Advertising: Information or Manipulation?
Advertisements are located everywhere. No one can go anywhere without seeing at least one advertisement. These ads, as they are called, are an essential part of every type of media. They are placed in television, radio, magazines, and can even be seen on billboards by the roadside. What would you say is the goal of commercial advertising? Most people would agree that advertising provides the consumer with information about a product, but is that all advertising accomplishes? No.
Advertising is used to masterfully engage the mind of the consumer to motivate him or her to buy the advertised product. Advertising is about more than just selling products, but about branding. Branding refers to the process of impressing a company name or a product name onto society’s collective brain. Advertisements are not essentially negative in nature but they have turned to be a major manipulator of the consumer and buyers perceptions. However, with the growth of the media, people are on daily basis being bombarded by hundreds of messages that seem to appeal to their normal everyday lifestyle. As a matter of fact the advertisements will touch on major key areas such as transport services, health, clothes, vehicles, creams, soaps as well as drinks.
The advertiser does not necessarily expect you to do anything “today” — the advertiser simply wants to impress itself on your consciousness. Catchy Slogans. Do these slogans call to mind their product: “I’m loving it”, “Open Happiness”, “There is no substitute” and “Just do it!”? These slogans appeal to our emotions and pride, they can make us feel like we need to use this particular product or drive that particular car when something of lesser value will suffice.
The Research paper on Effects Of Advertisement On Consumer Behavior Of University Students
... of consumers; what they like, why they like and what will be appreciable in FMCG’s products. Advertisements of ... Erlbaum Associates. Colley, R. (1961). Defining advertising goals for measured advertising results. New York: Association of National Advertisers. ... VARIABLES Appeal of Advertisement: Appeal is the slogan or need-creating stanza used in advertisement. Attractive personality, commercial’s ...
In addition to this, testimonials are skilfully used by the brands. Often celebrities or sport stars are used to recommend a product advertisers want us to buy, as if somehow we will become like that person – The power of persuasion. Direct Commands or Buzz Words: Buy Now; Limited Quantities; New and Improve; While Supplies Last; Final Sale. A sense of urgency is created like we’re going to miss out on something if we don’t buy now.
In addition, the manipulation in advertising uses such factors as “do as everyone does” or “do as we do” Thus, the manipulation in advertising is the result of the imposition of some ideas to the audience. Advertising surrounds us everywhere, and manipulates our minds. It dictates us what to do, what to buy, what to wish. Society should realize the threat of this phenomenon and try to confront it.
Most of the wonders promised in advertisements are not true. And never will be, no matter how hard we try to follow their product, their promises and their public beliefs we will simply not be able to match to them. We are only made to believe we can. The public need to be made more conscious of the methods used by advertisers to work on peoples psychological vulnerability – their pride, their sense of identity with their own generation, their own social group or the one they are climbing toward, sympathies, their desire to look more beautiful, younger, modern. The advertisers worldwide are succeeding in making people change their very living and spending habits. That is why they are ready to spend lots of money in the advertising industry. The consumer himself meets these expenses in the final analysis. It is estimated that the price of a product may go up for up to 40% due to advertisement costs.
There is no doubt that when people are manipulated, regardless of the motives, the right to decide for themselves is taken away as well as what they want to do and who they want to be. After all said, we need to critically examination this today than at any other time, a truly democratic world in all senses. The availability of reasonable choice! The forces of advertisements must be set to work in the public interest, not the competition at who will fool more innocent people. We should be allowed to exercise our free will and not be over thrown by the manipulative information we currently are.
The Essay on Target Advertising Department Advertisement Product
The current advertising for Target's CE department is not helping sales. In fact in some cases, it may be hurting sales. This section will address Target's current advertising strategy and the problems associated with it. Then alternative methods of promoting Target as a credible CE department with large variety of products will be proposed. Target's commercials are currently showing clips of ...
