Classified advertising is a form of advertising which is particularly common in newspapers and other periodicals. A free ads paper is a newspaper containing only classified ads, usually grouped into an extensive set of categories.

Classified advertising is usually textually based and can consist of as little as the type of item being sold, (i.e., "Clothing") and a telephone number to call for more information ("call 555-7777"). It can also have much more detail, such as name to contact, address to contact or visit, a detailed description of the product or products ("pants and sweaters, size 10" as opposed to "clothing", "red 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix" as opposed to "automobile"). There are generally no pictures or other graphics within the advertisement, although sometimes a logo may be used. Classified advertising is called such because it is generally grouped within the publication under headings classifying the product or service being offered (headings such as Accounting, Automobiles, Clothing, Farm Produce, For Sale, For Rent, etc.) and is grouped entirely in a distinct section of the periodical, which makes it distinct from display advertising, which often contains graphics or other art work and which is more typically distributed throughout a publication adjacent to editorial content. A hybrid of the two forms — classified display advertising — may often be found, in which categorized advertisements with larger amounts of graphical detail can be found among the text listings of a classified advertising section in a publication. Business opportunities often use classifieds to sell their services, usually employing 1-800 numbers. Classified ads are also among the tools used by many companies in recruitment for available job opportunities.

In recent years the term "classified advertising" or "classified ads" has expanded from merely the sense of print advertisements in periodicals to include similar types of advertising on computer services, radio, and even television, particularly cable television but occasionally broadcast television as well, typically very early in the morning hours.

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NPR Topics: Business

Kraft Launches Oreo Ad Blitz in Land of Biscuits
Thu, 15 May 2008 16:20:00 -0400
Kraft, the maker of Oreos, is unveiling a big advertising campaign in Britain. Stuart Payne runs the Web site Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down, where he reviews cookies (or "biscuits" in the Queen's English). He tells Michele Norris the Oreo may have a hard time in Britain.
Heinz on Quest for Sweeter Tomatoes
Thu, 15 May 2008 00:21:00 -0400
Heinz's breeders are trying to produce hybrid seeds with more natural sugars to cut down on the use of corn syrup in its ketchup. The price of corn has soared, caused in part by the ethanol boom.
'Marketplace' Report: GE May Quit Household Business
Thu, 15 May 2008 13:00:00 -0400
The company could sell the unit that makes refrigerators and washers, ending more than a century in an industry that helped make GE a household name. Nancy Marshall Genzer says the move comes because appliance sales don't meet GE's goal of 10 percent annual profit growth.

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