Preview

Bad Side of Advertising

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1438 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Bad Side of Advertising
Advertising is an important method of competition, especially in industries that are highly concentrated. Where companies are unable to compete on price, advertising is fundamental to promote the subtle differences between products. Advertising has gone beyond informing people of the benefits of a product and how to obtain it and has moved into the area of market creation, Hiding behind globalization and partial truths, advertising has become morally questionable by promoting gluttony, vanity, materialism, and other unhealthy ways of thinking in order to create artificial product needs in consumers.

Advertising is an excellent form of communication. Advertising delivers a wealth of information to consumers on varying topics including healthcare and education. The commercial "Above the Influence," is a good example of informative and helpful advertising. This particular commercial attempts to reduce teenage addiction to cigarettes. Other helpful advertisements inform consumers on healthcare topics such as heart disease and diabetes and sources of assistance for social issues such as community events, education opportunities, and political meetings, to name just a few.

On the negative side, advertising has expanded from word of mouth and print to include radio, television, and the Internet, among others. The quantity of advertising encountered by people has become so great that the human sensory system is being overloaded. We see thousands and thousands of ads every single day and we get so immune to it that sometimes we forget that they are ads. Advertising has become so powerful and so subtle that consumers accept most advertising content without critical thought. Unable to exercise careful analysis of every message, consumers find themselves in a mental overload caused by indoctrinating propaganda.

The increase in the number of venues for advertising has allowed advertising markets to expand and grow. Along with the expansion came the opportunity for those



Cited: "Diabetes Public Health Resource." 27 June 2006. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 28 Feb. 2007. <http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/> Hayman Commuications Group. n.d. 23 Feb. 2007. <http://www.haymancomm.com>. "The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity." 19 July 2006. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 28 Feb. 2007. <http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia071906pkg.cfm>. Teresi, John. "Americans have earned the title of 'fattest nation on Earth '." 1 Dec. 2004. Voices. 28 Feb. 2007. <http://newshound.de.siu.edu/voices04/stories/storyReader$1107> Torgan, Ph.D., Carol. "Childhood Obesity." June 2002. National Institutes of Health. 28 Feb. 2007. <http://www.nih.gov/news/WordonHealth/jun2002/childhoodobesity.htm>

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    For the longest time now, advertising has played a huge role in how we identify ourselves in the United States with the American culture, and how others identify themselves with all the cultures of the rest of the world as well. It guides us in making everyday decisions, such as what items we definitely need to invest our money on, how to dress in-vogue, and what mindset we should have to prosper the most. Although advertising does help make life easier for most, at the same time it has negative affects on the people of society as well. Advertisement discreetly manipulates the beliefs, morals, and values of our culture, and it does so in a way that most of the time we don’t even realize it’s happened. In order to reach our main goal of prospering as a nation, we need to become more aware of the damage that has already been caused by this advertising and prevent it from negatively affecting us even further.…

    • 1589 Words
    • 46 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    When learning about the different forms of communication advertising is one of the most interesting because it taps into the human psyche. Advertising is the attempt to persuade potentional customers to purchase or consume more of a particular brand or product. Today, ads are scattered everywhere and they are multiplying. Ads have been known to take up more than half the space in most daily newspapers and consumer magazines. They are inserted into trade books and textbooks. They also reach as far as cluttering websites and fill are mailboxes and the buses we ride. Advertising to us today surrounds our everyday life so much that it almost blends into our environment. The objective of advertisers is to make sure it doesn’t!…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The effects of advertising on our minds have left a scar on the name of advertisement. The criticism has piled up and is now a name that advertisers must live with. They will constantly be reminded that too much advertisement, while good for the company, is not good for society. There are many ways of advertisement and there will surely be new ideas in the upcoming years, but scrutiny will always play a big role in…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Advertisements are a very influential part of our lives. We have been exposed to ads all our lives, and in many ways, they have shaped the way we think and act. Advertisements are very pervasive and come in many different shapes and sizes. They are available in every form of medium, ranging from magazines, television, radio, the internet, billboards, etc. Ads are very important in our society. They make us wary of many cultural trends, as well as give us useful information that might help us lead better lives.…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dietz, W; Gortmaker, S (1985). Obesity and television viewing in children and adolesence. Retrieved from: http://UMB.edu…

