I do not agree with the statement that advertising is not good for us as consumers. In fact, I think that advertisements are necessary and can be good for consumers. Of course, this is only true if advertisers refrain from giving false information in their advertisements or including their advertising costs in the prices of their products.
Through advertisements, consumers can know about new products in the market. They can be household, food, or even more expensive items like cars and houses. This gives consumers more choice. From a variety of brands, they choose the brand that suits them or the one that they like. If not for advertisements, they will not know about the different brands.
Moreover, due to advertisements, competition exists when companies advertise. This is good for it maintains or even improves the quality of the products. If there is no competition, the quality of the products may drop. Through advertisements, consumers also come to know about the offers, special discounts, or free gifts given during sales. This is useful to consumers who can stretch their dollar especially considering today’s rise in the costs of almost everything in the market.
Advertising does have a positive role to play in modern society, helping us choose between competing goods. Many advertisements are drawing our attention to products with new features, for example, more powerful computers, telephones which are also cameras and music players, or food with added vitamins. Others try to compete on price, helping us seek out the cheapest or best value products. In most cases advertising does not just make us go shopping. Instead, it makes us plan to buy food, clothes, gifts and go for entertainment in a healthy way. What advertising does is to help us make better decisions about how to spend our money, by giving us more information about the choices available.
Over the years, advertising has evolved into a major industry that goes beyond informing to persuading, influencing, and in some cases even brainwashing. It has actually become a type of culture with ardent followers. One cannot walk down the street, ride on a bus, watch television or read your email without seeing advertisements.
The fact is that the presence of some unethical advertisers does not mean that the whole basket is bad. Generally, advertisements do more good than harm.
