Sidebar

Main Content

Marketing 224: Information Sources for Advertising - Course Guide

This guide is an overview of sources of information (both electronic and print) available from the Lippincott Library. Some resources are available to the public while others are limited to members of the Penn community (Faculty, Staff and current students). Unless otherwise noted, electronic web sites are free to the public.
What are the trends in current advertising? How do I determine costs? How do I select the correct media campaign. Who can help me effectively market my product?

The examples provided demonstrate recommended search strategies.

What are the Current Trends?

What are the costs? Trends? What advertising campaigns are your competitors using? What types of advertising appeal to your target market? What strategies work?

***Databases for Penn community ONLY.***

Business & Industry.
Marketing Database. Includes full text of articles from trade publications and other sources.

Sample Search:

"Use the provided search menus. Type "advertis*" in the keyword search box. Select "Product Introduction" from the Concept Terms menu. Select "Coupons" as the Marketing Term. Select USA as the Geographic Region.

Sample title:

"Coupon Confidence...." Supermarket News April 05, 2004.

Sample Search:

Type "new product" as a keyword phrase. Select "Marketing Campaign" as a Concept Term. Select USA as the Geographic Region.

Sample Title:

"Mercedes prepares for new-product offensive" Automotive News May 17, 2004.

Business Source Premier.
Full text of business periodicals.

Search Strategy:

Use the Thesaurus. Type in "advert" and click on "browse". Double Click on "Advertising Campaign" Check the box for "Advertising - Media Planning". Click on the "search" button at the top of the page.

Sample Title:

"Subaru revs up agencies with $150 mil review" Advertising Age May 05, 2004.

Factiva.
Full text of newspapers, magazines and trade publications. International.

Search Strategy:

Use the Intelligent Indexing feature.
Click on "+ Subject" in the blue section of the screen. Type "advertis*" in the search box and click on the "->" button. Click on "Advertising" to select it. The word "advertising" will appear in pink type next to "Subject".
In the Free Text search box type "media and cost*". Select date range, sources, etc. You can search all content or limit the search to specific publications or formats. For a more focussed search, select "Search for free-text terms in: "headline and lead paragraph.""

Sample Title:

Buzz Giant Poster Boy" American Demographic June 1, 2004.

What Does it Cost?

How much does it cost to buy ad space or time. How much do other companies spend in advertising?

AD$SUMMARY. Book.
Advertising Costs by company and/or brand for 10 different media.
Lipp Ref Desk HF5802.N312 1999.

The Standard Rate and Data Service Publications. Book
Has advertising costs for various media including consumer magazines, b 2 b magazines and radio.
Lipp Ref Desk HF5905.S723 2000.

The following websites provide free information to the public, but may require registration.

Advertising Media Internet Center (AMIC).
Spot Quotations and Data ( SQUAD). TV and Radio ad rates, by market.

Mediamark Research lnc.
Ad rates, circulation, etc. by type of media.

Radio 2003-2004 Marketing Guide and Factbook.
Radio Advertising Bureau.

Television Bureau of Advertising.

Where is Data for Media Planning?

Restricted databases are listed first.

EMarketer.
Includes information on advertising online.

Search Strategy:

Browse by categories such as "Marketing and Advertising".

Gale Ready Reference.
Use this to locate information on radio, television stations, distributors and publishers.

Sample Search: Radio or Television

Double click on Extended Search (Organization). De-select "All". Select Cable TV Company, Television Station, and/or

Radio Station. (This could be used for Associations as well.)

Click the search button to view the entire set of listings or fill in appropriate fields such as state, wattage, frequency, etc.

Listings include name, address, contact persons and ad rates (irregular coverage for television stations).

The following websites are public.

Advertising World. (University of Texas at Austin).

Go to Broadcast and Print Media.

MediaPost
Information for all kinds of advertising media. Directories, Planning and Buying, Representatives,etc.

Listed below are cd-roms or books that are available at the Lippincott Library. They may also be available at other libraries.

MRI. print or cd-rom.
Consumer surveys arranged by product. Media habits included.
Available in the Lippincott Library. Ask at Reference Desk.

Simmons Choices III. Cd-Rom
Consumer Survey arranged by product. More product coverage than MRI. Media habits included.
Available in the Lippincott Library. Ask at Reference Desk.

Direct Marketing Associations Statistical Factbook. Book.
Annual statistics on projections, sales figures, expenditure data, media usage, purchasing habits.
Lipp Ref Stacks HF5410.S738 2002.

Financial Studies of Small Businesses. Book.
Includes advertising expenses and other operating costs
Lipp Ref Desk HD2346.U5.F55a 2000.

How do I Find Advertising Agencies?

Print resources are free to the public. The recommended electronic resource is a subscription database limited to the Penn community ONLY.

The Advertising Red Books. Book.
Advertisers and Agencies. Information on advertising agencies and their clients as well as advertisers and their products. Lipp Reference Desk HF5805. S72.

Burrelles Media Directory 2000. Cd-Rom
Directory of media resources. Also available in print format.
Annenberg Library.

Gale Ready Reference. ***Database restricted to Penn Community ONLY.***
Online Compilation of Directories by by Gale Company. Includes Associations, Radio, and Television Directories.
Some pricing for Television Station ad spots.

Sample Search: Associations.

Use this to find associations for potential consumer markets. These organizations generally have publications, trade shows or other channels for exposing a new product.

Double click on Search by Subject Descriptor. From the "Select a database" drop down menu, choose organizations. Type in a subject descriptor word or free-text such as gaming.

Additional Resources

Associations and Foundations.

Associations provide contacts, statistics, assistance and other types of information for members. Associations are also good sources for locating consumers for your products.

Advertising World.
University of Texas. Links to hundreds of websites related to advertising.

For a extensive list of Associations, go to Associations and General Reference.

American Association of Advertising Agencies.