The most general method for estimating the influence of mass media advertising is the rating point or the more precise target rating point. These two procedures refer to the proportion of the universe of the existing basis of audience members that can be reached by the use of all media outlets in a precise moment in time. The difference between them is that the rating point stands for the percentage to the entire universe while the target rating point stands for the percentage of a exact segment or target. This becomes very helpful when focusing advertising efforts on a certain group of people.

One of the oldest forms of advertising is paying people for holding signs. As commercial advertising media can be used buses, wall paintings, cinema, television, web banners, popups, skywriting, shopping carts, bus stop benches, sides of buses and airplanes, taxis, platforms of subways and trains, stickers in supermarkets, posters, tickets, receipts, newspapers, magazines, stages and so on.

There is such a way of advertising as ad tracking. This methodology measures shifts in the market perceptions concerning the product and service. The purpose of advertising tracking is normally to provide a measure of the complex effect of the media weight or spending level.