Consumer Driven World of Advertising

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Consumer Driven World of Advertising The speech titled "Advertising's Overdue Revolution" is a very interesting read. I will attempt to break the speech down into a number of main themes discussed by the author. I will then examine each of these themes and decide whether or not I agree with the points presented. On the issues that I have a difference of opinion, I will examine why, and try to support my argument with relevant facts. How much is advertising responsible for the highest credit card debt and lowest household savings in years? Let us make sure we understand what advertising is before we tackle this question. I will not be talking about one particular ad, but from the common theme underlying every ad. There is no question in my mind that advertising has contributed to this. As mentioned earlier a person gets hit with 3000 ad ideas a day. There is of course going to be things that a normal person will see in some of these ads and have a want for. However, advertising is a way for companies to communicate the ideas and products they are selling to the consumer. Can you imagine if there was no advertising at all? How could a company introduce a new product to consumers? They could lay a product in a store and hope people buy it. Of course, it may work for something that looks easy to use and when customers' have seen similar products. What about when it is a new innovative product? Then of course how would they know what it even is if there was no label on the package. Isn't the packaging a form of advertising at the point of sale? As you can see when you view it in simple turns, advertising is needed to sell products. Moving into the 21st century, technology is changing, more companies are popping up, more products are available than ever before, and researchers' ae developing new ways to advertise each year. Therefor, it is no surprise consumer debt is at the highest level in recent years. Advertising is increasingly being scrutinized and codes of ethics are being adopted and revamped around the globe. The author of "Advertising's Overdue Revolution" proposes three clarifications of the industry principles in North America. They are: 1. Promote only those goods and services that benefit human development. 2. Refrain from promoting reckless, irresponsible, competitive consumptio... ... middle of paper ... ...and beer companies would have if underage usage was completely stopped. We have examined the more serious product that can be dangerous and deadly to underage users. Let us take a look at a few different things. According to an article in American Demographics entitled "Born to Shop" children as young as three ask for brand names, and at six months babies recognize corporate logos and spokesmen. That is scary especially considering 93% of teenage girls say shopping is their favourite activity. On this issue I do agree with the author. I think we should ban all advertising to children less than 12. The evidence shows that children under that age cannot make an informed decision. To relate this to a topic discussed earlier, that credit card debt is at its highest level ever. How much of that debt is contributed to parents buying things for kids that are subjected to these ad campaigns. For example Levis' jeans, Nike shoes, Tommy Hilfigger shirts, and other expensive brand name items that kids increasingly demand so they can fit in or so they do not stand out and get beat up. As you can see, it can be argued advertising to kids creates a number of social problems.

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