When a company uses its advertising budget to purchase airtime or print pages, this is called a ______ buy

• A. Print media
• B. Telemarketing
• C. Sponsorship
• D. Media

Answer: (D)

The concept being tested is media buying—the process of purchasing advertising space or airtime in media outlets. When a company allocates its advertising budget to secure airtime on TV or radio or to reserve print pages in publications, it’s carrying out a media buy. This term specifically captures the transactional act of buying the space or time where ads will run, rather than the type of medium itself or other marketing tactics.

Print media describes the channel or medium, not the act of purchasing space. Telemarketing is selling by phone, which is a direct-response tactic, not about buying ad space. Sponsorship involves attaching the brand to an event or property for exposure, rather than purchasing ad space. So the best fit for the blank is “media buy.”