    • 1521 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The original definition of the word “advertising” does not look that bad. It is simply explained as “calling the attention of the public to a product or business.” However, the advertising companies usually abuse the real meaning of advertising and try to sell their product no matter what it takes to do so. It is very hard not to notice advertisement in today’s world. The commercials, the adds, the posters are everywhere; from TV, newspapers magazines and billboards to even a bus that is taking us to work everyday. Advertising companies know exactly how to get into our heads and how to convince us to buy their product instead of thousands of the different ones. No one can argue that advertising is influential, but there are a lot of critics and journalists that try to convince us to believe that it is not only harmless, but influential to us. One of them is John E. Calfee who in his essay “How Advertising Informs to Our Benefit” tries his hardest to prove that advertising has a positive impact on us. In his essay, Calfee gives very strong arguments supported by research and statistics, which unfortunately would probably convince an average American to agree with his ideas.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Everything in the world is bought for a reason, whether prompted by human necessity or sneaky advertisements. Advertisements drive 90% of purchases made in a lifetime, including homes, toys, clothes, etc. These multitudes of purchases are made because advertising experts create propaganda and throw it persuasively upon every individual in every society. Advertisements are a significant part of today's culture because advertising and persuasion affect everyone all around the world. It is important to consider how effective advertising actually is since there are different ways to promote a product. Overall, this issue requires society to consider how companies promote their products so they may realize how they are being affected; however, if…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: Anderson, Patricia M. and Butcher, Kristin F. (2006). Childhood Obesity: Trends and Potential Causes. The Future of Children 16(1):19-45.…

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Anderson, P. M., & Butcher, K. F. (2006). Childhood obesity: Trends and potential causes. The Future of Children, 16(1), 19-45. Retrieved from: http://www.futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/docs/16_01_02.pdf…

    • 1841 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Childhood Obesity In America

    • 2726 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Although America is the leading country in obesity, it is not the only one stricken with the disease.…

    • 2726 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Putnam, Cheryl. "Childhood Overweight and Obesity." Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet (2012). Ebscohost. Web. 21 May 2012.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Childhood Obesity Essay

    • 964 Words
    • 3 Pages

    There are many factors that cause childhood obesity. A poor diet and lack of exercise or physical activities are two of the hugest factors that contribute to childhood obesity. With the lifestyles of modern families, a home cooked healthy meal isn’t always the first choice. With both parents working, eating out and fast food or take out are normally the most convenient options. While most of these options do offer healthy alternatives, they mainly thrive off selling menu items high in fat, sugar, and calories. These are the foods most appealing to a child which in turn leads to children eating lots of these foods. Another big cause of childhood obesity is the lack of exercise or laziness. Children these days would rather stay inside and watch television or play video games. ‘’The obesity epidemic is probably the result of evolutionary legacy interacting with our technologically advanced society.’’(Han, Lawlor, and Kimm, 1737-48) In the past , calorie burning activities such as running, jumping, and engaging in physical activities outside were joyous times for children. Nowadays, leisure activities like playing video games are…

    • 964 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Daniels, S. R. (2006, Spring). The Consequences of Childhood Overweight and Obesity. The Future of Children, 16(1), 47-67. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/foc/summary/v016/16.1daniels.html…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 2898 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Obesity can begin at a very young age. Many children in our society are overweight, setting themselves up for serious health problems later in life. Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart problems are just some of the risks. Children who are overweight also tend to feel less secure, less happy, and be stressed more than normal weight children do. They get teased, criticized, and judged. In many cases, the problem is not the child’s fault. Being overweight may run in that child’s family, or their parents do not encourage them to be active and get enough exercise. Many children spend too much time indoors wasting away in front of the TV, playing video games, or spending time on the computer, and consuming high fat snacks, soft drinks and candy at the same time (Weight Management). The CDC performed a study in 1994 that was…

    • 2898 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Child Hood

    • 2320 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Childhood obesity is a serious health and societal issue. Rising at extreme rates, one may call it an epidemic. Childhood obesity increases incidences of mortality later in life, causes asthma and type II diabetes, which was only found in adults. With these ill effects, childhood obesity is an issue that should not be taken lightly. Over the last several years, obesity in children has increased fifty percent per the (as citied with the www.healthopedia.com). While the cause of this is equivocal, and heredity may play a role, there are some contributing factors. The media, parents/caregivers, and schools are major influences which are, to some extent, responsible for this astounding inclination of obesity among children.…

    • 2320 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays