Which of the following promotional methods may best be described as mass selling?
A. Personal selling and sales promotion
B. Advertising and publicity
C. Encoding and decoding
D. Personal selling and public relations
E. Product and promotion
Answer: (B) Advertising and publicity are methods of communicating with large numbers of people at the same time and can be referred to as mass selling. (A) is incorrect because personal selling is face-to-face with one person or a small group of people. (C) describes two steps of the communication process, and is incorrect. Personal selling and public relations (D) are incorrect. Public relations, one could argue, may be mass selling; however, as stated above, personal selling is not. Product and promotion (E) are two variables of the marketing mix, and are not promotional methods; thus, the answer is incorrect.