Thesedaysitiseasytofindfaultswithadvertising,andyetnonecandenyentirelythatthisartofpersuasionisgoodforeconomy.Bycirculatinginformationmixinghalftruthwithhalflying,advertisingcanneverthelesspenetratethepublicmindwithdesiresevenforsomethingworthless.Alltold,however,advertisingisdoingmoregoodthanevil.
Tothinkthatadvertisingisbadisunderstandable,andindeedthereseemstobeacommonperceptiongrowingincreasinglynegative.Perhapshistorywillseeadvertisingasoneoftherealevilfactorsofmoderntimebecauseitisstimulatingpeopletoconstantlywantthings;wantthisandwantthat.Itistruethatmanyconsumersareconvincedtospendmoneytheydonothaveforthingstheyreallydonotneed.Itisalsotruethatthehighsalesofpopularconsumergoodsisareflectionofthepowerofadvertisingratherthantherealneedsofthesocietyinwhichtheyaresold.Thatkindof"impulsivebuying"asconsumerbehaviorcaneasilyturnneedintogreed.Apartfrommisleadingpeopletodesiresomethingnotnecessaryorcompletelyuseless,advertisingissurroundingthemnearlyeverywhereandanytimeonthepointofboringthemtodeath.
Thegoodnewsisthatadvertisingservesmarketeconomywell,thanksinparttothemediaoutletsliketelevision,radio,newspapers,magazinesandtheInternet.Throughthemedia,particularlytelevision,advertisinggivespeopleachanceasconsumers.Peoplearetoldaboutnewproductsandservicesthatimprovetheirlives.Infact,economyisatitsbestwhentheadvertisingindustryisbooming,imaginingthatwhenpeoplearestarvingandfreezingthereshouldbenoadvertisingwhatevertosellfoodandfuel.Advertisingholdsamirrortoanaffluentsocietyinavirtuouscyclebenefittingmanysectors.Moreadvertisementsmeanmoremoneytoallmediaoutlets,whichinturnboostsmoresales,whichinturnpushesmoreproductionandcreatesmorejobsandthereforemorebuyingpower.
Thosewhothinkthatadvertisingisbadmustthinkagainaboutthevalueofamarketsystemwhichthrivesoneconomicprosperity.Contrarytopopularbelief,itseemsthatmostconsumersdonothateadvertisingbecauseoftheirownfoolishdesires.Theyareawarethatprobablyhalfthemoneytheyspendonadvertisingiswasted,withoutknowingclearlywhichhalf.
Advertisementisomnipresentinourmodernsociety.Itseemswhereverwego,suchsmalladswillgreetoureyes:thesupermarket,thesubways,thestopsighs,thewallsofpublicbuildings,thegarbagecans,andwhatsoever.Theadscanbeabouteverythingfromsellingmobilephone,rentinghouses,treatingdifficultdiseasestoproducingfakediplomats.
fromdomesticarticlestomachinery,fromtoystoaircrafts.)It’snoexaggerationthatweliveintheworldofadvertisement.
Theadvantageoftheadsisself-evident.Theyprovideuswithagoodcollectionofgoodsandservice,fromwhichwecanmakeourbestchoices.Forthemanufacturer,theycantakeadvantageoftheadstoprojectthecharactersoftheirproductssoastoseizethevisionoftheconsumersandgainthemhugeprofits.
However,wecannotbelittlethedisadvantagesoftheads.Tomanyadsdospoilourdailylifeandwasteourtime.TheyinterrupttheTVprograms,fillingourletterbox,andruinourappreciationofnatureinplaceofinterests.Peopleoftenfeelburdenedwiththeadsinsteadofsatisfyingwiththem.Ontheotherhand,someoftheadsareillegal,spreadingfalseinformationandplanningtotreatpeoplewhoareeagertosolvetheirproblems.
It’shightimewetookurgentandeffectivemeasurestocurbthisphenomenon.Firstly,weshouldintensifytheeffectstosupervisetheadsmarkets.It’scrucialthatwemustregulatetheadsmarketstrictlytoavoidsomeone’savailinghimselforherselfoftheloopholeofthemarketmanagement.Secondly,whoevertakesadvantageofadstreatingconsumersshouldbepunishedorimprisoned.Thirdly,weshouldeducatepeopletoabidebythelawandgiveprioritiestohonestyandcredit.Onlywhenputtingthesemeasuresintopractice,willoursocietybepurifiedintoaparadiseforustolivein.
Withthedevelopmentofadvertising,adshavebeenconnectedwithpeople’slife.Isitgoodorbad?Wehadadiscussion.Somepeoplethinkadvertisementsdon’ttellthefactabouttheproductsadvertised.Also,theytakeuptoomuchtimeonTVandtheradio,andcovertoomuchspaceinnewspapersandmagazines,whichwastealotofpaper.What’sworse,therearesomefalseadvertisementsthatcheatpeopleintobuyingtheirthings.Therefore,theybelieveadvertisementsshouldbestopped.
Someotherpeoplethinkadvertisementscanhelpusmakebetterchoicesaboutwhattobuybyofferingusthelatestinformationaboutvariousgoods.Moreover,manywell-doneadvertisementsarepopularandentertaining,whichappealtotheconsumers.However,toomanyadvertisementscanbeannoying.Soweshoulddevelopadvertisingproperly.
Inmyopinion,adsislikeatwo-sidesword.Anyway,wecanbewiseifweareabletodistinguishbetweenfictionandfact.