Which term means the work of encouraging people to buy a product or service?

• A. Publicity
• B. Sales
• C. Marketing
• D. Advertising

Answer: (C)

Marketing is the broad set of activities that aim to understand what customers want, develop offerings to meet those needs, and communicate their value to a target audience in order to drive purchases. Encouraging people to buy fits squarely under marketing because it involves planning, messaging, and promotion designed to create demand and persuade customers to exchange money for a product or service. Advertising is one tactic used within marketing to promote, but it’s only a part of the whole process. Publicity refers to earned media exposure and isn’t under full control, while sales is the act of completing a purchase, not the overall effort to generate interest. So the term that covers the work of encouraging people to buy is marketing.