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Advertising is a small word
but it is a whole world in
itself. May be a marketer or a consumer, nobody can escape
from the influence of advertising. Advertising has affected and is
still affecting the life of all of us. In simple terms, advertising is
defined as a paid, mediated presentation of information about
services, products, or ideas with the specific goal of informing, persuading
and reminding the target market about the company's offerings. In
this materialistic world, we are surrounded with a number
of products/brands. Each company is battling for consumer mind
space and this has increased the scope of advertising. We can find
advertising everywhere i.e., in our homes, in the shopping malls, on the street, in
the subways, on public transport vehicles and even in
office buildings. This proves that advertising is all pervasive and
is becoming a powerful force, shaping attitudes and behaviors in
today's world.
In the current fragmented market, the marketers are
facing tough competition from their competitors. Each marketer has
to prove himself to be better than his competitors. The
cut-throat competitive market environment has made the advertising field
very experimental and hence advertisers are adopting different measures
to attract the attention of their target customers. They try to
structure their advertisements in such a way that catches instant
customer attention. For this, they try to use a blend of message appeals
like rational, emotional, ethical, etc. to make a positive impact
on the target audience. Aspirations, comfort, convenience, economy,
efficiency, fear, love, nostalgia, pride, health, luxury, patriotism, sex and safety
are some of the ideas that engage the minds and touch the hearts of
the target audience, and ultimately motivate a response.
Being business entities, sometimes companies are
carried away with their profit motives. They forget that as they are a part of
the society, they have a responsibility towards the society, as well.
Any activity of the company should not have an adverse effect on the
society. The same stands true in respect of advertising also. With the
growth in the reach and frequency of mass media, the advertising industry
has also grown by leaps and bounds. It implies that the persons exposed
to advertising are also growing with the growth of mass media and
the advertising industry. On the one hand, it is a good sign for
the marketers as they can now reach a larger audience by using mass
media but on the other hand, it has increased their role towards
the society. Now marketers have to be more socially responsible
while making and presenting their advertisements as the
presentation of advertisements can have a positive as well as a negative
impact on the society. |
