Issues of Advertising.
This subject is so broad that its kind or hard to no where to start and what to say. We all know as competent human beings that there are always two sides to the coin; a good side and a bad side. That’s just life. As advertising has evolved over the last decade, the ‘issues’ of advertising has become a subject that has had more attention placed on it than that of the advantages/necessities of advertising. I for one believe that for the world to run and businesses to continue, advertising is a crucial catalyst. The techniques that are used today to find out what’s best to create attention are some times a little too much. The obvious notion that sex sells is an issue that many people feel strongly ads are saturated in these days. What’s too much? Sex sells yes, but how far can ad campaigns take this?
Another issue that people see with ad campaigns is the extent companies will go to, to pound children from an early age with products they don’t really need. What is too young? What is being aimed at them? McDonalds have had an ongoing battle with parents about this very question. McDonald's spend over two billion dollars each year on advertising: the Golden Arches are now more recognised than the Christian Cross. Using the collectable toys, television adverts, promotional schemes in schools and annoying figures such as Ronald McDonald the company bombards their main target group: children. Many parents object strongly to the influence this has over their own children. Is this exploitation?
The issue of exploitation is a whole new argument that ranks at the top of the list of things that people see as ethically wrong with advertising. A world without advertising would be such a peaceful place, a place where you really would see the beauty of the land more than when you drive around and see the landscape adorned with nonsense billboards. Maybe a world free of advertising would create a people that are more laidback, a people who have their priorities more in order and see things for what they really are. The thing is, at the end of the day, if you don’t know what an apple tastes like, you don’t want an apple! And to take it one step further, if you have never heard of an apple, then you’re not going to go out looking for one. Point is, I know for myself, that had I not heard of the majority of the things I have, then I would probably have a lot less clutter in my house, a bit more money and still be equally as happy with life.
So, we all know there are dozens of issues with advertising. But the question is, can we sidestep these issues? Is advertising that important that we ignore the people who have legitimate arguments against the ad companies that seem to exploit and control? Do we really need advertising?
36 comments:
I believe that advertising has become a backbone of our society since we live in a capitalistic, me-first kind of a world. Why did advertising ever start? To tell people that hey, I'll help you by supplying something you need, and you'll help me by providing me with an income. However, as time has passed, advertising has shifted and now ignores the real concern of filling people's needs. Now things are advertised to fill people's desires, as much of it plays on the emotions of the consumer. Conclusion: without advertising we'd rarely know about things that we really don't need...but is that really such a bad thing?
Without advertising, Businesses could not survive. Yes, it'd be more peaceful to never see ads, but could companies really succeed without it? And if they could, could companies actually thrive? Most everything we do is advertising. What we wear, how we talk, and what we do sends a message to others, (advertises,) who we really are. When we find a great resturaunt, we tell others because we want them to enjoy that too. That is also advertising. We advertise in the church to increase membership, etc. etc. My point is, I don't think we could ever really get rid of advertising because most everything we do is advertise. And without it in the corporate world, I think businesses would fail.
I don't think society could function without advertising. It has become such a part of our culture and we all use it to some extent or another. What clothes we wear or cell phone we buy is all dependent on advertising. It may have come from a TV ad, or an online ad, but most likely we are influenced by the stealth advertising in our lives. Our friends who have the latest technology or the cool kids at school advertise to us everyday. So can we get rid of advertising... absolutely not. It is too ingrained in ou society.
I agree with the above statements - by how our society couldn't function without advertising because it has been accustomed to it. I just think that advertisements surround us everywhere that we couldn't just get up and get rid of it. It's like asking someone who is so into their cell phone to give that up. Now personally i've been able to live without a cell phone, but there are plenty of people out there that couldn't deal with life without a cell phone.
