Scatter advertising is a marketing and publicity approach that involves making use of promotional outlets on an as-needed basis rather than as a part of a structured and focused advertising campaign. Generally, scatter advertising is not necessarily focused on reaching a particular demographic, but casts a wide net in the hopes of reaching the right people at the right time. It is not unusual for businesses and other organizations to make use of scatter advertising as a compliment to their main advertising efforts.

One good example of the use of scatter advertising has to do with the use of TV advertising. Much of the costs associated with running a cable or broadcast network is covered by ad revenue. Sponsors who want to reach specific demographics will make arrangements to run ads in conjunction with programming or the time of day that is most likely to put their products in front of their target audiences. This means that much of the advertising done on television is intentional, focused and considered to be targeted rather than scattered.

However, a sponsor may also choose to occasionally buy airtime in time slots that are outside of their targeted television advertising. The airtime is usually less desirable areas in the programming schedule that have not already been committed long term to other sponsors. Because the spots are not necessarily aimed at reaching the core audience, the effort is referred to as scatter advertising; it may reach potential customers in the most desirable demographic or it may reach a niche market that is more or less untapped by the business up to this point.

While scatter advertising usually does not result in sales that rival a targeted advertising approach, the method has proven to be profitable. In some instances, the use of scatter advertising opens up access to a whole new market sector that the business never dreamed would respond so favorably to their products. At other times, scatter marketing identifies a niche market that will never be huge, but is worthy of attention in the overall marketing strategy.

Sometimes referred to as leftover advertising, scatter advertising does hold the potential to enhance targeted promotion campaigns and provide inspiration for future advertising approaches. Since scatter advertising often employs the use of airtime that television networks and stations have trouble filling with commercials, the cost for engaging in scatter advertising is often significantly less than other forms of promotions. Thus, the business stands to lose relatively little by using scatter advertising while standing to make a significant gain from the effort.