Some Of The Methods Used In Advertising Are Unethical And Unacceptable In Today’s Society
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Sample essay
There is a general belief that the advertising industry uses immoral and objectionable methods to promote their products. I fully agree with this view. In my opinion, most ads either make false claims or are highly misleading.
Advertisers try every trick in the book to sell their products. With the objective of grabbing more eyeballs, marketers often hire popular celebrities to endorse their products. When a popular actor or a successful sportsperson endorses a product people will assume that it is of a higher quality. For example, actors often promote beauty soaps, shampoos and creams. Gullible people buy those products hoping that if they use them, they will look like their idol. Such ads make false claims with the sole objective of increasing the sale of the product. Some companies market their products as something that only the rich can afford. The iPhone, for example, is ridiculously pricey and some cheaper phones have the same features and specifications. Yet, Apple’s marketing campaigns have made the iPhone a status symbol. Consequently, many lower and middle class people borrow money to buy it. Such campaigns are harmful and must be controlled.
Advertisements and promotions targeting children are even more dangerous. For example, the fast food chains MacDonald’s and Burger King give away free toys or drinks to attract children. Surveys have proved that their products are unhealthy and their regular consumption leads to health problems including obesity among children. Yet, these foods are marketed as healthy and nutritious. Creating awareness against the consumption of such foods alone will not help because children are too young to differentiate healthy and unhealthy food. Therefore, the government should either control the advertisements or ban them entirely.
To conclude, I would like to say that although advertising plays a key part in marketing products, false and misleading advertisements should be regulated or even banned.
