Advertising is necessary to let us know what is new.
Advertising is necessary to let us know what is new.
This is not necessary true, but can be, if someone does not have that product then it will tell him or her it is new and if the advert is affective it may convince the person watching to buy that product. Examples of adverts that are effective and do this are :
.) The X-Box advert with the flying man tells us that the X-box is a new console but does not explain what the X-box is about, a persuasive advert such as this is made to be entertaining and convince you to buy an X-box. The X-box is a new console and the advertising adds up to the hype that it received. The advert does a good job at ensuring the person watching knows about the X-box, but does not show its specifications.
2.) Pizza Hut shows us that new pizzas are coming out all of the time an example of the Sicilian, and example for McDonalds is the new Mc Choice menu. Both of these are marketing schemes intended on making more money for the company, not just showing us what is new. It does show us what is new but chances are we will walk into a McDonalds or Pizza Hut and just see it on the menu and order it, the goodwill gets them the profit not the adverts.
However some adverts do the exact opposite to this and do not inform us of what is new but of other things.
3.) Whereas the Andrex adverts just shows us the same product over and over again but with a different dog advert. It doesn't tell us what is new, it just tells you it is softer and stronger each time, it is the same for the Charmin adverts., just repeating earlier adverts with new characters. This becomes irritating after a while so will not tell you what is new as you will have already seen it.
4.) Another example of this is Persil, the same product over and over again renamed and given a new advert telling us it removes stains better than before does not make it new, just telling you it's still out to buy. It is also repetitive and is shown often so you are not informed that it is new, because you have already seen the advert.
So adverts do not just tell us what is new, they also tell us products are still out to buy if we need them. You do not need adverts to tell you what is new, word by mouth is just as good, one person tells five, those five tell another five and so on, the word gets around gradually but it's free for the company. Adverts are not necessary for us to know what is new, you can rely entirely on word of mouth and also goodwill, Pizza Hut, McDonalds and other popular fast food restaurants could do without the adverts, as you are likely to go to one of these places just on instinct.
Advertising is unnecessary. It makes us want things we don't need.
This is both true and not true. We don't NEED objects but we WANT them. Companies could choose not to advertise at all and just leave it up to goodwill, luck and word of mouth. Companies do not need adverts to increase profits but it wouldn't be a high enough profit margin if we did not have adverts. And some adverts do not make us want materialistic things but other things such as self-actualisation. You must also be quite precise about the way you use the terms NEED and WANT. Maslow's pyramid of needs and wants explains that to survive a human needs food and drink, shelter and warmth, so you NEED only these things, everything else therefore is a WANT.
.) The NHS adverts where it tells you "It took 12 nurses, 3 paediatricians...to put Sarah's face back on". This does not make you NEED something materialistically but a more fulfilling lifestyle if your goal in life is to be a nurse. This does not make you NEED something.
2.) Another example of this is the "BUPA Heartbeat" adverts as they ensure that you know what BUPA does and not what they are trying to sell you in the way of healthcare. It is in this way that the advert does not make us WANT an object but a more desirable way of healthcare. A more appreciative way of life much life the first NHS advert.
However some adverts do make us want things we don't need
3.) Flash bathroom products are not needed but we do want them as they make the bathroom sparkle and smell nice. This encourages people to buy the products and that if you don't then you will be unclean if you use your bathroom without flash. This is a persuasive advert and makes you want the product even though you do not need it.
4.) DFS adverts are another example, factual adverts such as this make you want the sofas as "you pay nothing for the first year" and "they come in a wide range of colours". You do not NEED a sofa but you WANT it as it does appear to be cheap and worth the money.
Overall adverts do make us WANT things we do not NEED, but in saying this people now are far more materialistic than 100 years ago, and even 20 years ago, people feel that WANTS are NEEDS and that they deserve these "NEEDS" as they have a right to them. Adverts make us want what we cannot have, an example of this is Hollywood actors and actresses, they lead lives whereby most of them feel that everything they see is a NEED whereas to us it's a WANT.
Advertising keeps down the cost of newspapers and magazines
This is again both true and not true. Advertising could keep down the cost of the newspapers and things we buy but it can also have the opposite effect, it could raise it.
A company may go entirely out of its way to advertise, the newspaper may be free, the company will make money by selling advertisement space.
However most companies need to find a way to get the money back off the costs raised by the advertising project, they could :
.) Charge more for their existing products
2.) Introduce a new product
But they will probably be advertising the new product in the first place in the hope it will bring their profits up.
Examples of companies that do not allow for advertising to raise the cost for the newspaper or magazine are
.) Adscene, this is a free newspaper that will make its money entirely on selling advertisement space, and will not charge the customer. Although this is not the best way to make profit it is ethical in the idea that it is helping the customer.
