Advertising remains big business in the United States. According to Kantar Media, U.S. companies spent a combined $140 billion on promotion and publicity in 2013 alone.

That hefty sum buys a lot of messaging — from 60-second television spots and half-page newspaper ads to digital billboards and mobile marketing. Today’s consumers are constantly bombarded by advertisements from companies claiming their product is better than the rest. But in a marketplace still struggling to recover from the financial collapse of 2008 and the ensuing Great Recession, it takes a lot more than a catchy tagline and a slick commercial to engage consumers.

Alignment — not advertising — brings greater rewards

http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/173861/power-aligning-consumers-brand.aspx?utm_source=WWW&utm_medium=csm&utm_campaign=syndication