An advertising campaign consists of a series of ads that share a similar idea or theme. An advertising campaign is used for promoting a company's particular product or service. Most companies hire advertising agencies to create new advertising campaigns. An advertising agency will create a series of advertisements that have a single idea and release the messages for the client over a specific time frame and utilize all relevant types of media to do so.

To begin creating an advertising campaign, someone must first come up with the campaign theme. The theme is extremely important in having a solid advertising campaign because it is the thread that holds all of the advertisements together. It also sets the tone as what message will be conveyed, and how that message will come across to new and existed customers of the product or service. Many forms of marketing go into an advertising campaign, and these forms of marketing also help to determine how to approach and develop a campaign theme. The theme also helps to determine the kinds of promotional activities that the advertising campaign can be utilized.

Most campaign themes are intended for long term usage in the advertising world. Though campaigns are developed for use in a substantial amount of time, most advertising campaigns are short lived. There are many factors that cause this, but the most common are an ineffective marketing campaign, significant change in the market conditions, and strong competition in the marketplace. Advertising campaigns are still the most effective way to advertise a product or service, but need to be prepared by a marketing specialist with a great understanding of a fluctuating business market and the best methods of advertising adaptation to deal with these changes.