2.) Parents News distributed by primary schools is given out for free and rather than advertising just companies it advertises groups that plan days out for children. This is again another low profit organisation that will rely entirely on the people advertising not the customer.
Extras placed into weekend newspapers have forced the price of the papers to rise, even though some of these extras are mostly advertisement. Two examples of these are
3.) The Guardian has risen in price since extras have been put in including the G2, which is mostly advertising with the back page as a TV guide. This increase in advertising has forced the price of the newspaper up.
4.) Another example is the Daily Express has risen since extras have been put in. The kind of junk mail, which you receive, is now in newspapers and has forced the price of the newspaper up incredibly.
Overall I feel it does force the price of newspapers and magazines up as companies feel as they are giving more they should get more. Mostly it is now another medium for junk mail and people do not like to pay for this. However you have no choice. Advertising overall does not keep down the cost of newspapers and magazines, the examples of those that do are free papers that rely on a small profit margin and will make money by selling advertising space.
Advertising puts up the price of things we buy
This is true mostly but it is sometimes not the case. Companies will need to pay for their advertising but some will advertise without putting up the price of their products, but most will, as they need to regain the money spent or end up with a smaller profit margin. Some companies will not increase their costs however in order to keep competitive with low prices. Examples of companies that will not increase prices due to a new advertising campaign are
.) Asda, they actually lower their prices in the advert as an incentive for people to shop there, this is a great example of an advert that does not increase their prices. Their adverts may be cheaply made so they do not need to increase prices to get a higher profit margin as more people will buy their products as they have seen the adverts with the cheap prices.
2.) Cadbury, this is another company that will not have to increase prices to pay for their advertising budget. Their adverts are on 16 times a week, because they advertise 4 times each episode of Coronation Street, which is on 4 times a week, each time they advertise it costs them £75,000 for one minute, this soon adds up to £62,400,000.00 a year. But because they have a high brand loyalty they can spend this without increasing their products' price. Because people buy Cadburys because it is one of the worlds best known chocolates.
But some companies will increase their prices dramatically from advertising campaigns
3.) Curry's raise their prices for their products in order to fund their advertising. But although the advert shows the prices of products falling they raise the prices of all of their other products, this is due to the need to fund the adverts for a higher profit margin for the company.
4.) Guinness have risen their prices tremendously after the advert involving the horses and also the one with the squirrel in the pub. These adverts were voted the best of all time and cost a lot of money to make, they had to increase their prices if they were to make a profit at all.
Overall companies will increase their prices after an advertising campaign so as to achieve a higher profit margin and to get the money back after the advertising campaign. The companies that don't are high-ranking companies that can afford to rely on high brand loyalty to raise their profit margin. Companies such as Cadbury will not increase product prices for advertising campaigns.
Advertising helps people aspire to a more fulfilling lifestyle
This is again both true and not true. It really depends on each person's idea of fulfilment and Maslow's pyramid of needs, Self-actualisation as well, this is what Maslow saw as ultimate fulfilment. People are fulfilled in different ways, for some people fulfilment lies only in money, for others it is the satisfaction of what they do and their livelihood. For example, some people may after a bit of spending may become more and more materialistic and want more and more, this means that they will never be truly fulfilled as advertising tells them of new things. Fulfilment varies form person to person and you cannot say all people are fulfilled and motivated by the same things.
Examples of when people are told by advertising they are not fulfilled are :
.) Games consoles, some game previews say games now will "change your life" this is exaggerating too much and says that you need these games and consoles if you to ever be fulfilled in life. X-Box adverts show the man flying and are showing you will never be truly fulfilled unless you own an X-Box. They are meant to be entertaining and not to affect your life, you may feel partially fulfilled, but not truly.
2.) However this only shows one kind ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
Examples of when people are told by advertising they are not fulfilled are :
.) Games consoles, some game previews say games now will "change your life" this is exaggerating too much and says that you need these games and consoles if you to ever be fulfilled in life. X-Box adverts show the man flying and are showing you will never be truly fulfilled unless you own an X-Box. They are meant to be entertaining and not to affect your life, you may feel partially fulfilled, but not truly.
2.) However this only shows one kind of fulfilment, another kind is in your livelihood not your wallet. The NHS adverts tell you that a career in the NHS can be fulfilling as you may feel like you have made your contribution to the world. This is not always true, but this fulfils some people but not others. It depends what kind of a person you are. The same can be applied to BUPA or teaching.
However there are some adverts which do not demonstrate fulfilment such as
3.) The NSPCC advert shows the exact opposite with the child being thrown around. Neither of them is fulfilled, and will not help others watching become fulfilled by this advert. This will not fulfil many people, it may affect your life as a viewer slightly but not entirely, you will not be fulfilled by this advert.
