There are four roles of advertising:

Marketing role
Communication role
Economic role
Societal role

The marketing role of advertising focuses on satisfying the general consumers by addressing their needs through goods and services. It is not directed at the entire public but a set of customers that is called the target market.

As for the communication role, this refers to the mass communication objective that advertising is capable to fulfil. It is a spectacular means to inform the customers and communicate to them about the goods and services they desire to buy.

Next in line is the economic role, which directly deals with the advertiser's objectives. Normally an advertiser's objectives behind making an advertisement are to generate sales. Also it helps the consumers to appraise the value and benefits of the products that are being advertised against the price that they are offered at in order to make the most efficient and economic choice.

Lastly, the societal role of advertising is quite a fascinating one. On one hand, advertising helps in generating the trends in a particular society while on the other hand it is becoming the cause of breaking norms that had been part of the society for so long in order to create a unique impact. It has a somewhat ambivalent nature, something that some people like while others resent it.