Advertising & Public Relations: Advertising

Comprehensive, or 'meta', sites

Advertising at About.com
An introductory site for the field. Aimed more at small business people, but still has some decent stuff ...

Dictionaries, etc.

General glossary (Television Bureau of Advertising)
Glossary of terminology
Specifically, this is terminology related to "interactive advertising designed for Internet websites".
From the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau).
Glossary of terms
From Rutgers Advertising Review.
Internet Marketing Dictionary
from MarketingTerms.com

Associations, trade organizations, etc.

Advertising Research Foundation
A professional organization in the field of advertising, marketing and media research. Sponsors advertising research awards.
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The David Ogilvy Awards recognize the role of consumer research in creating successful advertising.
American Academy of Advertising
"... an organization of advertising scholars and professionals with an interest in advertising and advertising education."
American Advertising Federation
One of the oldest trade organizations for the field. Sponsors of the Addy Awards and the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC).
American Association of Advertising Agencies
Alliance for Audited Media
Formerly called the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC).
Provides media verification services. They offer limited publication circulation information for free.
Data & Marketing Association
Formerly the Direct Marketing Association.
Interactive Advertising Bureau
IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising)
The UK's main trade association for the industry.
MPA - The Association of Magazine Media
Formerly Magazine Publishers of America.
"MPA – The Association of Magazine Media is the industry association for multi-platform magazine companies. Established in 1919, MPA represents 175 domestic magazine media companies with more than 900 titles, approximately 30 international companies and more than 100 associate members."
Radio Advertising Bureau
Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB)
This trade association has a nice publication called TV Basics PDF (tv statistics and trends in the US), and a glossary.
Video Advertising Bureau (VAB)

Online archives of ads

YouTube will already be familiar to many as a place to find ads. Below are some other sources.

Ad*Access
Ads from the US and Canada from the period 1911-1955. Over 5,000 images from Duke University Libraries.
Ads of the World
"An advertising archive and community owned by WebMediaBrands."
Classic TV Ads
"Just commercials ... mostly old ones."
But there are some that are more current.
Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850 - 1920
Another image collection from Duke University Libraries. Over 9,000 items.

New York Times (1851-2015) from ProQuest This link opens in a new window
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Full-text articles and images; in PDF format. 1851-2015.

Philip Morris Advertising Archive
The Living Room Candidate (Museum of the Moving Image)
Presidential campaign ads, 1952-2008.
R.C. Maxwell Company Records, 1904 - 1990's
"Nearly 10,000 photographs of billboards and other outdoor advertising, mostly on the Atlantic City Boardwalk from the 1920s to 1950s."

Online publications

Below are links to the websites of a few of the trade publications for the field of advertising. How much content will be available free on these sites will vary. For a complete list of all the journals and magazines at Marquette's Libraries, print or online, click here.

Advertising Age from AdAge.com This link opens in a new window
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VPN Required for Off Campus Access.
If above link does not work when on campus on wireless, use this link
Online access to the website of the trade magazine Advertising Age. Includes: current articles and an archive of older issues; and the AdAge DataCenter.

AdWeek
BrandWeek
Communication Arts
Media Matters
A free newsletter from Media Dynamics.
One. A Magazine
For advertising creatives.
PRWeek (US edition)
Another major trade journal for the industry. Please note that there is also a UK edition.

Governmental sites

Federal Communication Commission (FCC)
The broad focus of the FCC is to regulate communications by radio, TV, wire, satellite and cable. This can include advertising.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - Bureau of Consumer Protection
This is the body that enforces federal "truth in advertising" laws.
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Try a keyword search to find useful pages on the site.
Small Business Administration
Aimed at small business ... Try a keyword search on the site to find useful pages.

Research companies

Here are links to some of the big name research companies in the field. As a general rule, there is little or no free content on these sites.

Arbitron
Gfk MRI (formerly Mediamark Research Inc.)
One of the two big secondary consumer research companies from which the libraries have data.
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MU Libraries subscribe to their Gfk MRI University Reporter.
Nielsen
Scarborough
Try their Locally Driven website for free top-level information about metro areas.
Experian Simmons
Formerly called Simmons Market Research Bureau; the other big consumer research company ...
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MU Libraries buy their National Consumer Survey, and an occasional Teen Survey. (Accessible only within the buildings.)
SRDS (Standard Rate & Data Service)
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MU Libraries subscribe to SRDS Media Solutions.
Ipsos
Produces the Affluent Survey (link is to a site search that will give you some tidbits). Another Ipsos division produces the Global Business Influencers surveys (that link also goes to a site search).
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The Affluent Survey was formerly called the Mendelsohn Affluent Survey.

Public Service Announcements (PSA's)

In addition to the link to the Ad Council below, a Google search on the phrase "public service announcements" will bring up links to PSA's available on the websites of many non-profit organizations.

Ad Council
Since 1942, the leading producer of public service advertising.
Brief History of Public Service Advertising
From the PSA Research Center.

Advertising and Ethics

AdBusters.org
This not-for-profit organization and magazine began in 1989, and began by creating spoof, or parody, ads (e.g. Joe Chemo, instead of Joe Camel).
It is "a global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society."
Although the magazine is accessible to subscribers only, there is a good amount of other content.
Advertising Standards Authority (UK)
"The ASA is the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media, including marketing on websites. We work to ensure ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful by applying the Advertising Codes."
Catholic Church's Handbook on Ethics in Advertising
Ethics in Advertising (Pontifical Council for Social Communications)
Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice (2011)
From the International Chamber of Commerce. They also have guidelines, or frameworks, for responsible environmental marketing, responsible food and beverage marketing, and more.
Federal Communications Commission
This site doesn't have a designated link for advertising ethics, but a search using the terms "advertising and ethics" or "advertising and children" or a similar search may yield useful information.
Federal Trade Commission
Here is a set of 'guidance documents' about advertising from the FTC. The Division of Advertising Practices within the Bureau of Consumer Protection is the source for many, so that indicates what the focus will be.

Awards

ADDY Awards
From the American Advertising Federation.
Clio Awards
Founded in 1959, one of the oldest advertising awards.
Creativity-Online
This is a site to explore: they do weekly rankings of best ads, as well as a big annual awards report.
Graphis
Graphis is publisher that specializes in visual communication. They give annual awards in several categories, including advertising. Some of their content is accessible online.
OBIE Award Winners (Outdoor Advertising Association of America, Inc.)
Awards for creative outdoor advertising; includes a Creative Gallery, Past Winners and a Hall of Fame.
The One Show
From the One Club, a non-profit organization "for the promotion and recognition of excellence in advertising". They give awards in the categories: print, radio, television, design, interactive and new media.
Webby Award Winners
1997 - present. "Honoring the best of the web."