4.) The NHS smoking advert, with the guy on the sofa, who talks about how he has lung cancer. This will not fulfil anyone as listening to someone talk about lung cancer may affect your life, the advert will not help you reach self-actualisation, which according to Maslow is the ultimate fulfilment.
Overall adverts are made to attract to a product, which are supposed to help you reach self-actualisation and fulfilment. However most adverts are not persuasive enough or we don't have enough money to buy on impulse. So adverts are made to fulfil us but in the end will not, they will try to fulfil us by making us buy that companies product but we will not just buy on impulse.
Advertising exploits people's anxieties and inadequacies.
This depends on a few issues, which will affect to a person whether or not that advert can be entertaining.
- The person's taste, different people have differing views on what is entertaining and what is not.
- How many times the advert is shown or spoken, if an advert is shown/spoken too many times then it may become irritating and may put you off the product
- The time the advert is shown/spoken at.
- The media which you are relying on for your advertising, EG TV or Radio.
Examples of adverts that are entertaining are :
.) The Imperial Leather Duck advert with the dancing duck in the shower, this I find very funny to watch, as it is amusing and is not shown too many times, if it was shown over and over again in one hour then it may become irritating. However it may be just me who finds this amusing, other people may have different views.
2.) The new Fox Mints advert with the fox attacking the bear, I also find this amusing and it's not shown too much, although it doesn't advertise the product well it is a funny advert and can appeal to all audiences young and old, even with differing views on comedy.
The problem with both of these adverts is that they both don't advertise the product well but as adverts they are amusing, this may entice you to pick the product up and try it, but not as much as a usual advert. Some adverts do the opposite to this though, examples of this are :
3.) The Guinness horses advert, with the surfers and the horses. This advert although it was good the first few times, after a while became quite annoying. It may be good for demonstrating computer graphics but apart from that it doesn't advertise the product and is on so much it is annoying.
4.) The Hovis advert with the two kids arguing becomes annoying as well as it is shown over and over again. Although funny at first, after a while of the same advert it becomes repetitive, boring, and may in the end put you off the product. This is the sort of tactic companies want to avoid.
Overall you cannot say whether advertising is entertaining or not as it varies from person to person, which advert it is, which media it is on and how many times the advert is showing. Each person will have differing views on advertising and on whether it is good or bad, you cannot define a whole race with either yes or no.
Advertising is irritating
This is again anther question, which is dependent on a few variables, much like the previous question. This is dependent on :
- How many times the advert is shown/spoken
- Which media it is
- The person listening/watching the advert
- The time of day/night the advert is shown/spoken at
These factors will affect whether or not an advert is irritating or not, and whether it is entertaining or not.
Examples of adverts that are irritating are :
.) The Flash adverts, these do not change from advert to advert and just show the same thing each time, something to clean the bathroom. The adverts may be new to the company but to the audience we have seen these over and over again. The adverts are also played again and again and become irritating easily.
2.) The Police advert with the celebrities who claim they couldn't do a policeman/policewoman's job. This advert strikes me as irrelevant, we don't need to know what they can and can't do, and for a police force that is supposed to be having problems this seems like a waste of money. Although not shown often, once or twice is enough to make this advert annoying.
However not all advertising is irritating, some can be amusing and entertaining.
3.) The ITV digital advert with Johnny Vegas and the monkey are hysterical, they aren't shown too much and although they don't actually advertise the product they are amusing, this is just my personal opinion, other people may find this irritating. The new advert advertises the product as well as being funny.
4.) Another advert, which is amusing, is the Malibu advert with the Caribbean people in, with the line, "Is your mother proud of you ?". This makes me laugh every time and although somewhat stereotypical and racist, there is no intention of this advert to be hurtfully racist in any way. This is again only my opinion, other people may feel this advert is really annoying.
Overall you cannot say whether advertising is irritating or entertaining. You cannot do this because of the four factors that I put forward earlier. You cannot define an entire race's feelings and emotions towards advertising in either yes or no. There would have to be an answer in the middle, people are individual and so are their tastes and opinions.
Advertising has made us more aware of environmental issues
This can be true, but at the same time false. Some adverts do but others will not hide the truth, but won't tell you it. Most companies adverts do not advertise environmental issues as the news does this for free, a company will not pay to advertise environmental issues, because people will not pay as they can see and hear it free on the news. Only minorities are exempt from this, such as ethical businesses and environmentalists.
Examples of companies where their advertising has made us more aware of environmental issues are :
.) BBC News 24 has the advert, which says "A tanker has sunk off the coast of France", although this is a one off there is a high chance this advert will feature another environmental issue at some point within the future as they happen. This is an example of how the news raises environmental issues so other companies do not have to, as it would cost them money.
