Marketing has been defined as an activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through the exchange process.

Activites of marketing include product development, research, communications, distribution, pricing and service. Peter Drucker, a well-known management theorist and writer stated "the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous".

The following is a collection of informational sites and professional associations for learning more about marketing, advertising, and public relations. If anyone has any educational sites in this category, send email to webster@cyberspy.com and I will make sure they are added.

AdLand - Debate about ads, read excerpts of books on advertising, famous advertising quotes, and links to other "ads" sites.

Advertising Age - It's All About Marketing - includes daily news in the world of advertising and marketing, reviews of interesting websites, articles and opinions, online discussions, and facts and features.

Advertising Law Internet Site - this Arent Fox site is a great one. Includes info about US advertising law, a discussion area, and links to relevant web sites.

American Marketing Association - the largest not-for-profit society for marketing executives. Includes their "Marketing Educator" online magazine, conference listing, and more.

Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication - an international association of more than 3,300 journalism/mass communication faculty, students, administrators, and professionals. Promote the highest possible standards for education in journalism and mass communication.

FAQ:soc.org.nonprofit - Frequently asked questions about non-profit organizations. Includes info on starting up a non-profit organization, automation, boards and management, volunteers, fundraising and marketing. 21 topical selections in all.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Home Page - the US Govt organization that enforces a variety of anti-trust and consumer protection laws. Includes Commission actions, conferences and workshops, the FTC ConsumerLine (facts for consumers), Federal Register documents, and an interactive discussion of privacy issues.

Hermes Project - A research project on the commercial uses of the World Wide Web.

Information Technology in Marketing - from Rajeev Kohli at the Marketing Division of Columbia University, his "InfoTech" site shares details on his collaborative course about the possibilities and uses of recent and developing information technologies.

Int'l Association of Business Communicators - Known as IABC, includes an online version of "Communication World" magazine, info on the Gold Quill Awards, and info on local chapters.

Links 2000 - subtitled "Marketing on the Internet". Interesting collectin of links related to this special form of advertising/marketing.

Public Relations Online - the unofficial newsletter of the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Public Relations and Marketing Forum - Begun January 1, 1984, the PR and Marketing Forum is an electronic gathering place for public relations, advertising, marketing, research, and public affairs professionals worldwide. Over 45,000 communicators access the Forum via Compuserve.

Public Relations Society of America - the PRSA in NYC claims to be the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. Site includes conferences, membership details, TACTICS (online magazine) and more.

Rural Consumers Coalition For the Advancement of Telecommunications - a coalition of organizations and people united over the concern for the future of telecommunications in rural America. Includes info on national legislation effecting telehealth and other links.

Syllabits - collection of course materials used in business instruction including marketing, management finance and risk management.

Telemarketing Consumer Protection Act of 1994 - from the Arent Fox web site, information on this U.S. legislation.

Yahoo - Business and Economy - Major index of other marketing and advertising related web pages.

Marketing research is involved in the systematic collection, analysis, design and reporting of data and findings relevant to a company's marketing environment. One of the earliest formal marketing research studies occured in 1879, when N.W. Ayer and Son advertising agency did a mail survey of state agricultural officials. In 1911, Curtis Publishing Company established the first marketing research department at their company, with Swift and Co., and the U.S. Rubber Company to follow.

The demographic environment is of major interest to those involved in marketing -- because people make up markets. Consumer demographic and socioeconomic status is often studied by market researchers in an attempt to know more about specific markets.

Demography is the statistical study of human populations and their vital characteristics. The broad use of the term demographics in market analysis includes demographic, socioeconomic and geographic variables.

The following sites offer an interesting starting point in your search for demographic information about any group of people or a market.