Synthesis Essay Advertising
Advertisements clearly play a huge role in society today; it seems as if there is a promotion for a new product around every corner. Advertising is how many companies are able to sustain their businesses and to gain more profits. However, some have criticized advertisements for their influence on people. While advertisements can draw in new customers, they can also cause people to be less mindful about what they are actually buying. Sometimes advertisements can even be misleading, which is a cause of scorn for some. Nevertheless, they are an effective way to convince potential buyers to purchase a product, which is good for business. Although advertisements may have a couple favorable effects, the overall impact of them on society is negative.
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The purpose of an advertisement is to persuade a person to purchase a product or a service, which can cause a person to mindlessly spend his or her money. “Although few people admit to being greatly influenced by ads, surveys and sales figures show that a well-designed advertising campaign has dramatic effects.” Many people will deny being controlled by the advertisements that pervade society, but most of them have fallen victim to an ads claim at least once in their lives. The fact that buyers are so unaware of the influence that advertisements have on them is something that makes them even more dangerous because “advertisers delight in an audience that believes ads to be harmless nonsense, for such an audience is rendered defenseless by its belief that no attack is taking place” (Source E). It is important to, at the very least, be aware of the potential ways in which an advertisement will attempt to affect people. After consumers are drawn to a product from an ad and purchase it, they may continue to purchase and repurchase that item; this is something that is very good for the company selling the item but not always good for the customer. Brand loyalties are often established at a young age, which prevent a person from branching out and trying new things. “Studies conducted for Seventeen magazine have shown that 29% of adult women still buy the same brand of coffee they preferred as teenagers, and 41% buy the same brand of mascara” (Source D). Though this could be seen as innocuous, those that end up using the same products their entire life risk missing out on even better products. Moreover, this is often the goal of an advertisement because it makes more money for a business, which is all companies care about anyway: profit. While some believe that “at its most basic form advertising is teaching, pure and simple,” this could not be further from the truth (Source C). Advertisements are made specifically to target certain groups of people and persuade them to purchase a product. What have advertisements taught people anyway? “Come buy my product because it is the best one around!” is not exactly an educational message. Ads often just manipulate consumers into buying products that they don’t need and rarely result in an enlightened group of buyers. People often end up purchasing unnecessary items because of the persuasive nature of ads.
People already know what items are actually necessary to buy, and products like those are rarely advertised because they don’t need to be. “For instance, nobody spends huge sums advertising flour. People will buy it even without it being advertised. But soft drinks may stop selling after a few months without adverts. The need for it is created by the advert” (Source F). If something was actually necessary to a person, then the person would buy it without the need for an advertisement promoting it. Advertisements often create a mindset within consumers telling them that they need a certain good or service when, in reality, they don’t. This mindset is another way that people wind up brainwashed by ads. Certainly it seems it as if buying something unnecessary isn’t always a bad thing, aside from the fact that it is typically a waste of money; however, some advertisements don’t just promote unnecessary items, but they promote harmful items, such as cigarettes. On top of giving them a profit, “advertising also had less quantifiable benefits for cigarette companies: it promoted the continued social acceptability of smoking and encouraged the incorrect belief that the majority of people smoke” (Source B). There is no doubt that cigarettes are bad for a person’s health, so it is easy to see how advertising cigarettes could be dangerous to people, especially adolescents who grow up seeing cigarettes as part of life. Advertisements for destructive products have become more and more common, and as they do, the act of using those products becomes more and more common, too. As a child, I watched my mother smoke cigarettes and drink beer. If she hadn’t been exposed to advertisements that promoted both cigarettes and beer, along with a society that accepts those things, I believe that she would have never started smoking and drinking in the first place, which would have been better for our
entire family. Companies have a moral obligation to be cautious of what they are advertising and to be aware of the potential effects that could arise from that. Even products that are seemingly helpful can have a negative impact on a person. Growing up, I saw advertisements for weight loss programs, exercise programs, etc. that made me feel as if I had to lose weight and gain muscle if I wanted to be attractive. I am not the only one who felt that way; many of my friends agree that some of the ads they have seen on television have lowered their self-esteem in the past. While companies are promoting their product, they don’t care how their ad makes a person feel as long as that person ends up buying the item, regardless of how necessary that item even is. Companies seem to only be concerned with making a profit. Ads are typically an effective way to accomplish this by persuading people to make a purchase. Though the process of advertising and buying is not entirely bad in itself, it is important to take notice of the effect that ads can have. From influencing people to buy things they don’t need to hurting people by promoting a harmful product, advertisements can quickly get out of hand.
