--- title: Marketing is not Advertising image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604526422-png/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2015434d0b7a1970c-120wi.png --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2011/08/marketing-is-not-advertising.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Marketing is not Advertising August 25th, 2011 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604526422-png/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2015434d0b7a1970c-120wi.png?width=120&height=40&name=6a00d83451f23a69e2015434d0b7a1970c-120wi.png) UPDATE - August 26, 2011 - Shar VanBoskirk commented on the post. Please make sure to read her thoughtful response to this post (15 comments down). +++++++++++++++++++ [![Forrester_logo](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604526422-png/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e2015434d0b7a1970c-120wi.png "Forrester_logo")](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e2015434d0b7a1970c-pi) Yesterday, Forrester Research released a report [US Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2011 To 2016: Spend Will Near $77 Billion As Interactive Gains Legitimacy In The Mix](http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/us_interactive_marketing_forecast,_2011_to_2016/q/id/59379/t/2?src=RSS_2&cm_mmc=Forrester-_-RSS-_-Document-_-4) written by [Shar VanBoskirk](http://twitter.com//SharVanBoskirk) The executive summary reads: *By 2016, advertisers will spend $77 billion on interactive marketing — as much as they do on television today. Search marketing, display advertising, mobile marketing, email marketing, and social media will grow to 35% of all advertising spend as they are embedded in the marketing mix. We expect this growth to help firms become adaptive, kill off daily deals, re-emphasize marketing's "p's," and turn consumer electronics into audience-targeting tools.* I violently disagree with how VanBoskirk and her colleagues continue to equate "advertising" with "marketing" as they have done in the report. (Re-read the title of the report and the executive summary and pause on the words "advertising" and "marketing" to see what I mean.) I first wrote about this issue back in 2007 in a post called [Forrester Research misleads CMOs by confusing advertising with marketing in new research report](https://www.webinknow.com/2007/10/forrester-resea.html) **Marketing is not Advertising** Prior to the web, organizations had only two significant choices to attract attention: Buy expensive advertising or get third-party ink from the media. But the web has changed the rules. The web is not TV. Organizations that understand [the New Rules of Marketing & PR](https://www.webinknow.com/2011/08/third-edition-of-the-new-rules-of-marketing-and-pr-released-today.html) develop relationships directly with consumers like you and me. That costs zero (unless you count the human resources cost). We now have a tremendous opportunity to reach niche buyers directly with targeted information that costs a fraction of what big-budget advertising costs. A representative of Forrester sent me a copy of the current report. There is certainly a great deal of interesting information in it. I'm sure the data will be valuable for CMOs and executives as they plan 2012 budgets. However, I wish that Forrester analysts would look at the new ways that companies can reach people online as more than just a check box that you can spend advertising dollars on. I also wish that they would not continue to intermix the terms "advertising" and "marketing" as this makes it difficult for CMOs to make the transition to a world where there are alternative ways to reach an audience other than spending buckets of money on expensive advertising campaigns. **Hat tip: **I [tweeted my frustrations](http://twitter.com/#!/dmscott/status/106726294540140544) with Forrester this morning and my friend [Steve Johnson replied](http://twitter.com/#!/sjohnson717/statuses/106727374304985088), which prompted this post. [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Worst Practices ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/worst-practices) [ Marketing ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/marketing) [ Advertising ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/advertising) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pirated%20books.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=Pirated%20books.jpg) ### Move Fast and Steal Things: Meta Pirated 53 of My Books and Stories to Train Their AI March 26th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/move-fast-and-steal-things-meta-pirated-53-of-my-books-and-stories-to-train-their-ai) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Toyota%20website.jpg?width=1253&height=822&name=Toyota%20website.jpg) ### Automaker Website Frustrations Push Buyers Elsewhere December 10th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/automaker-website-frustrations-push-buyers-elsewhere) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Do%20not%20play%20Yamaha.jpg?width=1500&height=1125&name=Do%20not%20play%20Yamaha.jpg) ### Please Do Not Play Without Permission November 12th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/please-do-not-play-without-permission) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Teen%20and%20Young%20Adult%20AI.jpg?width=1338&height=886&name=Teen%20and%20Young%20Adult%20AI.jpg) ### Generative AI Not Understood By Young People… Educators Are To Blame July 9th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/generative-ai-not-understood-by-young-people-educators-are-to-blame) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Crush%20Apple%20video.jpg?width=1500&height=845&name=Crush%20Apple%20video.jpg) ### Apple’s Soul Crushing, Creator Destroying Metaphor for what AI is Doing to Society May 8th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/apples-soul-crushing-creator-destroying-metaphor-for-what-ai-is-doing-to-society) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_126631127.jpg?width=1500&height=999&name=shutterstock_126631127.jpg) ### Customer Testimonials Are Not Effective Storytelling March 26th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/customer-testimonials-are-not-effective-storytelling) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/we%20annoy%20our%20clients.jpg?width=1000&height=670&name=we%20annoy%20our%20clients.jpg) ### We Annoy Our Customers March 5th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/we-annoy-our-customers) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_272153462%20copy.jpg?width=1000&height=628&name=shutterstock_272153462%20copy.jpg) ### Legal Caution vs. PR Clarity: University Presidents' Legal Advisors Muddled Congressional Testimonies December 19th, 2023|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/legal-caution-vs.-pr-clarity-university-presidents-legal-advisors-muddled-congressional-testimonies-on-antisemitism) [![Man holding a tablet computer with tip options](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_2328873613.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=shutterstock_2328873613.jpg) ### Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should October 19th, 2023|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/just-because-you-can-doesnt-mean-you-should) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/max%20logo%20win.jpg?width=925&height=621&name=max%20logo%20win.jpg) ### Max Mayhem: Warner Bros. 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