Advertisement Is a Legalised Form of Lying Essay

Necessity is the mother of invention’ is an oft-quoted saying. But now-a-days the reverse of it is more true. In modern business, ‘invention’ is mother of necessityIn this age of machinery, newthings are produced everyday. Market is created for these things through advertisementBusinessmen advertise their goods in various ways and thus spread a knowledge of their goodsamong the customers. It is through advertisement that people begin to feel a need for even those goods of whichthey had never heard before. Advertisement creates demand. it is the backbone of commerce and Industry. No business can stay in the business world without advertisement. A successful businessman is one who snatches away money from even the most miserly and reluctant customer. Thus, the business world rotates on the pivot of advertisement. As the world is progressing, so the means of advertisement are also increasing. We allknow that big posters are pasted on the walls, and handbills are distributed to advance the sale of goods. Walls are painted and big signboards are displayed on crossings and prominent places toserve this purpose. In a cinema hall, first of all we see the advertisement slides. A major part of thedaily newspapers is full of advertisement. ‘Situations Vacant’, ‘Tender Notice’, ‘Educational’, ‘Lostand Found’, ‘Matrimonial’, cinema advertisements, and advertisements of so many other commodities are regular features of all newspapers. Radio and Television also are being used asmeans of commercial advertisement. A good advertisement must have certain qualities. First, it should be based on human- psychology. A thing meant for ladies, should be advertised in such a way that they are attractedtowards it. If men are to be customers, then it should appeal to their tastes. Goods for differentincome groups should be advertised, taking into consideration their purchasing power. A motor car is a thing for the rich. Its advertisement must be touch the mentality of the rich. Usha SewingMachine should be advertised in such a way that the family man, with ordinary income, may feelthe economic advantages of the investment of his money on it. Secondly, advertisements should be attractive. This is very essential. People look towardsan advertisement only if it is eye-catching. Good, interesting pictures are very effective form this point of view. We all know about ‘Sanforised cloth’. The advertisements to show that quality of the cloth display a man wearing a suit of non-sanforized cloth. He appears funny and uncomfortable ashis suit has gone out of fit by washing. Another man is shown wearing a suit of ‘Sanforised cloth’. How smart and active he appears. We immediately learn that ‘Sanforised cloth’ is best because itdoes not shrink. So a good advertisement must be interesting, attractive and eye-catching. But proper sanctity must be maintained and unnecessary exposure must be avoided. It must also befrequently repeated, otherwise people forget all about the goods advertised. do not like to waste their time on things which do not concern them. So to be successful,advertisement must be brief. Long descriptive stories or certificates of praise about certain thing donot make good advertisement. This is an important point in advertising and a good advertiser mustkeep it in mind. Advertisements are not concerned with the good or bad quality of goods. Even the mostinjurious goods are advertised these days. Advertisements of undesirable drugs and medicines andindecent literature, so common. They simply cheat the public. So we should be careful while purchasing an advertised article. We should use our own mind, instead of blindly following theadvice of the advertisement. In our country, the art of advertising is in its infancy. in progressive countries, likeAmerica, big business concerns have specialists and experts for this purpose. They spend hugeamounts of money on advertisement. But it is not so in our country. Some businessmen consider their products to be very superior. They think advertisement unnecessary. This is undesirable. Toget success in business every big or small business-concern must make effective us of art of advertising goods. To run a business without its aid is not possible in the modern age. â€Å"the advertisement for the body-spray, Impulse. The whole idea of a man absorbed in hisdaily routine being suddenly roused out of it by a whiff of Impulse and then going through a seriesof impulsive actions to compliment the lady wearing it, is romantic and endearing to most women. This combined with the light, tinkling piano accompaniment and soft-focus filming makes theadvertisement an attractive one. Then we have the newspaper and magazine advertisements, invibrant color, interesting graphics and witty slogans. Take a look at most cosmetic advertisementslike Maybelline or Cover girl, where the page is attractively splashed with the newest colors themanufacturer has come up with a pretty, lively girl caught in mid-laughter. Therefore, advertisements today are generally interesting due to the visual and sound effects made possible yadvanced technology in the various mediums of print, sound and film, and a little imagination,especially when rival companies try their best to attract consumers and so try to advertise better. Are they useless? Not necessarily. In many ways advertisements help to keep the cost of most publications low so that we can afford them quite easily. This applies in the case of our dailynewspaper â€Å"The Straits Times†, the Sunday â€Å"Asia Magazine†, the popular â€Å"Readers Digest† andespecially the publication we are all familiar with, our respective school magazines. Theadvertisers pay to advertise and this payment subsidizes publishing cost so that we pay less thanwhat we might otherwise have to pay. Advertisements also help to ease our boredom sometimes. How many times have people been roused out of a bored stupor once they see an interestingadvertisement on a billboard or bus or when lazily flicking through a magazine? Also,advertisements either interesting or otherwise, especially of otherwise, do promote conversationamong friends when they discuss them, how an advertisement is so silly, or another is unusual andimaginative and yet another is introducing an interesting and attractive product which might beworth buying. This then brings us to the last point. Are advertisements misleading? One of their uses is that they inform us as to what is available on the market, but is this informationwholly true? Their main function is to attract buyers so naturally, only certain details regarding a product are highlighted while others are not provided at all. We are made to believe that a productis long-lasting, worthwhile, multi-purpose and bound to give us that happiness we cannot findelsewhere. Perfume advertisements promise to bring the opposite sex falling at one’s feet,dictionary and encyclopedia advertisements promise to give us all the wisdom and knowledge inthe world, cosmetic advertisement for â€Å"Ponderosa Steak & Salad Restaurant† promises juicy andtender steak and delicious salad. I have eaten there and found the steak to be of very low quality,for a very high price, but the salad was everything the advertisement led me to believe. conclusion:So in conclusion, I would say that modernAdvertisements are boring, unless and oftenmisleading. †