Advertising, Is It A Nuisance?

Advertising is not only used to sell products, it also affects the ideas of who we are. Each and every day we are induced to believe that we must spend money to attain an ideal

Fast food advertisements can be found around the world, on newspapers, television, and even online. Children, teenagers, and parents have seen marketing focused on fast food. While adults may think little about such blatant advertising tactics that are solely designed to attract new customers, how are kids affected? People across the United States worry about the ever increasing obesity rates amongst children in recent years. A common explanation is the spike in popularity of fast food. Most kids and teenagers have eaten fast food at least once in their lifetime. But why has fast food gotten increasingly popular recently? Fast food has always been known to be very unhealthy, but kids still consume it anyway. The culprit: fast food advertising. In modern times, the majority of kids living in the United States have access to the internet or television, where they are easy targets for advertising. To prevent the nation from growing up obese, fast food companies should end all ad campaigns targeted towards children and focus advertising strictly on adults. These advertisements cause kids to consume fast food more often, to eat an unhealthy diet, and to grow up in a culture dependent on fast food.

Source C explains that advertising is essentially teaching because it explains to the consumer how to use products and about beneficial and necessary items. However, commercials are not long enough to provide any kind of real training and if consumers need to know how to use a product they can learn about it through another much more thorough method. Additionally, Source F points out that anything that is truly essential does not need to be advertised because customers will purchase it anyway. Another argument is the advertising generates money, thus promoting the economy by encouraging people to spend money and paying for online articles and television programs (Source D). While advertising may boost sales, the fact of the matter is that people will make purchases without viewing commercials, therefore contributing to the economy, and will likely make better decisions that are based on logic rather than flashy entertainment. Moreover, Source F explains that in an effort to promote sales companies often ignore their moral responsibilities, as in the case of the powdered milk sales and cigarette advertisements. A 30 second television commercial promoting sugary sports drinks or frivolous purchases may help the company’s profits, but at what cost to the well-being of

Unfortunately, advertising is sending our country into a quick downward spiral, doing an immense amount of harm and little good. Companies pay millions of dollars each year, in hopes to successfully pull the wool over our eyes and get their product sold. The dishonesty is leaving the citizens of this country with nothing to gain. The biggest problem with advertising is that the majority of it is alarmingly misleading. Advertisements convey an unrealistic view of a particular product. Companies go to extraordinary lengths to persuade consumers to indulge in unnecessary luxuries. Once again, the consumer falls victim to their tricks and

Advertisements are everywhere. They are a major part of modern day society. Whether it be a television commercial, an internet banner, or a billboard, advertisements influence people of all ages, but they affect a certain age group much more than others. Children ranging from toddlers to teenagers are exposed to thousands upon thousands of advertisements each year. Some of these advertisements are damaging to children, while others are a positive influence. Advertisements can either be used as a tool or a weapon. Food advertisements and manipulation strategies are both positive and negative, and how companies use them decides whether or not marketing to children is ethical.

Children are targeted in these ads they try to draw their attention by making the ads fun, and by using cool phrases. Moss proposes and “He explained how he would deploy strategic storytelling in the ad campaign for his snack, using a key phrase that had been developed with much calculations:” Eat’ Em Like Junk Food’ (494).This proves that ads plays a role in promoting food that are unhealthy and is putting children 's health at risk for obesity. To sum it up, children are exposed to high amount of unhealthy food advertisements which affects young children health and food choices. Therefore, the government needs to intervene and stopping the advertisement of unhealthy eating and start advertising healthier foods.

In today’s society, the media, in many ways control the average consumer’s way of thinking. Bright billboards, catchy radio jingles, colorful magazine ads, and eye catching T.V ads play a major role in obesity in the United States. The one dollar double cheeseburger, offered by Burger King and McDonalds is a prime example. Burger King offers more meat with a better taste, and the advertisements are very colorful. Media tends to influence un-natural way of thinking among the average consumer. These ads usually misrepresent images of their target audience, using physically fit looking people in the fast food ads. A large number of these advertisements place a great deal of attention on the foods taste, rather than its nutritional value. This causes the consumer to overlook the risk and pay more attention to the taste and convenience. Well designed fast food media campaigns play a major role in the unnatural thinking that leads to obesity in the United States.

Some critics might say that advertisements are not purely manipulative or persuasive. They might argue that advertisements can positively contribute to society while trying to sell a product. This is debatable because modern day advertisements have reached a peak of meaninglessness and emptiness. They do not necessarily contain any thoughtful portrayal of society or its culture. Rather, they are packed with many false ideals distant from reality.