2.) The Body Shop is an example of how an ethical business is exempt from this. Their advertising in the windows of their shops entices people in, where they can raise environmental issues, it also tells you that their products are made naturally without harming the environment, therefore raising the environmental issue, without saying it, that other companies do not.
However these are both parts of the minority that I was explaining, other ethical businesses, environmentalists and news reporters will pay to advertise these things. Examples of those that do not make us more aware of environmental issues in their advertising are :
3.) Persil adverts, we do not know that after we have used Persil products that it is safe. Not for us maybe, but what about fish or other water animals. We don't know that it is not damaging them, as we are not told in their adverts. This may seem paranoid but we aren't informed about these things and the advertising focuses only on selling the product not on the environmental side of things.
4.) Hovis adverts, we are not told whether or not the wheat grown to make the bread was grown without using too many dangerous pesticides, unless they have an organic label on them, which most don't. We are not sure that the pesticides do not hurt the environment and us if the level is too high against other substances in our body.
Overall companies will not advertise environmental issues, as it will cost them money, only a few do, ethical businesses and news broadcasters. However companies do not do the opposite as this may actually damage their products and companies reputation. So companies have to tread carefully when it comes to awareness of environmental issues.
Advertising encourages waste, which damages the environment.
This is both true and false, and is dependant on the product you are using and what it is made out of and stored in. EG A plant will not damage the environment if you throw it away, but a fridge will, because they are differing products made of differing things.
Examples of companies advertising campaigns that have encouraged waste in one way or another, whether meaning to or not are :
.) Lynx and other aerosol cans encourage you to waste the product, sure it will work, but in if you consider the excess gas as well that is just wasted, this will be given off into the atmosphere. We can not be sure that the gas given off does not damage the o-zone layer, and there is certainly evidence that CFC's do damage the atmosphere. The advertising makes you want to buy the product, this in turn makes you waste some of it, and the can will not decompose, so this also damages the environment when throw away if not recycled.
2.) Again returning to a soap, how do we know that soaps, Fairy, Persil, Arial do not damage the environment, the solution may contaminate the water, not for humans but for animals and the packaging is not biodegradable and so will also damage the environment if not recycled.
However not all products are wasted, examples of some products where advertising does not encourage waste are :
3.) The Keep Britain Tidy campaign, although this is not advertised, it is in a way, as the logo is on packets for most products to encourage you to put them in bins, this will damage the environment less but not stop the damage entirely. The man with the bin is the sign that is now used.
4.) Any source of grown food is biodegradable and so although you may waste it, if you have a compost heap this will help as it will not damage the environment but actually help it. However this is not advertised anywhere but the compost bins are so this is one sign of how advertising can help the environment.
Overall you will waste products, and most of the time if not recycled they will damage the environment. Advertisers and companies see talking about the environment in their adverts to be a waste of time, they want to produce a cheap advert, which will entice people to buy their products. Only some ethical businesses will care about the environment and so will try to incorporate this, but they are a minority.
Advertising encourages women to be independent
This is again another one, which is dependent on variables in the product and the advert. Some adverts do this, some do the opposite, some adverts to not enter this issue at all. It is dependent on the product at hand and the managing director/directors, as well as which gender the product is aimed at. However some women do not need advertising to help them become independent or to encourage them either, some are self-motivated to become independent.
Examples of advertising, which encourages women to be independent, are :
.) The Diamond Car Insurance advert. This is purely for women and encourages them to be independent from other products, which are purely for men, or for both genders. This will encourage them to be independent overall as well as they realise they do have these liberties at hand. This advertises independence as well as car insurance, not just car insurance.
2.) Special K adverts have recently shown women tearing away from what the mean in advert wants them to do, this enforces that all women should be independent from men. Again this advert also advertises independence and the product, this tears away from the old point of view that women should cook and clean and stay at home.
However not all adverts encourage independence this dramatically and some will do the opposite and show the women to cook, clean, look after kids and stay at home. This is an advert, which tells women to become more dependent on men. Examples of these are :
3.) The Flash advert which shows Flash in the 1950's and includes the line, "Some say in the future men may even do the cleaning". This is the sort of thing which will offend some women which do not want to become dependant on men, they want to be seen as independent and not cook and clean.
4.) The Kingsmill advert with Mel and Sue, this shows the women making the sandwiches and the man having been to work while she stays at home to clean the house and make food. This is another example of an advert, which tells women to become less independent, although it probably does not mean to do this in a hurtful way, which would offend women.
Although some adverts do not mean to do this, and some do mean to, they still have the same effect, they either encourage independence for women, or the opposite. Some adverts miss this area completely but those that do not either falls into one of two categories. However those adverts that do encourage independence, if reversed would not be accepted in society today, the same could be said for racism so they contrast quite nicely. EG If the diamond car Insurance was men only it would not be accepted, neither would an all white newspaper, but one that is not sold to white people is allowed.
