Advertising has changed in its culture, largely due to the switch from informational to a more expressive conceptual way to communicate with consumers. The influence of advertising is a matter of continuous debate. Advertising promotes consumerism and encourages mass production. Some advertising campaigns inadvertently or even intentionally propagate sexism, racism, and ageism.
Is the advertisement industry creating or merely reflecting cultural trends? Does advertising have a strong hold over the way we think or act? Does the mass media dictate our needs and wants? The first prime motive of advertising is to attract attention. The messages need to be conveyed in a different manner. And today people are more specific about their needs and wants.
As consumers, when we buy a product or service, it is likely based on our needs and wants. But today our needs have been converted into wants. The trend has changed; our purchases depend heavily on the intensive advertising octopus that has gripped consumer buying behaviour in its tentacles. The influence of advertising is huge, it has taken away the ability to make decisions, and it has influenced our dress code, lifestyles and especially the food. The people are not getting enough nutrients, instead are absorbing substances that are not only unhealthy for their bodies but creating a harmful situation in society as well.
Advertisement sustains the media. Today the media is full of advertisements. From morning till late night, men, women and children have to bear a blitz of advertisement. Our tastes, our habits, our clothes, modes of travel, entertainment, our choices of schools, colleges, and universities get decided by advertisements. Our hopes and frustrations too are ordained by advertisement. The electronic society is losing touch with reality. We now live, not in a real but virtual world. We care more for the photograph than the face before us.
Advertisements should be there to create awareness and it should reduce its grip on consumers. It is becoming quite an unethical practice of advertisers to increase their intensity of exploiting consumers just to increase sales and profits.
SADIA ZAHEER
Lahore