I agree that we would not want an apple if we didn't know what an apple tasted like or if we hadn't heard of an apple, we wouldn't go looking for one. I completely agree with your statement. However, I do not believe we would function without advertising. I believe we often focus too much on the bad effects of advertising, especially after watching that video in class. But advertising isn't completely bad. It helps us have cultural norms, which I think are necessary. I am glad that we have a culture that emphasizes the importance of personal hygiene, medication and so forth. I don't necessarily like the level that advertising can take it, but I do believe that's it's necessary. And without advertising, would there be any sense of morals for society? I believe advertising can communicate morals and values that religion and home cannot communicate or have a hard time communicating. In a perfect world, yes, religion and home will communicate that, but here, advertising is another means that we can achieve society having similar goals and values. Not perfectly, but in some aspects.
I agree with the comment above. Advertising creates social norms and is a key in helping create our identity as a society. I think that advertising can go too far, but I think it is necessary. People should know what is available to them. No one forces you to buy something, so you just have to be smart about things.
Advertising is a necessity, yes. As the video we watched the other day in class pointed out, even such simple things as a sign in a shop's window is advertising. How confusing would it be to walk around a mall with a lot of stores with nothing but walls and doors. Where would you go to get the clothes you wanted? Wouldn't you have to check each and every door to see where they had what you wanted? Instead, thanks to advertising, all I have to do is stroll down the mall and look for the sign guiding me to what I'm looking for.
Advertising can lead us to believe we need things we don't, but it can also help us to find the things we need.
as the text mentioned, our nation has become a consumer nation, not a producing nation — therefore, advertising is necessary bc it drives people to buy! if people stop consuming, the economy suffers (as we are currently seeing today)
Aren't you glad you found out about apples. Wouldn't life be boring if you all you ate was rice and bread?
Without advertising we would probably live in a world without.....radio...newspapers....magazines....television....a large and flourishing internet....and a knowledge of products before we were literally at the store to buy them. Is this terrible? Well.....YES! I want to live in a world with tv, the radio, and newspapers....all of which are supported and funded by advertising.
Advertising, essentially, is persuasion. Thus, it would be impossible to stop society from advertising as it truly has existed from the beginning of man's history. I believe that the way in which it is carried out, especially in regards to media, is what has changed over the years. So to answer the question, no, advertising should not be done away with, nor do I think that's even possible. However, I do believe that there need to be certain limitations and restrictions established to make sure that advertising doesn't turn from persuasion to coercion.
I think many businesses would cease to exist without advertising. How is th public supposed to know of the products available to them without it? We as a society, like you said, would probably save more money and have much less clutter. However, we would not know what is out there. I do believe that sometimes it is taken to far, and we should not be subject to look at certain images. But, we have our agency, no one makes us buy something or participate in an activity without our consent.
I think we all agree: regardless of how we feel about advertising, it does fuel our consumer economy in this capitalistic world. In short, those questions you've asked us to sidestep truly are the real issues...
What do you all think?
I also agree with the apple statement, not to mention that was a pretty good analogy. But advertising is key to almost every product. Where would most products be without advertisements? Restaurants, essential life services that promote things such as life insurance, banking, hospitals, etc. They essentially don't clutter our space with advertisements, but they also put their fair share out there to spread the word of their services. I also agree about restaurants, when we like something, we tend to share it with our peers so they can experience the same satisfaction. Often times we find out about new places through ads or promotions. I feel as though it is virtually impossible to be completely without advertisements, but rather we could possibly change some aspects of how they guide and persuade consumers. I think that is a better way to look at how to alter advertising.
I agree a lot with what Dan said in his post. Advertising is what provides funding to many things we use in life. Newspapers get most of their money from the ads they place. Same with television. If we lost advertising as we know it, sure there wouldnt be a lot of clutter in our lives, but there wouldnt be much information either. I think its a pretty good trade off.
I think that there are positives and negatives to advertising. I'm not sure if the positives outweigh the negatives, but I do believe that advertising is a necessary evil.
I recently listened to a lecture given by a reporter at The Deseret News and she said that without advertising, their paper, as well as other papers would soon cease to exist.
So, eliminating advertising would not only make the public less aware of products and services, but also greatly decrease certain services like the news that stay in business in large part because of advertising.