The purpose of an advertisement is to persuade a person to purchase a product or a service, which can cause a person to mindlessly spend his or her money. “Although few people admit to being greatly influenced by ads, surveys and sales figures show that a well-designed advertising campaign has dramatic effects.” Many people will deny being controlled by the advertisements that pervade society, but most of them have fallen victim to an ads claim at least once in their lives. The fact that buyers are so unaware of the influence that advertisements have on them is something that makes them even more dangerous because “advertisers delight in an audience that believes ads to be harmless nonsense, for such an audience is rendered defenseless by its belief that no attack is taking place” (Source E). It is important to, at the very least, be aware of the potential ways in which an advertisement will attempt to affect people. After consumers are drawn to a product from an ad and purchase it, they may continue to purchase and repurchase that item; this is something that is very good for the company selling the item but not always good for the customer. Brand loyalties are often established at a young age, which prevent a person from branching out and trying new things. “Studies conducted for Seventeen magazine have shown that 29% of adult women still buy the same brand of coffee they preferred as teenagers, and 41% buy the same brand of mascara” (Source D). Though this could be seen as innocuous, those that end up using the same products their entire life risk missing out on even better products. Moreover, this is often the goal of an advertisement because it makes more money for a business, which is all companies care about anyway: profit. While some believe that “at its most basic form advertising is teaching, pure and simple,” this could not be further from the truth (Source C). Advertisements are made specifically to target certain groups of people and persuade them to purchase a product. What have advertisements taught people anyway? “Come buy my product because it is the best one around!” is not exactly an educational message. Ads often just manipulate consumers into buying products that they don’t need and rarely result in an enlightened group of buyers. People often end up purchasing unnecessary items because of the persuasive nature of ads.
People already know what items are actually necessary to buy, and products like those are rarely advertised because they don’t need to be. “For instance, nobody spends huge sums advertising flour. People will buy it even without it being advertised. But soft drinks may stop selling after a few months without adverts. The need for it is created by the advert” (Source F). If something was actually necessary to a person, then the person would buy it without the need for an advertisement promoting it. Advertisements often create a mindset within consumers telling them that they need a certain good or service when, in reality, they don’t. This mindset is another way that people wind up brainwashed by ads. Certainly it seems it as if buying something unnecessary isn’t always a bad thing, aside from the fact that it is typically a waste of money; however, some advertisements don’t just promote unnecessary items, but they promote harmful items, such as cigarettes. On top of giving them a profit, “advertising also had less quantifiable benefits for cigarette companies: it promoted the continued social acceptability of smoking and encouraged the incorrect belief that the majority of people smoke” (Source B). There is no doubt that cigarettes are bad for a person’s health, so it is easy to see how advertising cigarettes could be dangerous to people, especially adolescents who grow up seeing cigarettes as part of life. Advertisements for destructive products have become more and more common, and as they do, the act of using those products becomes more and more common, too. As a child, I watched my mother smoke cigarettes and drink beer. If she hadn’t been exposed to advertisements that promoted both cigarettes and beer, along with a society that accepts those things, I believe that she would have never started smoking and drinking in the first place, which would have been better for our
entire family. Companies have a moral obligation to be cautious of what they are advertising and to be aware of the potential effects that could arise from that. Even products that are seemingly helpful can have a negative impact on a person. Growing up, I saw advertisements for weight loss programs, exercise programs, etc. that made me feel as if I had to lose weight and gain muscle if I wanted to be attractive. I am not the only one who felt that way; many of my friends agree that some of the ads they have seen on television have lowered their self-esteem in the past. While companies are promoting their product, they don’t care how their ad makes a person feel as long as that person ends up buying the item, regardless of how necessary that item even is. Companies seem to only be concerned with making a profit. Ads are typically an effective way to accomplish this by persuading people to make a purchase. Though the process of advertising and buying is not entirely bad in itself, it is important to take notice of the effect that ads can have. From influencing people to buy things they don’t need to hurting people by promoting a harmful product, advertisements can quickly get out of hand.