advertising medium vs advertising mechanism

[Trina]

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #619 "Real Life: Business Jargon (4)", question 1

I like your idea but I think you will need a different kind of advertising ......... to inform customers about your product. Running ads in the newspaper won't reach as many people as local television commercials will.

(a) medium
(b) mode
(c) mechanism
(d) merchandise

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #619 "Real Life: Business Jargon (4)", answer 1

I like your idea but I think you will need a different kind of advertising medium to inform customers about your product. Running ads in the newspaper won't reach as many people as local television commercials will.

Correct answer: (a) medium

Your answer was: incorrect
I like your idea but I think you will need a different kind of advertising mechanism to inform customers about your product. Running ads in the newspaper won't reach as many people as local television commercials will.
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why not answer it with 'mechanism'. what's the difference between mechanism and medium.

[Alan]

Hi,

Broadly 'mechanism' is more precise than 'medium' and has the sense of 'device' or the way in which an action can be completed. It could be used to describe a piece of computer equipment like a router that makes it possible to connect two computers. 'Medium' on the other hand is much broader and suggests different types of achieving communication. In the test sentence you could refer to different types of advertising medium as radio, television,cinema and so on.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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