BRooke C was smart to point out the connection between Capitalism and Advertsing (high five brooke.) Furhtermore, I believe advertising in one way or another will exist in any type of society. There are birds out there in nature-world that fluff out their chest feathers and strut around in wierd ways when a female bird comes around. That smart dude-bird is advertising something: that he's single, available, and ready for love. Birds do it, people do it. Advertising is part of life. It's a branch of commuication, and I believe we need it.
And as far as exploiting children- parents need to be smart enought o teach kids the importance of a church versus a Mcdonalds playplace. I don't think the ads are dangerous to a well taught child.
In our capitalistic society, advertising has become necessary to sell products. But I think that in some cases it amounts to visual pollution. It is great to drive away from a city once in a while and be in a place where you can just see nature. Nature doesn't demand that you do things or buy products. It just allows you to be.
I loved this post, because I can relate to it so well. Every year I go backpacking up in high, remote places. Last year I went on four of them, and I can tell you, I always came back from backpacking grateful for the experience not only because its challenging, beautiful and adventurous, but because for once in forever I have complete control of what enters my head! No ads! No immodesty, except during the polar plunge into the icy-cold lake water, aaah it just feels great. Ad's have way too much liberty!
Why does advertising sell us things that we don't need? Because we WANT it to. In our modern society we are always looking for new ways and products to make our work more effective and efficient. Sure businessmen shouldn't grow faster than they are able, it's not financially possible; however, business owners are always looking to expand and increase profits. We are always looking for that new advancement that will help us do that. Where would we be if there were no competition created by advertising?
Advertising fuels our economy by increasing demand for goods and more importantly letting the public know that they exist. Whether they are a needs or not we still want them.
Advertising may surpass certain social limitations but the effects of their surpassing are in direct relation to each person's self control, up-bringing, and view of life itself.
Ok the apple analogy was pretty clever…and I’d hate to be the one to pick it apart or be an over analyzer BUT it makes me wonder… if you didn’t know what an apple tasted like, wouldn’t your curiosity lead you in to trying one and if you never heard of it, wouldn’t it be safe to assume someone would eventually tell you?
The fact is, things exist. And if what you call “advertising” is a couple of commercials and billboards, then and only then could you question its merits. BUT truthfully it’s a lot more and even in a society devoid of “advertising” it is still very much prevalent.
What it comes down to is what you like versus what you don’t like and in the end it’s a battle between what’s most POPular. And this popularity isn’t solely determined on the billboards or commercials you see.
Advertising is much more than some devils advocate. It is a catalyst that puts people in the “know”, and if you ask me I wouldn’t mind being filled in.
To answer the question of whether or not we NEED it, I would have to say that it would exist even if we didn’t want it to. And even in its more managing form, with the society we live in today, businesses wouldn’t survive without it.
It is very easy to criticize advertising and it's unethical actions. Just as it's easier to put somebody down than compliment them. As a society many times we look at the glass half empty because it requires less effort. It is very easy to see the negative effects of advertising in our culture as discussed in this blog. But many times we forget the positive roles in plays in our own lives. It helps us to find the best deals on goods and services for ourselves. It informs of our social responsibilities and educates us.
In the blog, advertising is shown as the culprit for selling children useless McDonald toys and creating brand loyalty at a very young age. Yes advertising plays a role in the process but ultimately parents have the final say on whether they go to McDonalds or not or whether or not they get that toy they want. Yes advertising has an influence upon children watching sexual oriented commercials. But dont parents have the power to control the amount of TV their children watch or what they watch to a certain extent? If we are angry with what advertising is doing then do something about it! We have the power to control our own lives. They are others way to combat negative advertising other than just complaining...
YES we need advertising. My friends have had a funny experience of not having TV for the first time in their lives. They have complained to me that they feel completely out of the loop. They don't ever know what movies are coming out or what new products have recently been put on the market. My friend told me that she really did miss TV advertisements because they help her feel connected to everything. Even though people do find them annoying sometimes I think everyone would miss advertisements if they were gone.
Ads can be a way to get people together. Talking about this thing and that funny invention. The world would be lame without the cleverness of ads. It's not such a bad thing.
