Advertising, generally speaking, is the promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually performed by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy. Other components of the promotional mix include publicity, public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion.

History

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In ancient times the most common form of advertising was by word of mouth; however, commercial messages and political campaign displays have been found in the ruins of Pompeii. Egyptians used papyrus to create sales messages and wall posters, while lost-and-found advertising on papyrus was common in Greece and Rome. Wall or rock painting for commercial advertising is another manifestation of an ancient media advertising form, which is present to this day in many parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. For instance, the tradition of wall paintings can be traced back to Indian rock-art paintings that goes back to 4000 BCBhatia (2000). Advertising in Rural India: Language, Marketing Communication, and Consumerism, 62-68. As printing developed in the 15th and 16th century, advertising expanded to include handbills. In the 17th century advertisements started to appear in weekly newspapers in England.

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washingtonpost.com - Oil and Gas Prices

A Record Fall on Wall St.
Heather Landy and Renae Merle Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400
NEW YORK, Sept. 29 -- Without a federal bailout plan to prop up confidence in the U.S. financial system Monday, stocks fell sharply around the globe, oil sank, gold soared and yields on government debt skidded closer to zero as traders ran from risk and sought safe-haven investments.
Gas Shortage In the South Creates Panic, Long Lines
Steven Mufson Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Gasoline shortages hit towns across the southeastern United States this week, sparking panic buying, long lines and high prices at stations from the small towns of northeast Alabama to Charlotte in the wake of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Oil's Wild Ride
Steven Mufson Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400
The price of the benchmark crude oil catapulted to $120.92 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange yesterday, a $16.37 increase and the biggest one-day dollar rise ever, driven largely by a scramble by one or more financial firms to make purchases before the expiration of oil contracts for...
Russia Again Halts Stock Trading
Philip P. Pan and Anthony Faiola Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400
MOSCOW, Sept. 17 -- Russia suspended stock trading for a second straight day and took other emergency measures in an attempt to halt a severe crash Wednesday as market turmoil spread to Latin America and raised fears the U.S. crisis will test the strength of the emerging economies that supply oil...
The Power of Oil Consumers
Henry A. Kissinger and Martin Feldstein Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400
By coordinating their energy policies, the strong can end their blackmail by the weak.
Markets, Liquidity Concerns Roil Industry
Steven Mufson Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Market turbulence continued to ripple through the energy industry yesterday.

Oil, Gas and Coal

CANADA: High stakes in Canada’s vast oil-sands fields
Trillions of dollars’ worth of oil are present, but the environmental costs are high, too – and growing.
US: Martinez Shell Refinery To Pay $300,000 Penalty For Spill
The operator of the Shell refinery in Martinez has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a civil lawsuit charging that the refinery negligently caused about 10 barrels of oil to spill into the Carquinez Strait in Martinez in 2006, according to the Contra Costa District Attorney's office.
WORLD: Oil Companies' "Self-Policing" a Dismal Failure
The intersection of human rights, the environment and corporate responsibility was highlighted today at a Capitol Hill hearing featuring activists from Burma and Nigeria who underlined the failure to date of "voluntary" controls over major oil companies operating in their countries.
ECUADOR: Chevron lawyers indicted in pollution case
Two Chevron Corp. lawyers fighting a landmark pollution lawsuit in Ecuador have been indicted by that country's prosecutor general, a move the company says proves the government is trying to tamper with the suit.
Ducking Responsibility: Entergy Spins Its Nukes
Entergy Nuclear (part of the broader Entergy energy family) is spinning off its northeastern U.S.-based nuclear power plants into a related limited liability corporation, Enexus. Stakeholders in Vermont, home of the Yankee Nuclear power plant, are less than happy, with Entergy also reneging on prior commitments to cover eventual plant decommissioning costs, potentially stranding taxpayers with much of the bill.
FRANCE: Pipe Break Causes Leak Of Uranium at French Plant
Uranium-bearing liquid has leaked from a broken underground pipe at a nuclear site in southeastern France, the national nuclear-safety authority said Friday in the second leak discovered at a French site this month.

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