How Publicity and Advertising Spending Affect Marketing and Company Performance: Print Media Publicity about Durable-Goods/Services Brands Has a Stronger Impact than Advertising

This research investigated the relative effects of marketing communications on a chain of “marketing-productivity” measures—metrics that evaluate the influence of marketing at the consumer, market, financial, and company levels.

How Publicity and Advertising Spending Affect Marketing and Company Performance: Print Media Publicity about Durable-Goods/Services Brands Has a Stronger Impact than Advertising

Harlan E. Spotts

Western New England University

Marc G. Weinberger

University of Massachusetts/University of Georgia

Michelle F. Weinberger

Northwestern University

MANAGEMENT SLANT

  • Publicity – via newspapers and magazine articles – and advertising spending are synergistic, although publicity has a stronger relative importance compared with advertising on some measures of company performance.
  • Positive publicity has a significant overall effect, whereas negative publicity has a detrimental effect on most firm performance metrics.
  • Corporate-brand attitude has a strong influence on sales,...

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