It's interesting to ask this question the week before the Super Bowl, the TV advertising Mecca. Is it necessary, in some for yes. Like you said, advertising creates product awareness. However, I do not feel the current extravagance and multi-million dollar expenses are necessary. Advertising may drive sales, but opulent advertising goes a bit too far.
I think we need advertising. It is a way to get one's message to the mass audience. The LDS Church advertises. Do they try and control and exploit people? I would say no. Advertising is a way of informing the people. Sometimes it is misused, I agree, but so are a lot of other things. We shouldn't blame the tool, but maybe the wielder of the tool.
Mainstream advertisements produced by large shops will billion-dollar clients may be different - trying to sell products people don't really need, but I think a lot of people have tunnel vision and think only of that kind of advertising. Small companies all over the world advertise simply to get their name out there, and most of them sell useful services that people need. Could we use less of the advertisements that advertise things we don't need, or exploit our feelings? Sure, but without advertising, nothing would happen.
Advertising is how most companies survive and how we can learn to process information. Ok think advertising is good as long as we learn how to seperate of from emotion and fact.
It is easy to think about advertising as force feeding product "A" to person "B". But think of it from the perspective of the seller (being the company with a product, not necessarily the ad agency). Ads allow companies to present their products to the consumer. It allows small/new companies to compete with companies and products with a long history. Advertising can be manipulative, and it can be shady, but it allows businesses to grow, too.
That is a VERY good question. Do we even need advertising? I think you have a good point with imagining the world without advertising. It made me think of a new favorite: "Wall-E." One character takes a brief moment to look beyond her personalized monitor and finds an entirely new world. The starts, a swimming pool, and interaction with another human being. It is true that our paradeigm is heavily influenced by the media and advertising. However, the question is how harmful is our paradigm and can we do without it? First, with the way our economy functions, we couldn't do without. Because we are a "consumer" culture as opposed to a "production" culture, we need to inform consumers of what they can buy and we need to convice them that they want to buy it. Economic crisis occur when spending goes down.
However, how harmful is our paradigm? Advertisers run companies not churches, not politics (well...), and not social services. They want money to feed their families, take vacations, and improve their standard of living. They are concerned with making deadlines and making a profit. The paradigm they create is formed from millions of advertisements we see daily, and therefore individual advertisers do not take responsibility for the paradigm that is created. The point of this is that they aren't concerned with sending "righteous" or even correct message. They're concerned with persuasion and sometimes down right manipulation (that's a broad stereotype that isn't applicable to all ad companies). The freedom they have coupled with low social responsibility lends itself to creating a harmful paradigm. Can we do without advertising? At least in this economy, no. Is it harmful--not always. Generally it's very useful, but with a lack of social responsibility and an unconrtollable amount of clutter, it can be harmful.
The problem with advertising si
i love apples. granny smith, golden delicious, fuji, washington reds, are all both delicious and nutritious. i haven't been to the doctor in four years thanks to our little friends. if advertising is the problem, it only makes sense that it is the solution too.
I like what Trent said. Yes, there will always be advertising and as a society we have become dependent upon it to inform us of everything. BUT- if it is somehow the problem, then it must be utilized somehow to fix the problem. It has to be the solution.
Without advertising businesses would have to work really hard to introduce their product on a more personal level. Businesses would suffer a lot without advertising.
Advertising is how most companies survive and how we can learn to process information. Ok think advertising is good as long as we learn how to seperate of from emotion and fact.
This is an issue that has been and will continue to be debated over for many years. I see advertising as any other profession as far as how ethical it is. That is that the profession itself is not inherently good or evil, but those who work in the field often use it in ethical and non-ethical ways. You can use sex in advertising, advertise harmful products or services, and so on. You can also advertise for the church. You can tell the truth and promote great products. It's all in how you use it.
Many media like newspapers and magazines wouldn't be around if advertising wouldn't pay for the bulk of production. Advertising is becoming more pervasive, but there are also a lot more parity products and places to advertise them on. We can't get rid of it at all. The only way to get rid of it is to stop buying their products, if you could handle that.
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