Advertising was initially meant to make people aware of the goods available
in the market. It was as simple as announcing what you have in your store
or the services you offer in your premises. Over the years, advertising has
evolved into a major industry that beyond informing, persuading and
influencing. It is a form of brainwashing consumers.
2. Advertising has become a type of culture with ardent followers. In the
process, it attracts enviable attention from manufacturers and service
providers who fancy an edge over their competitors. Unfortunately, in
keeping with the ever-increasing demands of the manufacturers, the
advertisers have resulted to creating unnecessary wants and excess
consumption in most of us. This is a craving for harmful products that we
are better off without. It preys on our minds rendering us completely
irrational. The billboards (hoardings), television and radio advertisements
target us from a very early age, forming our view of the world as we grow
into adults. The buzzwords in advertising are, ‘you are cool and
sophisticated’, if you use this or that product.
3. The notion that the media is primarily in place to give us news is not very
true. If the truth may be told, the media is there to gather enough audience,
package them into a pricey commodity and sell it to the advertisers. The
advertisers, on the other hand, are always on the lookout for a target
audience to persuade them that this product of service is better than that of
the competitor.
4. Advertising does influence people. Most of the advertisements are filled
with images that equate emotional well-being with material acquisition and
associate independence and leisure with consumption of alcohol.
Advertising also makes people lavish their affect on products rather thanreal people, thereby destroying human relationships. We have become
trapped in the web of advertising where products like brands of beer and
cigarette take over our minds, doing away with our core family values.
5. When you look critically at most of the advertisements on the television,
you will discover how persuasive the advertisers are in deciding for us what,
when, how much and why to buy. But most people think that they are not
influenced by advertisements. This is precisely what the advertisers want
us to think, that in the end ‘the people decide’. If you think deeply, nobody
in this profit minded sense will pay so much money to make a thirty second
advertisement, which might not be seen by a hundred people, leave alone
convince them to buy.
Answer the following questions by choosing the correct options.
(Any 10)
1 The initial purpose of advertising was ________________ 1
A to make people aware of the goods available in the market.
B to entertain people.
C to develop creativity and to produce quality products.
D to provide employment to the advertising industry actors and actresses.
2 Besides informing, persuading and influencing advertising also _ 1
A helps people to lead a successful life.
B provide brainwashing to the customer.
C helps people to be more social.
D develops talents in people.
3 Advertisements attract enviable attention from _________ 1
A parents and teachers
B youth and social workers.
C media and kids
D manufacturers and service providers
Answers
Answer
1. The initial purpose of advertising was __________
A to make people aware of the goods available in the market.
2 Besides informing, persuading and influencing advertising also _
B provide brainwashing to the customer.
3 Advertisements attract enviable attention from _________
D manufacturers and service providers
Explanation
The truth is advertisement are totally redundant. Companies spend millions of dollars on advertisements only because they are the most effective tool to promote sales and earn huge profits. It is through advertisements that the companies lure people to buy their products. In certain cases, advertisements make false claims about the products.
The products and services shown in the advertisements are presented in such an appealing way that the people watching them feel tempted to buy them. The target of these advertisements are children and adolescents. They are too young to think logically the pros and cons of the products advertised. These advertisements are made to attract them. For example, the advertisement promoting a bike, will show the bike in such an attractive manner, that the young boys will feel attracted to them. This attraction gives rise to the urge to buy that bike.