Advertising exploits women
This is again both true and not true. It is again dependent on the same variables as the last question. You cannot say that it is either true or false for all advertising the answer would probably lie somewhere in the middle. You cannot say that all advertising exploits women, some does, some doesn't and some avoid the issue all together. Some adverts do mean to exploit women, but they just don't feel exploited and don't allow themselves to be exploited. The same could just as well happen to men, products can also exploit men but many companies feel that women are more impressionable.
Examples of advertising that does encourage independence are :
.) Anti-wrinkle products are a great example of how women are easily exploited, they show young women complaining about wrinkles, saying they've used these creams and they work. It is also because people now are a lot more image conscious and so will need to buy more things in order to help their "Image". An anti--wrinkle product is a way of improving your image so that you look younger. "Oil of Olay" and "Nivea Visage" are companies that advertise these products.
2.) The "Herbal Essences" range of hair colourings that show women dancing around looking happy about having "shimmering, vibrant hair", this exploits women and tells them if they have "dull, lifeless hair" then your "image" may be as wonderful as you would like it to be.
But some adverts do the opposite to this and try not to exploit women l, these are mainly ethical businesses who are more worried about customer satisfaction or the environment than a high profit margin. Examples of these kinds of adverts are :
3.) The Body Shop adverts in the store window do not aim at exploiting women but all people, they want people to choose their products as they are environmentally friendly not overpriced. This is an alternative form of advertising but still counts. They don't mean to exploit women for their money so it's not exploiting even if you do buy their products because of their advertising and you feel exploited, they probably didn't mean for you to feel exploited.
4.) The Kingsmill advert with Mel and Sue, I feel it makes women feel less independent and exploits them by in the advert saying, if you buy Kingsmill your family is happy and healthy. This exploits women who allow themselves to feel exploited and although they may not have meant for it to be this way, it is and so women may feel exploited and at the same time less independent for being exploited.
Overall I would say no adverts to not mean to exploit women though some do without realising it, although those that do exploit people and mean to aren't doing o illegally but are doing wrong morally as this is almost like stealing, but this time it's legal. Not all adverts do exploit women though, and not all women allow themselves to be exploited easily.
Advertising helps pay for arts and sporting events
This can be true and false at the same time. A company may sponsor an art or sporting event but it may not be the revenue they receive as part of an advertising campaign that pays for the sponsor money received by the art or sporting event.
Also some companies see no point in advertising in art or sporting events, they see it as a useless advertisement, which will only cost them money, and they will gain nothing back. Some arts and sporting events will not allow themselves to be sponsored at all. These factors affect the answer to this question.
Examples of where an advertisement campaign will pay for an art or sporting event are :
.) Sega sponsor Arsenal and have advertised in the form of their new console, "Gamecube". Their money will help pay for this sporting event because they have advertised, but you cannot be sure that the money they put in came form advertising alone and not form some other source. So the advertising may not pay for the product but the company does and profits received from advertising will constitute to a high amount of their revenue.
2.) Film Four will advertise as an arts channel to help pay for the films it shows during the day and the cost of running the station. This is an example of how advertising helps pay for an arts or sports event. They advertise on other channels, Channel 4, E4, and ITV Digital to entice viewers to watch Film Four, then these profits help pay for more advertising to help the channel even more.
However not all arts and sports events are sponsored, some are not and have to rely entirely on their own funding. Those that do not rely on advertising revenue are usually small teams or arts events.
3.) A small U10 football team is not likely to be sponsored by any companies and will not receive any support from advertising either. Advertising has not helped to pay for this sport. This is a good example of how advertising revenue does not help small teams or art events.
4.) A small art gallery in Folkestone will not be able to advertise on the same large scale as Man Utd or ITV Digital. Therefore they will either advertise a bit, this will not help them much, or they won't advertise at all, this leaves them with no revenue at all from advertising.
Overall advertising may help an art or sports event but the company sponsoring will probably use another source of money rather that the profits gained on a new product that has been recently advertised. Anther point to make is that the advertising for art and sports events is usually on a large scale not, places that do not rely on advertising to help their arts or sporting events are usually small places unlike Man Utd.
Advertising spoils independent television programmes
This is again both true and false, and depends on where you actually rely on this information from. It depends on what channel you are watching/listening to and what time you are watching/listening to it at, and whether or not the advert to you is entertaining. Examples to support these ideas are also tied in to the examples supporting and defying the original statement.
Examples of how advertising spoils independent television are :
.) Channel 4 will often stop a film and show adverts during this which do not help you as you just want to watch the film. These may be annoying to me, but to other people it may be useful and the adverts may be a welcome break if they are entertaining. Also you would not receive this on BBC 1, this supports my statements as well.
