spot advertising

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablebusiness

   The practice of buying individual commercial slots on radio or television, rather than sponsoring a whole program.

   Grammar: Uncountable: say 'spot advertising is expensive', not 'a spot advertising'.

   Patterns

   • spot advertising on television
   • spot advertising campaign

   The company shifted its budget from sponsorship to spot advertising.

   Spot advertising lets small businesses buy airtime without committing to a full series.

   During the election, spot advertising rates rose sharply.

2. 2noununcountablebusinessAmerican

   Advertisements placed in individual local markets or at specific times, as opposed to national campaigns.

   Grammar: Still uncountable; often used with 'local' or 'national' to show scale.

   Patterns

   • local spot advertising
   • national spot advertising

   Local spot advertising is cheaper but reaches a smaller audience.

   The agency specializes in national spot advertising for car brands.

Common combinations

buy spot advertising

They decided to buy spot advertising during the morning news.

spot advertising rates

Spot advertising rates go up during the holidays.

local spot advertising

Local spot advertising works well for restaurants.

shift to spot advertising

The brand shifted to spot advertising after the sponsorship deal ended.

Synonyms and how they differ

commercial advertising

Broader term that includes all paid commercial messages, not just individual slots.

airtime advertising

Focuses on the time bought rather than the individual spot; often used interchangeably in media buying.

Opposites

Word family

spot ad noun

A single advertisement of this type.

advertiser noun

A person or company that buys advertising.

Commonly confused: spot advertising or spot ad?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “spot advertising”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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