Advertisement- Definition, Types, Pros & Cons
Introduction (Essay on Advertisement)
An advertisement is a medium to convey a message, promote a product and give essential information to the audience. It is usually delivered through various means viz. TV, text messages, blogs, social media, websites etc.
Types and Forms of Advertisement
Advertising can either be commercial or non-commercial and it includes various types such as Print advertising, Outdoor advertising, Broadcast, Public service advertising, Celebrity advertising, govt. ads etc. But back in the 19th and 20th century, ads were not the way we see them now. Back then the population used rock art paintings and papyrus to display messages.
The earliest known advertising was oral, in ancient China. The ads were usually in the form of calligraphic signboards and inked papers. Also, in Europe, when the towns began to grow in the Middle Ages they used images associated with their trade as the people couldn’t read.
Alteration with time
Ads began to appear in the newspapers. It was the 19th century that introduced modern as well as paid advertisement. And in the 20th century, the market witnessed a dramatic escalation of advertising as industrialization expanded the supply of products.
But times have changed and in the 21st century, with technological advancement advertisements have discovered umpteen ways to reach out people. Gone are the days when ads were just words inked on the posters and scripted on the newspaper. With the rise of technology, ads have found a route to knocking people’s door through the internet. Advertising seems to be lucrative but nothing on earth comes with perfection. It has its own pros and cons.
Also Read: How Technology Has Revitalized 21st Century !!! [Effect of Technology]
Advantages of Advertisements
Educates the customer
Advertising familiarizes the consumer with any new product in the market, introduces them to the uses and benefits of the same. It informs about the products that the consumer needs to make their lives cozy.
Escalates market competition
Every new company that steps in the market aims to allure as many consumers as they can and eliminate their competitors from the arena to stay tough in the business and to keep their trade smooth.
Promotes creativity
The consumers always hustle for latest merchandise in the market which eventually motivates the merchant to keep introducing new products into the market because the contender is always there to snatch the prey i.e. the customer or the vendee.
Employment uplift
Yes, you read it right. The creation of new job is obvious when there is a need for advertisement. It needs musicians, cartoonists, sketch artist even technologists nowadays because the best ads instantly pull the audience towards the product. And it is up to the artists to create an alluring advertisement.
Reduces cost, raises quality
The market competition is tight and it is well known by all. And in this battle, the consumers lift the victory cup because the merchants keep decrementing the product prices to stand tough in the competition.
Disadvantages of Advertisements
Confuses the consumer
The availability of abundant goods in the mart muddles the customers and they end up buying either wrong or poor quality items which later leaves them with only regret and remorse.
Consumes space
Advertisements are displayed on billboards, posters, newspapers or websites which is troublesome because the posters make the walls crappy and it is very annoying to see ads in between the articles you read online. Newspapers are meant for printed news but now ads clutch more space on the paper compared to the news.
Promotes discrimination
The electronic media is the main delinquent for scoping discrimination in the society by introducing some products that promote body shaming and racism based on skin color by selling products that claim to retouch one’s beauty.
Deleterious effect on children
A child’s mind is like clay which takes the shape it is molded into. And improper ads put adverse impact on their mind. Children fall for the false claims that brands make to promote their product such as growing height, making brain sharp. And the phony claims depress the children.
Dumps consumers’ earning
The brands design their ads keeping the specific audience in the target so that they can manipulate their mind and make them buy unnecessary items which they will actually never use. These tricks run the business market and the hustle continues.
Conclusion on Pros & Cons of Advertisement
Businesses run on the pivot of advertising. They compel even the miser to invest in the crap. Ads surely have their benefits but every coin has two sides and choosing the right side is always in the hands of the consumer.
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