative benefits of drinking, in most instances therefore choosing to focus around the brand image and associative benefits instead of those aligned with consumption.
Advertising Regulations in India

Advertising Industry in India is on the expansion spree for the last few years and has become a serious and big business growing at a considerable rate. However, the growth of this industry is affected by the prevalent malpractices carried out by advertisers in order to lure the consumers and sustaining an edge over the competitors. Advertisement is often described as commercial speech and enjoys protection under Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution. As a facet of the Right to Information, it facilitates the dissemination of information about the sellers and their products. However, the manner of facilitation is subject to a number of statutory provisions. Under the Indian legal regime, the prominent, prohibitory legal provisions that regulate advertising are:
1. Obscene publication or advertisement of a lottery under the Indian Penal Code. 2. Harmful publication under the Young Persons (Harmful

Publications) Act, 1956. 3. The indecent representation of women under the Indecent Representation of Women 4. (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

Use of report of test or analysis for advertising any drug or cosmetic under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

5.

Inviting transplantation of organs under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994.

6.

Advertisement of magical remedies of diseases and disorders under Drugs and Magical Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.

7.

Advertisements relating to prenatal determination of sex under the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994.

8.

Advertisements of cigarettes and other tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce,

Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. 9. Any political advertisement forty hours prior to polling time under the Representation of People Act, 1951.

Absence of a single comprehensive legislation had created a lot of confusion in the advertising industry. In 1985, a self regulatory mechanism of ensuring ethical advertising practices was established in the form of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a non statutory tribunal. ASCI entertained and disposed of complaints based on its Code of Advertising Practice (ASCI Code). Gradually, the ASCI Code received huge recognition from the advertising industry. In August 2006, the ASCI Code was made compulsory for TV advertisements by amending the Cable Televis ion Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2006: No advertisement which violates the Code for Self -Regulation in Advertising, as adopted by the ASCI, Mumbai from public exhibition in India, from time to time, shall be carried in the cable service. This move has pro vided a binding effect on the ASCI Code. Rule 7 postulates that any advertisement which derides any race, caste and tends to incite people to crime, cause disorder or are indecent or vulgar. Further, section 6 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1955 prohibits the transmission or retransmission of any advertisement through a cable service unless they are in conformity with the ASCI Code. The key objectives of ASCI code is to ensure that advertisements must y Make truthful and honest representations and claims which is essential to prohibit misleading advertisements; y Not be offensive to public decency or morality; y Not promote products which are hazardous or harmful to society or to individuals, particularly minors; and y Observe fairness in competition keeping in mind consumers interests.

Under the ASCI Code, complaints against the advertisements can be made by any person who considers them to be false, misleading, offensive, or unfair. The complaints are evaluated by an independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC). CCC decides on complaints from the general public including government officials, consumer groups, etc., complaints from one advertiser against another or complaints from the member of the ASCI Board, CCC, or the Secretariat. The CCC usually decides upon the complaints within a period of 4 to 6 weeks once the party concerned is afforded an opportunity of presenting its case. The Indian advertising is slowly recognising the potential of web castin g as well which is the transmission of video and audio content over the Internet, used for updating the news, weather or coverage of any selected events such as seminar, product launches or training. Though online advertising which is now also considered as Viral Marketing uses social networking sites, popular sites and industry specific portals to target audience. In order to target its audience, it considers the twin formulae of demographic information and online behaviours of the user. Equally popular is the mobile advertising in India, which is growing like forest fire with increasing mobile connections in India.
Regulation in other country

In the US many communities believe that many forms of outdoor advertising blight the public realm. As long ago as the 1960s in the US there were attempts to ban billboard advertising in the open countryside. Cities such as So Paulo have introduced an outright ban with London also having specific legislation to control unlawful displays. There have been increasing efforts to protect the public interest by regulating the content and the influence of advertising. Some examples are: the ban on television tobacco advertising imposed in many countries, and the total ban of advertising to children under 12 imposed by the Swedish government in 1991. Though that regulation continues in effect for broadcasts originating within the country, it has been weakened by the European Court of Justice, which had found that Sweden was obliged to accept foreign progr amming, including those from neighbour countries or via satellite. Greeces regulations are of a similar nature, banning advertisements for children's toys between 7 am and 10 pm and a total ban on advertisement for war toys". In Europe and elsewhere, there is a vigorous debate on whether (or how much) advertising to children should be regulated. This debate was exacerbated by a report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation in February 2004 which

suggested fast food advertising that targets children was an important factor in the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States. In New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and many European countries, the advertising industry operates a system of self-regulation. Advertisers, advertising agencies and the media agree on a code of advertising standards that they attempt to uphold. The gene ral aim of such codes is to ensure that any advertising is 'legal, decent, honest and truthful'. Some self -regulatory organizations are funded by the industry, but remain independent, with the intent of upholding the standards or codes like the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK. In the UK most forms of outdoor advertising such as the display of billboa rds is regulated by the UK Town and County Planning system. Currently the display of an advertisement without consent from the Planning Authority is a criminal offense liable to a fine of 2,500 per offence. All of the major outdoor billboard companies in the UK have convictions of this nature. The advertisement of controversial products such as cigarettes and alcohols are subject to government regulation in many countries. For instance, the tobacco industry is required by law in most countries to display warnings cautioning consumers about the health hazards of their products. Linguistic variation is often used by advertisers as a creative device to reduce the impact of such requirements.