Theme:
- Advertisements play a significant role in shaping our daily lives and driving the global economy.
- Advertising is a process of promoting goods and services through media, sponsored activities etc.
- There are various types of advertising. Ads in newspapers, TV programs, blogs, websites, videos, hoardings besides roads, sponsoring sports, giving scholarships, free samples, influencer marketing are some forms of advertising.
- In India, ‘Advertising Standards Council of India‘ (ASCI), a self regulatory voluntary organization of the advertising industry was founded in 1985. It’s aim is to enhance public confidence in advertising. People can send complaints to ASCI, if any ad is false, misleading or offensive.
Advertisements are beneficial:
- Advertisements benefits both the seller and the consumer. Sellers can promote their goods through ads. On the other hand, consumers can know the information of goods and discount deals available in the market, so they can take informed decisions.
- Many information websites, blogs and YouTube videos provide content for free, because they get paid by advertisers. Ads sponsor Newspapers, TV programs, and sports events. Ads on buses and trains support the government.
- Ads can help the process of social change too. For example, in the present times, we are witnessing ads that are promoting gender sensitivity, and inclusivity.
- In India, we have the ‘Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)‘ to censor advertisements. It is being made even stronger to address several challenges in the advertisements field. ASCI banned several ads that contain false promises and highly photoshopped images.
- One of the present trends of advertisements is doing good to society like giving scholarships to poor children etc. and thereby marketing their brand, which is very beneficial to society and businesses as well.
- Some people do not even know about some products. Advertisements help them for free by showing the products available in the market to make lives easier. For example, an Electronic roti maker is a big help to senior citizens and working people.
- Many people work in the advertising industry, including marketers, designers, and writers. So, advertisements create jobs and boost the economy by creating jobs and also by increasing revenues of businesses.
Drawbacks of Advertisements:
- Online advertisements often track people’s online activities and browsing habits, which raises concerns about the privacy and security of our personal data.
- Ads leave a great impact on mindsets, especially on youth. It is leading to increasing consumerism.
- People, who can’t afford to buy those products may feel inferior due to the inescapable ads.
- Ads are repetitive. Many times, we see the same ad on TV, on hoardings, on YouTube etc, which can be irritating.
- The big hoardings beside roads are distracting and can cause accidents.
- Some advertisers do not follow ethics, and they don’t even care about the environment. We end up using these products, without knowing their effect on the environment. Room fresheners and cleansers are some examples of this kind.
- Ads like weight loss and fairness products can make people feel insecure about their bodies. For example, the depiction of Fair & Lovely ad made many dusky-skinned people insecure about their skin colour. In the process, several people applied harsh chemicals (fairness creams) on their faces, and a few even resorted to cosmetic surgeries.
- Most of the ads use fake photoshopped images and make false promises. These types of ads are misleading.
- Advertising costs affect the cost of the product. It’ll be an additional burden to customers.
- Some companies waste their valuable resources on advertising. If they spend this money to provide better services to their customers, they can gain more customers through mouth publicity.
- The overwhelming presence of ads in the present days caused ‘ad blindness’ in many. Ad blindness means people who are very used to ads tend to subconsciously ignore ads. Due to this, the investment that was spent on advertising is wasted.
- Kids are getting attracted to junk food because of advertisements.
- Advertisements disturb the level-playing field of businesses. They give an unfair advantage to businesses that have a huge investment. People subconsciously prefer to buy products that they see in ads. This is a disadvantage to local retail shops too. For example, people prefer to buy branded pulses and grains rather than buying them loose in local shops.
- Some advertisements influence people to go for unhealthy habits. For example, ads on alcohol may show drinking as stylish and cool. This can give a negative message to the public.
Conclusion:
Advertising is inevitable and the advertising field is changing for good. These days, the discriminating ads are rare. Many advertisers are doing good to society to get exposure for their brands and people have become more aware of false promises. It is important for advertisers to be ethical. This way, we can enjoy the benefits of advertisements while avoiding their drawbacks.
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