The
advertising industry has never been more profitable in any other era than it is today, not only for the manufacturer whose
product is presented in front of the world but also for the industry itself. In this era of mass media and communication, where the globe keeps on shrinking, the advertising industry expands in return, keeping people informed and convincing them, using catchy advertisements, to make them buy something they don''t need. In this world where the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, and the ones in the middle are caught up in the rat race, trying to catch up with the ''so-called'' elite class, advertising has never been easier. In the past when there was no medium of communication, the only advertising was through word of mouth. As time went by and the world progressed, new techniques and methods of advertising one''s product emerged. From placards to brochures to huge billboards and now catchy and glamorous television adverts of the product, there seems to be no stopping this monster of an industry. Advertising is no longer the crude field it used to be. With the emergence of advertising
agencies consisting of qualified professionals, the
ordinary man has never been more vulnerable. These agencies capitalise on human fears and
insecurities to promote their product and the worst part is that they have such a great understanding of the human psyche; they know exactly what the fears and insecurities of people are. Like some conspiracy aimed at the Third World, these agencies psychologically trap the ordinary man. They convince him by playing up his insecurities to the extent of driving him up the wall. This results in the poor man buying the product. They publicise all the pros and hide all the cons and convince you that you really need the thing on display. So no matter how useless your product is, with the right kind of advertising you or your product can be the next best thing. It is human nature to be susceptible to intimidation. So it can be said that these agencies know exactly where it hurts. By portraying a higher, classy and sophisticated image of their product, they basically target the middle classes of society which are easily impressed by the image, and purchase the product in hopes that it will help them to improve their living standard. But if you look at it closely, they have every reason to feel
insecure. Having very little financial backing, few assets to live off and a measly income, they are forced to live off what they earn and save very little for later. They have every reason to feel insecure of their status in society, to feel insecure of their life, their future. Fear of rejection brings about mediocrity. The ordinary man becomes pretentious in his quest for social acceptance, opting for branded items whether it be clothes, shoes or even food. He pretends to be something he is not, to improve his social circle. This is where his weakness lies and as I said before the advertising agencies know exactly where it hurts. It is these weaknesses that they easily exploit. Not only this but the insurance companies exploit the ordinary man''s insecurities concerning health, family and education to get him to sign up for their premiums. Clearly the advertising industry is a devil in disguise and as they say, ''the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn''t exist''. So the next time you smoke a cigarette to look cool or drink some kind of cola that alleges to transfer you into some other dimension with some random actress singing a pop tune, or pester your parents to buy you the new car that has beautiful women posing besides it or a hippy head banging while playing his guitar in the advert, just pause a second to consider, is all this really worth it? Use your common sense and exercise those brain cells to ponder if the actions and fantasies portrayed in the advertisements can be pulled off by you in real life. The advertising industry liv''if-its-glamorous-its-good'' tactics, to lure its unsuspecting victim (i.e. the common man) into its trap (i.e. to get him to buy something he doesn''t need). So in my opinion every advertisement is a pack of lies and before falling head over heels for the beauty clad in the skimpiest clothes possible, stop and think ''is that thing that necessary''.
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