Six models of advertising

This article presents six theories of advertising, arguing that all are useful, but none are wholly right or wrong - so it's best to understand them all.

Six models of advertising

Paul Feldwick

All theories of how advertising works have their uses – but individually all are dangerous if they are taken too literally as the truth. This article summarises six main theories and shows how an understanding of them can help deliver better advertising campaigns.

As anyone who has been involved in advertising will probably know, the question 'How does advertising work?' has never had an easy or even an adequate answer. Yet it's a question with some very practical consequences, and possibly some ethical ones too. Does it matter if advertising is remembered, or whether...

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