Faire de la publicité vs. annoncer vs. promouvoir
In French, there are several terms to describe the act of advertising goods or services. While they may seem similar, they each carry distinct connotations and usages.
Faire de la publicité
This phrase means 'to advertise' in a general sense, encompassing all activities related to promoting and publicizing goods or services.
La société a dépensé beaucoup d'argent pour faire de la publicité pour son nouveau produit.
(The company spent a lot of money to advertise its new product.)
Nous devons faire de la publicité pour attirer plus de clients.
(We need to advertise to attract more customers.)
Annoncer
This verb means 'to announce' but can also imply advertising in the context of delivering announcements about goods or services, often through media.
Ils ont annoncé la sortie du nouveau téléphone à la télévision.
(They advertised the release of the new phone on television.)
Elle a annoncé une vente spéciale sur les réseaux sociaux.
(She advertised a special sale on social media.)
Promouvoir
'Promouvoir' means 'to promote' and is used when emphasizing efforts to increase awareness or sales of a product through various promotional activities.
L'acteur célèbre est engagé pour promouvoir cette nouvelle voiture.
(The famous actor is hired to promote this new car.)
Ils vont organiser un événement pour promouvoir leur marque de vêtements.
(They are going to organize an event to promote their clothing brand.)
Summary
'Faire de la publicité' covers general advertising activities, 'annoncer' is more focused on making announcements often through media, while 'promouvoir' concentrates on promotional efforts to raise product awareness and sales.