What term describes ongoing mass communication from a business to customers about products, services, and a company's media plans?

• A. Advertising
• B. Branding
• C. Public Relations
• D. Marketing

Answer: (A)

Advertising is the ongoing paid, non-personal promotion from a business to customers about products and services, and it includes planning where those messages will run—that’s the media plan. This makes it the best fit for describing broad, continuous messaging to a wide audience. Branding focuses on shaping the company’s identity and how it’s perceived, not on promoting specific products through paid channels. Public relations centers on managing relationships and overall reputation rather than direct, paid mass messaging. Marketing is broader still, covering market research, product development, pricing, distribution, and promotion, with advertising being the promotional tool that delivers the mass messaging.