Advertisements have tremendous impact on our subconscious minds and mould our perceptions about society gender equations family roles etc. As such advertising has an important social responsibility apart from its commercial interests and also plays a potent role in shaping social behavior. Advertisements convey messages and concepts that most people internalize thus reinforcing gender or racial stereotypes and other social ills or prejudices. Commodification of woman has become a favored USP for almost all products. Regulatory bodies and consumer groups must insure that advertisements meet certain ethical parameters apart from being sensitive to religious social and political concerns.

Long after we view advertisements the messages conveyed by them linger in our subconscious minds and shape our perceptions on society gender equations family roles etc. Today the advertising industry is worth over $100 bn a year and it affects men women and children alike. We are each exposed to over 100 commercials a day via the radio TV Internet or billboards thus making the media the most powerful instructive force in the society. The advertisements sell a lot more than just products. Not only do they reflect on the prevailing cultural norms in a society they also create culture by selling values and concepts of gender roles success hedonism self-worth lifestyles passion and sexuality. They tell us about our place in the society and who we should aspire to be. Sometimes they also sell oddities like addiction and self-obsession.

The advertising industry is large and growing. In the United States alone in 2005 the spending on advertising reached $144.32 bn reported TNS Media Intelligence. The same year according to a report titled Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2006-2010 issued by global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers worldwide advertising spending was $385 bn. The accounting firm's report projected worldwide advertisement spending to exceed half-a-trillion dollars by 2010.

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