2.) The Radio will often have adverts in between music, which can become really annoying as you don't want to listen to advertisements on the radio as they are usually cheaply made and difficult to understand, as well as half of the advert being quickly read disclaimer. However some may find the adverts amusing if you are stuck in a car during traffic.
However there are examples against this statement, these are :
3.) The BBC will not show adverts during their films which becomes much better for me as you can just get on with the film, however this would not be the same for other channels such as ITV or C4, who do play adverts during the films and programmes. This makes it much more enjoyable and entertaining.
4.) The new radio channel Radio 6 run by the BBC will not advertise and plays just music, this may not lead to a higher profit margin as advertising revenue can sometimes lead to great amounts of money. This is good for me but some people may find this really annoying and go to a different radio station. They may want the adverts and may opt for a radio station that does play adverts.
Overall this is a lot like other questions, the answer depends on a few variables,
- Whether or not the person likes adverts
- If the advert is entertaining or not
- What channel you are watching/listening to
These variables affect the answer and so you cannot give a yes or no answer, it would depend on these as each person is individual and different and may choose a differing station because of these.
Advertising gives us the only good news in our papers
This again has a few variables before you can get the right answer. It can depend on a number of issues so the answer can not be either yes or no.
It depends on
- Which paper/papers you read
- What you consider to be good news and bad news
- What kind of advert it is
- Whether or not you feel the advert is annoying or entertaining
These affect the answer and stop you from having either yes or no.
Examples of how advertising brings us the only good news in our newspapers are :
.) Advertisements for sales at places like Currys or Dixons as they show us good news in an advert, you save money and get a new product. However if you read a paper without this advert you may feel differently, or you may not consider this to be good news. The advert may also not persuade you and you may find the advert to be annoying and skip it.
2.) Halifax adverts in newspaper offer great mortgage rates for first time buyers, this would be good for someone in this situation but if you are not a first time buyer then you will find this advert a waste of space. You may also become annoyed as this is not good news to you, if you do not receive this paper you would not have seen this advert either.
However not all advertising brings us good news and other stories in our news can bring us good news, not just advertising, examples of this are.:
3.) The adverts is newspapers for the special beds which help your spine while you sleep rather than other beds are worrying sometimes as they go into all sorts of spinal diseases. If you do not get this newspaper you probably won't see this advert, so you won't be affected by it. You may also dismiss this as paranoia as you are not persuaded by the advert, if the advert is annoying you may also dismiss it.
4.) You also receive good news in the actual news not just in advertising. You may hear of a story about a person receiving a vital operation thanks to someone's funding and hard work. However if you don't get this paper, advertising may be your only source of good news, however if you do avoid this story this may also be the same case. You may also not see this as good news, but as bad news.
Overall this can not be a yes or no answer, things aren't black and white, the answer lies within the four variables that I mentioned earlier. It is dependent on so many different things that you cannot say either yes or no. Again this refers to the principle that all people are different and will be affected by differing things.
Advertising tells us lies
This can be both true and false and relates to the "Advertising exploits people for their anxieties and inadequacies" question. Advertising can tell you as many lies as it wants but you don't have to believe the lies, also companies selling products are not allowed to lie under Trade Descriptions Act, however if they have an opinion that is allowed. Anther form of lying to some people is exaggeration, if you exaggerate something are you lying or merely bending the truth ?
Examples of adverts that do not legally lie but morally do are :
.) The Fiat Stylo advert tells you this car has advanced technology and is the best in its class, but a lot of cars do have electric windows, sunroof, an immobiliser, and adjustable seats. This lies and tells you it's the only car to have these things but most of these inventions have been out for years. However this is their opinion so they are not breaking the law by advertising this.
2.) Lucozade adverts tell you that you can go 33% longer with Lucozade, but compared to what, water ? This may be true against water but what about other drinks that also contain sugar and water? They will also give you energy. But again they aren't breaking the law, and so can sell the product using this advert legally.
However not all adverts lie to you legally or morally, examples of some of these are :
3.) The NSPCC adverts tell us that more and more children are being mistreated and that we should do something about this. Their new controversial advert with the cartoon child tells you this without lying, but possibly exaggerating. This does not lie to you and since they are not selling a product they are exempt from the Trade Descriptions Act
4.) McDonalds and now Burger King are saying that their burgers are made with 100% beef. This has to be true under Trade Descriptions act and EU laws. However is it lying if they do not say which part of the cow the "100% Beef" comes from, what about the ears, the ears are 100% beef, or the mouth, is this lying ? So the advert is not telling us lies but it's not telling us the entire truth either.
