Mass Communication Talk

Criticism on advertising

Since, advertising is part and parcel of our lives, it has of course, bright side as well as dark side. Some of the common complaints about advertising are given below:

1. Advertising moves the people to buy thing they cannot afford: Certainly it is true because advertising persuades the people to buy through slogan. Advertising appeals primarily to our emotions, rather than to our intellect. Since all of us are motivated by emotional drives, it is only natural that advertisers should make such appeals. But it is up to each of us to exercise self-control and sound judgement in our purchases. Again a cautious buyer will avoid obvious appeals to the emotions.

2. Advertising is biased-. This too, is natural; all persons put their best foot forward in whatever they say or do. Being aware-of this bia$, we can discount some of the superlatives used in advertising.

3. Advertising is irrelevant: Most of advertising shows irrelevant things instead of concentrating on the real point. For example, there is an advertising of “Polka Ice Cream” which concentrates more on cricket game and less on showing the Polka; so this is irrelevant.

4. Advertising is unduly repetitious: This-is because the public is essentially like a passing parade, not a mass gathering; there are always new users whom the appeal has never reached.

5. Use of objectionable appeal: The main motive of advertising is to attract the attention of the people towards the product. Therefore, often advertisements are made vulgar, obtrusive and irritating. Actually some advertisers employ poor taste in their appeals; their cheapness damages the higher standards of many other advertisers. The very

nature of radio and television, whose commercials cannot easily be turned off, accounts for much irritation; this complaint is seldom voiced in relation to printed advertising.

6. Advertising confuses the people: There are advertisings of various companies about a product of the same nature. All the advertisers describe the high quality of their product. Such a situation makes the people confused in selection of the best product of their own choice.

7. Advertising misleads the people: In this connection it is well said that advertising is the art of telling whole lie out of the half truth. Advertising demonstrates the quality of the product so highly that people blindly make a buying decision.

8. People have to pay for the advertising: In this regard, it is well said that advertising is a gift behind the price. It means that whenever a consumer wants to buy a product, for that he will have to pay for the real cost of the product as well as cost of labour, manufacturing, distribution and advertising. This also ultimately leads to increase in the price of the product.

9. Waste of money and time: This is also one of the allegations against advertising that when a product has become popular in the society and people are buying it everwhere, then there is no need for further publicity as it would be a wastage of time and money.

10. Advertising posters monopoloy: Almost all advertisements are designed to carry their message alongwith trade mark. When people uphold a certain trade mark, the advertisement of a product bearing such trade mark will make a single choice for the people to make a buying decision.

11. Advertising is too much intrusive: It is said that advertising is too much intrusive. For example, there is a running commentary on TV about a cricket match. Suddenly we see an advertising at the time when the bowler is appealing for L.B.W; so this is intrusion.

12. Use of objectionable technique: For example, repetition of the main idea and use of loudness are objectionable techniques.

13. It inclines a person towards materialism: Advertisement creates temptation. A person once tempted about a thing makes his/her mind to have it. This type of situation inclines a person towards materialism.