“The rate of obesity in children has nearly tripled in the last quarter century”(American Psychological Association). Children receive the most exposure to advertisements due to the amount of television they watch and online games they play. At an early age, children shape their first opinions on what they like and dislike, so just by watching advertisements they can develop product preferences for unhealthy foods that lead to poor eating habits. “In very young children, research has found that for every one-hour increase in television viewing per day, there are higher intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, fast food, red and processed meat, and overall calories”(American Psychological Association). Advertisements targeted at children use colorful images and characters to attract them to their products and add labels like “multi grain,” “no sugar added,” and “all natural” to influence parents to buy their products. But most of these food claims are unregulated and open to abuse. “Approximately 20 percent of our youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed”(American Psychological Association). Naturally, being obese as children puts them at risk of being obese as adults, which can lead to health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer. In addition, advertising causes

The original definition of the word “advertising” does not look that bad. It is simply explained as “calling the attention of the public to a product or business.” However, the advertising companies usually abuse the real meaning of advertising and try to sell their product no matter what it takes to do so. It is very hard not to notice advertisement in today’s world. The commercials, the adds, the posters are everywhere; from TV, newspapers magazines and billboards to even a bus that is taking us to work everyday. Advertising companies know exactly how to get into our heads and how to convince us to buy their product instead of thousands of the different ones. No one can argue that advertising is influential, but there are a lot of

We seek often to tar advertising as propaganda, something we have labeled an almost “dirty word”, but at it’s core what is propaganda? Propaganda is the propagation of ideas, a concept so basic that it exists everywhere in our society. We do this in our kindergartens and our high schools (Source C) - we use this to teach. We need a way to communicate with large groups of people, to spread ideas. People should have a way to know where to buy the most affordable homes, the healthiest drink, the most suitable car (Source C). Advertising is a way of bring information directly to the consumer, a way of mass communication to the masses. We need a way to make our voices heard. It is not the medium itself that causes the pain the darker side brings, but the ideas that lie behind it that shape the impact of advertising. Despite the ability of advertising to put us in the dark, it can also shine a light. Advertising doesn’t only have the potential to make life easier, it has the ability to make us better. It can hammer message we might not want to hear or easily forget, let people know the dangers of drunk driving, not using a seat belt, or doing drugs (Source D). With the same pervasive nature that drives us to do silly frivolous things, it can motivate us to do something useful for our society, give us a

The advertisements for these unhealthy food products are specifically aimed at children. They are colorful, have upbeat music and many have branded characters. The article states that the more young children are exposed to the food advertisements for unhealthy products the more they are going to believe that these products are what they should be eating. Unhealthy foods counts for 84% of all foods advertised (683). These commercials seen over and over again are going to be stuck in these children’s heads and when out shopping with adults they are likely to ask for these products. The responsibility does rely on the guardians, but they shouldn’t have to battle their child at the grocery store. When a young child sees these ads and is persuaded that they need these products it will more than likely cause a struggle while shopping or when these kids are not with their guardians they are more than likely going to choose these products and eat more of them if restricted at home. The point isn’t that adults should be able to deny their children these unhealthy products, it is that the media should not be brainwashing these children who are not old enough to even understand what persuasive advertising is. Not only are children exposed to the television ads, food ads are also in video games, youtube videos, and magazines. Many brand

Advertising has been defined as the most powerful, persuasive, and manipulative tool that firms have to control consumers all over the world. It is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. Its impacts created on the society throughout the years has been amazing, especially in this technology age. Influencing people’s habits, creating false needs, distorting the values and priorities of our society with sexism and feminism, advertising has become a poison snake ready to hunt his prey. However, on the other hand, advertising has had a positive effect as a help of the economy and society.

Advertising has had a major impact on society. Some may be considered positive and some negative. Take a look around, advertisements are placed everywhere, television commercials, billboards, newspapers, and even on the sides of buses. Advertising is the basic form of marketing and trading throughout the world. Today’s society knows it as marketers trying to influence or persuade consumers into buying something. It also serves as a medium for services and businesses. There are many advertising strategies, but television commercials will always remain the number one strategy. Think about it, how much television is watched a day, probably a lot. What better way to advertise a product or service? Advertising has a positive effect on our economy. It does not only influence and persuade consumers, but it also benefits them in many ways. It also benefits manufacturers and their company, and the world as a whole.

“Advertising is far from impotent or harmless; it is not a mere mirror image. Its power is real, and on the brink of a great increase. Not the power to brainwash overnight, but the power to create subtle and