Advertisement; Is It Good or Bad?



            Advertisement is a commercial broadcast information of the availability of services,  products and ideas that can be benefited by the society with or without retaining to the pertinent broadcasting institution. Based on BuzzCity research, Indonesia’s Internet user has rapidly increased in the amount of 31 % from fourth quarter of 2010 to first quarter of 2011. Indonesia took up the second position of mobile advertisements. Hence, Indonesia is one of potential nation in which producers can promote their products through advertisements. A partner in the advertising firm Chuck Blore & Don Ruchman, Inc., Chuck Blore, stated that advertising is the art of arresting the human intelligence just long enough to get money from it (Bagdikian, 2000). Producers gratify their desire by marketing their products throughout creative advertisements aiming to attract people to buy their products. It is not impossible that they promote their products not in honest way. Thus, advertising is not a paramount importance in marketing strategy.

            Some opponents may plead that advertising has a substantial role in marketing products. They think that advertisements can help them in getting amount of customers. As long as the customers are fascinated in a particular product, they will utilize that product in long time. It impacts on the products sale and income the producer gets. However, increasing the quality of the products is more important than promote the products via advertisement. Moreover, some may argue that advertisement  shows the products superiority. Through advertisement, producers persuade customer that their products are the best. Nevertheless, this confidence cannot go further; this may lead to public falsehood. To summarize the ideas above, advertisement is harmful.


            It is obviously seen that advertisement leads to consumerism, even hedonism. Consumerism is the belief that it is good to buy and use a lot of goods, while hedonism the belief that gaining pleasure is the most important thing in life. If people pursue those beliefs, it would affects on the society in some way. In Economic, for instance, people who practice consumerism need more much money to please them than who do not. It will raise people living cost and they need job to earn some moneys. When there are no job vacancies available, they will do anything to fulfill their daily need. They may commit crime to get money. Hence, advertisements have negative effect in society.

            In addition, advertisements generate stereotyping. Stereotype is an exaggerated belief in forming idea of a person or thing, so that it is assumed that they will behave in particular way. As an illustration, nearly all model cosmetics advertisements are always a beautiful white-soft-skinned woman and have a sharp nose. It establishes people, especially female, generally think that to be an ideal woman, they should have beautiful soft white skin and sharp nose. This stereotyping makes people prefer to buy products based on the advertisements, not the quality. People would be disappointed if the products are not as what advertisements promise. Furthermore, stereotype convinces producers that the products they produce are the best. It may cause unhealthy competition of advertisements. For example, one of provider ad markets their products by tease another provider. They clearly counter another provider by using different color for each provider that visibly represents them.

            To sum up, advertising is not the only thing that producers have to do in marketing theirs products. Two negative effects of advertisements –leading to consumerism and generating stereotypes- should be reconsidered by both the producers and advertisers.



References

Bagdikian, Ben H. (2000). The Media Monopoly: Sixth Edition. Beacon Press.

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