Layman’s Concept of Advertising

Advertising has a profound impact on how people in general understand life, the world and themselves, especially with regard to their values and their ways of choosing and behaving. The field of advertising is extremely vast and diverse. In general terms, of course, an advertisement is simply a public notice meant to convey information and invite patronage or some other response. Towards this end, advertising has two basic purposes:to inform and to persuade, and both are simultaneously present. However it has to noted that advertising is not the same as marketing or public relations.

Advertising can be very simple, it could be a local or even neighborhood phenomenon or it can be very complex, involving sophisticated research and multimedia campaigns that spans the globe. It may be broadly viewed in various forms viz., print, multi-media, commercials etc. Advertisers clearly aim to influence human behaviour to communicate their ideas, contents directly to the comman man on the street or people in general, so that they can imbibe the same and develop a desire and be induced to buy the end product i.e at the end of the day “All kinds of motivation (by a person) is nothing but self-interest”. Hence advertising catch words and jargons are valuable to the layman only when his self interest is involved or is appealed to.

The common-sense view would be that ads are just ads and that’s that. One may guess that most peope just see ads without much further thought or ado. They appreciate it’s humour, it’s special effects, it’s high quality camera work and don’t bother too much about whether it might be having any adverse affects on their lives. Also to some extent, for the layman on the street at the basic level, advertisements or commercials in between TV serials and programmes is a “necessary evil” which has to be endured or ignored., unless of course his own self-interest is involved. One often notice people walk out during TV commercials to do their regular chores or read, basically divert themselves till the program restarts. This of course is not the case with people who are keenly interested in knowing what the latest fads and trends are, and to glean as much information and updates on the products, compare the different brands and finally select and buy the best. In case of ads in newspapers, magazines, leaflets, pamphlets etc too, one find such perceptive people looking out for the best bargains via Sales whether it is for furnitures, machinery, gadgets, clothes, accessories so on and so forth

Generally one also find people drawn to ads having high profile celebrities. The recall value is much more in case of brands attached to a celebrity, for instance Mr. Amitabh Bachhan endorsing the Eveready Battery, Parker Pens, Reid & Taylor Shirting’s ads to name a few, the social campaigns on pulse polio which he propagated – which got a terrific response from the masses, Rain Mukherjee in “Munch” chocolate ad, Priety Zinta in “Perk” chocolate ad., the famous “Lux” ads with various filmstars … so on and so forth. Moreover one also generally notice that womenfolk prefer good-looking males models in ads whereas the men prefer shapely beautiful female models which tends to make the ads more eye-catching and the message therein more entrenched in their minds

Common man also warms up to ads with catchy phrases and even to hum able jingles. For instance “Kulke Hasso” Close-up toothpaste ad and the famous Lifebuoy jingle respectively. Also there is a tendency to look for attractive glossy short sweet beautifully picturised ads which quickly imprints itself in the brain. Even humorous ads are terribly attractive to the layman for instance the MacDonald Burger Ads with local flavor – “I am loving it” is absolutely hilarious and does induce a person to go out and have a burger. Having said this, Ads are here to stay. They have become an absolute necessity for the upwardly mobile middle class man in today’s world of keeping up with the Joneses i.e. what my neighbor has I must have one better. This kind of one-upmanship has become a kind of boon to the fast rising advertising and marketing industry along with the resultant avalanche of ads some excellent, some good and some others pathetic. For instance an “Banian”( inner tunic ) ad with actor Sunny Deol with the lines “Ye andhar ki baat hai” (sic).

Some people think advertising simply mirrors the attitudes and values of the society we live in. No doubt advertising, like the media of social communications in general does act as a mirror. But, also like media in general, it is a mirror that helps shape the reality it reflects, and sometimes it presents a distorted image of reality. For instance some commercial advertisements convey the impression that an abundance of possessions leads to happiness and fulfillment. Some Ads put unremit-ting pressure to buy articles of luxury, which can arouse false wants that hurt both individuals and families by making them ignore what they really need. Such kind of Ads can be both misleading and frustrating.

Even amongst the laypersons particularly amongst the women’s segment there is a general perceptiom that all too often, advertising contributes to stereotyping of particular groups that places them at a distinct disadvantage in relation to others. This is often true of the way advertising treats women. The exploitation of women, both in and by advertising, is a frequent, deplorable abuse. Some pertinent questions crops up often in debates such as "How often are they treated not as persons with an inviolable dignity but as objects whose purpose is to satisfy other’s appetite for pleasure or for power? How often is the role of woman as wife and mother undervalued or even ridiculed? How often is the role of women in business or professional life depicted as a masculine caricature, a denial of the specific gifts of feminine insight, compassion, and understanding, which so greatly contribute to the civilization of love.

On the other hand the common man also believes that advertising can itself contri-bute to the betterment of society by uplifting and inspiring them and motivating them to act in ways that benefit themselves and others. For instance, the layman is also deeply influenced by messages by benevolent social institutions using advertis-ing to communicate their messages of faith, of patriotism, of tolerance, compassion and neighborly service, of charity toward the needy, messages concerning health and education, constructive and helpful messages. Such ads inform, educate and motivate people in a variety of beneficial ways. Moreover, advertising can brighten lives simply by being witty, tasteful and entertaining. In fact some advertisements are instances of popular art, with a vivacity and élan all their own.

Looking at the other side of advertising, many women and men profession-ally engaged in advertising do have sensitive consciences, high ethical standards and a strong sense of responsibility. But even for them external pressures — from the clients who commission their work as well as from the competitive internal dynamics of their profession — can create powerful inducements to unethical behavior. That underlines the need for external structures and systems to support and encourage responsible practice in advertising and to discourage the irresponsible.

In light of all these reflections, one may surmise that there is nothing intrinsically good or intrinsically evil about advertising. It is a tool, an instrument like any other: which can be used well, and which can be used badly. If utilized in the right way, it does have beneficial results such as those described above, however on other hand wrongful utilization of the same, often times, it does have a negative, harmful impact on individuals and society and the layman in particular.