INTRODUCING ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Advertising and marketing are everywhere. They are pervasive forces in society and essential tools of business. Consumers are constantly pitched products and services, and companies must market themselves or die. And they are critical to our economy; as many as one in every four workers is employed in advertising, marketing or sales trades.

Every Thursday starting today, the Business section will publish special pages devoted to the people, trends and techniques that make advertising and marketing so important. We aim to provide business people with new ideas for boosting sales, while giving consumers new insight into how marketers are trying to influence them.

We also aim to spotlight the unique contributions of Southern California, a center for creativity and innovation. For example, we are a center where marketing mixes with Hollywood and technology to produce everything from special effects in advertising to toys designed specifically for tie-ins with movies. And we are a center for the creative marketing and design of cars, a necessity because of our region’s huge appetite for motor vehicles.

TRYING TO SCORE: A look at pro football’s marketing machine. D1

BACK TO SCHOOL: How designers are marketing school uniforms. D1

ADVERTISING: New magazines are blurring promotion and news. D4

AND THE WINNER IS: Tell us what you like about Emmy best-ad nominees. D5

MORE COVERAGE: D4-5