This essay discusses the similarities and differences in terms of advertising. To start with, it points the similarities of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ side of advertising in terms of creating deep thought in the customers mind, endorse welfare and supports freedom and provides choices.
The other part of the essay details on the differences between the two sides. It portrays that company’s release limited truth when competing; people accept advertisements as they appear without appraisal it and lastly commercials affect children and women the most.The study paper brings to close by affirming that advertisements should be made with certain provisions and people should not take advertisements at face value. Compare and Contrast the ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ side of Advertising. Advertisements are portrayed as a paid form of non-personal appearance and/or technique used as influenced language for the purpose of persuading or influencing the general public.
It is a advertising strategy that creates command for a meticulous good or service which is mostly done by marketable companies, and acts as means of passing information mainly through public notices.There are many different forms of advertising, namely, face-to-face advertisements highly recommended for high price products, Newspaper/ Magazine advertisements acting widely to create consciousness of the product or service, Media advertisement (television and radio) reaching a superior scope of area in terms of promotion and lastly, online advertisements which has had much success since the evolution of World Wide Web. Advertisements acting as a form of influence has a quite everlasting effect on potential customers, therefore, it is important to evaluate the similarities and differences between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ side advertising.Both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ side of advertising has the ability to create a deep impression, promote public welfare and produce a variety of choices. Firstly, ‘good’ side advertising holds the power to create deep impressions in the minds of its potential customers.
This is highly equitable with commercial companies who would bargain or promote ones product so that people who were thinking of purchasing it would buy it, and those who were not interested in purchasing would automatically be attracted and manipulated into buying it.Golden and Johnson (1983) have conducted research “suggesting that factual and emotional ads produce differential communication responses”. One most applicable example shall be the Hyundai Commercials published by Carpenters Motors viewed on national channel, Fiji One. Individuals are attracted to something only when it has an emotional attachment towards it.
Secondly, ‘good’ side of advertising creates public welfare in societies.Public welfare in a sense of particular social issues that people may encounter daily, for instance, anti-drug campaign which affects teenagers, “It’s OK to say NO”; Violence against women, “Real man don’t hit women”; and enforcement of human rights, “Everyone has the right to life”. All these awareness campaigns become a good and informative form of education for the societies at large. Public becomes aware of the social implications currently faced, for example, Yellow ribbon campaign (second chance to the prisoners) and/or Pink ribbon (breast cancer).It emphasizes the importance of individuals being lenient towards media education.
Moreover, freedom and choice are the fundamental aspects that encompass ‘good’ side of advertising. There tends to be a maximum of five (5) minute media ads with multiple options to choose from. For example, soft drinks commercials include Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Sprint, and Tarumba viewed on national channel, Fiji One. This gives persons freedom to choose according to one’s taste and preference. It is however, one of the characteristics of advertisements is to behave in a persuasive manner and attract is customers in buying the product.
Therefore, it gives the shoppers sovereignty to have a variety to choose from in both quality and price. ‘Good’ side of advertisements has overwhelmed many people with information and of what the highlight of the day is, for instance, the Rugby World Cup currently. It sometimes also acts as a mind refresher. However, the same cannot be said for ‘bad’ side of advertising. Contrasting points include hiding or releasing partial truth in terms of competition, hundreds of commercials per day make people become immune to them and it also affects children and women. Bad’ side of advertising, unlike, ‘good’ side goes beyond the point of informing people.
Commercial companies, mostly Oligopolies have ‘cut-throat’ competitions. Therefore, to beat one competitor, advertisements are prepared in such a manner that it has moved away from informing public of the benefits to partial truths, while the rest are hidden from the consumers. The producer in his advertising is not interested directly in providing information for consumers. He is interested in selling more of the product. Subject to few constraints, the advertising message says anything the seller of a brand wishes.
A mechanism is required to make selling job of advertising generate information to the consumer, (Nelson 1974, p. 1). Many a times, commercials have “terms and conditions’ stated at the bottom in very fine prints. These are very difficult to read unless magnified. Many examples are present in the “The Fiji Times” newspaper advertisements article.
This is simply done so that potential buyers reframe from knowing other details, for example, other hidden costs. Unlike ‘Good’, ‘Bad’ side of advertising has expanded so much that we have become immune to it.Each day we encounter hundreds of advertisements that human mind becomes overloaded with information. Advertisements have gained so much power that people tend to accept it without any critical thought.
Schwarz and Clore (1983) suggested that mood, due to a preexisting state, may be mistaken for a reaction to a target stimulus and serve as an input for judgments. Instead of integrating detailed information to reach a judgment, people base their judgments on the how-do-I-feel-about-it heuristic. To the extent that they feel happy, they generate more favorable judgments, perhaps in an unconscious process.Human mind has an adaptive feature, in a sense; it accepts anything when seen or done regularly.
For example, if a person wakes up at five (5) in the morning, it will become his daily routine, likewise, if an individual sees a commercial everyday on multiple occasions he shall assume the brand and product is of good quality. However, at other times people buy irrationally. This is mostly referred to persons who do impulse buying (buying without thinking). In contrast, ‘Bad’ side of advertising affects children and women.
The two are seen as the base of any society; however, certain commercials tend to shake this foundation. Children’s innocence is tested, for instance desire for toys, electronics and fast food. On the other hand, women’s sex-appeal and vulnerability are presented through use of violence. By viewing women as exclusively sexual beings whose purpose is to sexually arouse and gratify men, a power differential is created in which women generally are subordinate.This power, hierarchy may support development of perceptions of women as appropriate targets for sexually aggressive behaviors (Lanis and Covell 1995, p. 47).
The most applicable example shall be the Women’s Crisis Centre Advertisement viewed on national channel, Fiji One. Children’s purity and women’s lack of physical strength is displayed as a weakness upon which many have taken advantage in terms of kidnapping, rape, child labor and given selling them through black markets. In a nutshell, ‘good’ side of advertising has placed many similarities but contrasting elements on the ‘bad’ side has showcased that commercials is a means of taking out people’s vulnerability and using that as a weakness to lure its customers.This has suggested that advertisements should be made according to certain guidelines and also, to urge people to think wisely before agreeing to purchase items as some things are not turn out what they appear to be.
Potential customers would review the options on the item which one shall like to obtain. Just as people do a background research before travelling to an unknown destination. All in all, be beware and “don’t judge a book by its cover”.