Adverts in general will not lie legally but morally if we knew the whole truth we would consider it to be lying. An example of this is McDonald and Burger King, if we knew which part of the cow it came from it would probably considered lying on the advert. This doesn't help us a great deal as each person is different and individual and has different variations on what is and what isn't lying.
Advertising helps to keep prices down
This could be true in a way as when a company advertises something it will be to show a new product or to tell you an old one is still out. Therefore people should buy the product causing a fall in them prices to entice more people to buy them. This is only a theory though, in practise it may not be like this. The problem with this is that they must also include the cost of the advertising in each thing they sell.
Examples of advertisement lowering the price of things are :
.) MFI adverts, they generally will only advertise if they have a half price sale on. This advertisement will reduce the cost of things, as this is the incentive to buy things from MFI. If they advertised without a sale on it wouldn't lower the price of things.
2.) Homebase adverts, same concept as MFI, they offer more sales but to a lesser amount than MFI to draw people in more frequently, even on a 10% off day they Homebase in Folkestone was packed all day, packing was terrible. These adverts will show a lower price than before and so will encourage people in.
However both of these tactics rely on sales, this has a problem, stuff that has been knocked off may be good quality, but there is paranoia that there may be something wrong with it. Although this may not be the case, people may still feel it is.
3.) Pepsi, after they re-launched this cost them millions so they inevitably had to raise their costs in order to pay for the new image, they also reinforced this image with new advert. To compensate the loss made they had to raise prices. Although this is no longer the case, they had to raise their prices way above other competitors.
4.) The Herbal Essences advertising campaigns have recently led to a drop in profits as they are being shown too much and are becoming annoying and so have had to raise prices in order to make a profit at all. They are also sponsoring Crossroads, the movie in an attempt to try and improve their image. This has probably not helped and has just cost them money.
Overall advertising will only keep prices down in a sale or ethical business not in a company entirely funded on a high profit margin. In short only companies with sales or ethical businesses can afford to advertise without raising prices and so those wanting high profit margins will only focus on raising prices after an advertising campaign as it leads to a higher profit margin.
Advertising leads people into debt
This is again another question, which is dependent on a few variables, these are :
- Whether or not the person is enticed by the product
- What the economic situation of the person is.
- Whether or not the advert actually tempts people
- How much the product costs in ratio to its usefulness
- A persons credit history
- A persons materialistic needs/wants
These variables will affect the answer, as each person is different so these variables help to conclude an answer for each person.
Examples of how advertising leads people into debts are :
.) QVC and other shopping channels tell you the product is useful and is needed. They advertise it well and tell you, you can afford it whatever your economic situation. People also don't realise how much they are spending on their credit card until it's too late and they are in debt. They will then go to a bank and will fail to pay back the money there as well, once people get into debt they get further and further unless they get out early.
2.) DFS adverts entice you in, you pay a "little" each month and you get a sofa or 3-piece suite. This however also affects people because at the time they are told it's now half price and so is a good offer. These can lure people into debt because at the time they may feel they can pay, but what situation will you be in, in six months time ?
However not all adverts lead you into debt, some do the opposite. Examples of these are :
3.) Baines and Ernst, they pay off your debts and then you pay them so much each month, they sort out all of your economic problems and are a strong reputable business. However the same can apply for them, but they can adjust your payments if you have changed in 6 months time. Although sometimes you can fall in debt here, they are meant to help. The adverts on TV tell you 9/10 people say this service had a positive effect on their life.
4.) Lombard Direct will give you a loan for anything from £8,000 to £15,000, this can help you pay off debts and only pay back one company, this helps as you can then get on with your life. Although this can also lead you into further debts but is there to help you. Their adverts on TV are on all the time and are easy to remember.
The problem with debt is you have to have a secure job and house first before you even consider borrowing money, also put some away before even considering borrowing money off big company or bank. This way you will not be drawn into debt. There is no definite answer as all people are individual economically as well.
Advertising reflects the sort of society we live in.
This again is a question based on a few principles, they are :
- Which advert it is
- What a persons view of our society is
These views matter when it comes to answering a question like this. If the advert is stupid like the Andrex one then it will not reflect the kind of society we live in, if like the Baines and Ernst one then it may reflect the kind of society we live in. It also depends on what peoples perception of our society is, OAP's will probably have a totally different view of society from someone in their 30's or a teenager.
Examples of adverts that reflect the kind of society we live in are :
.) The Army adverts show that the army needs people to join, this shows the society we live in is one with a great need or a military power still. The same can probably be said for the navy and the air force. It shown that our society reaches for fists first, talk later. This was the Israeli - Palestinian wars still going on, and also the Afghanistan conflict against the Taliban and Al-Queda forces. This in a way symbolises that people have no patriotism.
