Advertising effecting society, how & why

Module Effects of Advertising in Society Advertising is a form of marketing communication used to convince an audience to take action usually with respect to a commercial offering, political or ideological support. Its main purpose is to assure people that a company’s products and services are of quality and high value (Green, 1-4). Advertising messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via media services such as radio, television, magazines, bill boards, direct mail, internet, blogs, websites and via text messages. Commercial advertisers seek to increase the purchases of their products and services through branding techniques. This is done by associating the name or image of the product or service with the idea that the consumers have in their minds. Their idea of advertising is to drive consumption of their product. On the other hand, non-commercial advertisers such as political parties, religious organizations and government agencies spend their resources to advertise information and not consumer products or services. Advertising has been in existence for ages as firms and industries have been in competition with one another in terms acquiring market share. Advertisements are usually placed where the advertisers believe they will reach the largest, most relevant audience. Advertising has been increasing over the years as there are more goods and services in the market that are of the same utility but from different firms and industries across the globe. This has enhanced the competition with some firms gaining while others declining in their respective markets. Advertising provides information on a product or service that is new or already existing in the market (Green, 1-4). It plays a critical role of informing the society about a product its usage and the results to be expected. The issue about the effects that advertising has on the society has been a long and heated debate with a wide range of different opinions. Advertising executives believe that they are doing the society a favour by letting them know about the available products and services (Pardun, 26-48). Market researchers manoeuvre their way into the market through sneaky practices. The society, in turn, goes by what they hear from the advertisements and tends to refrain from critical thinking. People tend to be easily swayed and manipulated into thinking that the advertised product or service is the best there is in the market. A company will say and do almost anything to build their image despite the products and services being of lower value than portrayed in adverts. Advertisements reflect the messages and images organisations wish to portray about their products or services (Shimp, 16-28). This is enabled through carrying out market research and finding out what the society really wants or needs. Advertisements have encouraged consumerism leading to increased personal and household expenditures. This is playing with people’s the emotions and taking advantage of their vulnerability. The effects of advertising on the society will continue to be a debate but the advertising agencies will continue to strive to make money whether or not the information relayed in adverts is genuine. Advertising has its advantages and disadvantages on the society. The main advantage of advertising is that it helps in the provision of information about a product or service that is new in the market or has been in existence. It also helps companies to maintain a competitive edge in the industry (Shimp, 69-84). This is done through reaching a vast number of consumers both locally and globally depending on the media used. Advertising helps in educating and motivating people about the non-commercial issues that affect the society by creating awareness of such issues. This helps the society to come up with ways of confronting such issues and finding solutions to them. Through advertisements the society can decide on the products and services they want from a variety of producers. This enables firms to go ahead of their rivals thereby enhancing their competitiveness. On the other hand, advertising has its disadvantages. Advertising is said to be expensive. Companies have to spend a great deal of money to advertise their products. This, in turn, causes them to raise the prices of their products to meet the costs of advertising. Advertising encourages the sale of inferior goods. The consumer tends to be convinced about the products and services through adverts. Many a times, distorted version of reality is shown in the advertisements. Believing in advertisements, consumers end up buying low-quality products (Green, 23-38). Works CitedGreen, Jen. Advertising. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2011. Pardun, Carol J. Advertising and Society. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Shimp, Terence. Advertising Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. London: Cengage Learning, 2008.