2.) The various debt adverts offering people money also reflect the society we live in, they show people get into debt problems easier and now have much higher materialistic needs now then ever before. Shopping channels don't help this situation either, they only add to people's materialistic needs by offering them things cheap and easy, this may have people overdrawing their credit cards.
However not all adverts reflect what sort of society we live in, examples of these are:
3.) The Imperial Leather advert which has the dancing duck doesn't reflect the sort of society we live in but tells you that Imperial Leather is a rich soap with lots of lather. Therefore this advert shows nothing about the sort of society we live in but that Imperial Leather is a good soap.
4.) Adverts on the radio for cheap conservatories are another example of how our society is not always reflected by adverts, this just tells you, you can get a cheap conservatory, however it does in a way show the materialistic side of our society.
Overall adverts will try to represent our society because if they don't then they advert becomes unbelievable and people can't relate to it. Adverts that are not unbelievable will represent our society, in some cases even the unbelievable ones can as they show that our society is comical and can take jokes now more freely than before.
Advertising ignores black people and people from ethnic minorities.
This question can not be yes or no as life isn't black and white, so neither can this question be, as it deals with life deeply. Life isn't that simple and the answer to this question cannot be either. Some adverts will, some will not, you can have no definite answer. It is dependant on a few variables, these are :
- What kind of audience the advert is shown to
- Whether or not the audience finds the advert offensive
- Which place it is shown in
- Whether or not the advert was meant to be racist or ignore ethnic minorities
These affect the outcome of the answer greatly, one of the major problems here is that in Folkestone black people may be a minority, but in London they are probably not, this will also affect whether or not people feel the advert is racist or not.
Examples of adverts that do ignore black people and people from ethnic minorities are :
.) The Oxo advert with the family contains only white people and totally ignores those from ethnic minorities and black people. However if you were a white person watching this you may feel nothing, but to a black person this could be very racist. However I don't think they meant for it to be a racist advert, but it does ignore ethnic minorities.
2.) The Kingsmill advert with Mel and Sue ignores black people and people from ethnic minorities and shows a family only with white people. A lot like the Oxo advert it probably didn't mean to be racist and people may find it racist but probably not as it was not intentionally racist.
However both of these show families which is probably why they ignore people from ethnic minorities and black people. Not all adverts ignore black people and people form ethnic minorities though, some adverts will go out of their way to include black people in their adverts, examples of these are :
3.) The Malibu adverts, these are supposed to be set in the Caribbean so they feel they must include black people and ethnic minorities. They show all black people and not a single white person in sight. The audience may see this as racist as it stereotypes black Caribbean people. Although it meant to do this it did not mean for it to be hurtful to anyone.
4.) The adverts for ER on Channel 4 include both black people and white people, however since this is set in New York, black people are not an ethnic minority, but if screened somewhere in England where they are this advert may have a differing effect. This is not racist and does not mean to be so there is no controversy.
Again this advert is dependent on variables so there can be no right or wrong, no yes or no. You cannot give an answer to this question, for a whole race on just yes or no, you can't do it as each person is individual and different.
Advertising is entertaining
This is different to "Advertising if Irritating", as an advert can be entertaining, but if shown/spoken too much it can be irritating, so adverts can be both irritating and entertaining. It is also dependant on a few variables, these are :
- How many times the advert is shown/spoken
- Which media it is
- The person listening/watching the advert
- The time of day/night the advert is shown/spoken at
These factors will affect whether or not an advert is irritating or not, and whether it is entertaining or not.
Examples of adverts that are entertaining are :
.) The Imperial Leather duck advert, this always makes me laugh and is not shown to the extent that it is annoying. The advert is shown at various times throughout the day as well and does not become boring. If it was on radio it would not work, neither would it work on any other format, only TV. However other people may feel the advert is irrelevant and annoying, as this is just my opinion.
2.) The Siemens C45 advert with the man inside the phone repeating the ringtone, this is funny and is not played too much either and is shown at various time during the day. The added advantage of this advert is that it would work on other types of media, like radio or the Internet, but to still ones EG newspaper. However other people may feel it is irrelevant and annoying.
However not all adverts are entertaining, some started as entertaining and are not played too much so become annoying over time, some are just annoying. Examples of adverts that are not entertaining and annoying are :
3.) The advert with the horses and the surfers for Guinness I found extremely irritating, as it was irrelevant, played too much and useless. Although a good example of computer graphics altogether it was annoying. I remember this advert being on over and over and becoming very frustrating.
4.) The Hovis adverts started off funny but were played too much and still are, and have become extremely annoying and are really irritating. They are shown at all times of the day over and over again and are becoming increasingly annoying with every time I see them.
Overall you cannot say that all adverts are either annoying or entertaining as they depend on variables and most importantly the person watching as each person is different and individual and has differing views on what is and what isn't entertaining.
