Round 1
Pro: Advertising is a form of communication to describe an entity or a situation for promotion. Advertising is an integral part of human nature. What we want to share we either tell or sell. This integral nature has fostered its place in this big world as an advertising industry. Advertising is important as it tells people about the availability of new products and technologies. Consumers can decide between competing goods as they become aware of the choices available to them. This saves time. With the advent of new technology, today’s advertisements have become not just a subject of promotion, but entertainment as well. Today’s ads are dynamic and creative. They are appealing and for that, the sources are ready to spend millions. New trends and technologies like the use of VFX, use of channel bots, omnichannel marketing has created enormous employment opportunities. Critical issues or important happenings around the globe, if properly advertised, can receive attention and care from people willing to help. There have been countless incidents where deserving, but financially poor teens have received scholarships or those who couldn’t afford medical help were given aid by the government after their life situations were publicized. The sports industry wouldn’t be this entertaining if it didn’t receive money from its sponsors, which the teams advertise through their uniforms and other merchandise.
Con: While there is truth in the fact that humanity will always be spreading the news about new ideas, products and events, that is not necessarily the same as the current methods of advertising that show up everywhere. By advertising, I mean commercial advertising, not public service announcements, which, while technically ads, are aimed more at raising awareness of issues than making money. As it stands now, there are several problems that advertising currently creates. A large one is the power it affords them. Yes, the sports industry wouldn’t be as entertaining, since the companies that they advertise provide the funds to make it so. But it goes further than that. Companies and organizations pour large amounts of money into groups and events that may give them a leverage they shouldn’t have, such as with the media or political events. If groups like these become dependant on those funds, they won’t risk upsetting them. This means no negative stories on those companies in the news, or laws passed that heavily favor those companies. It would no longer be unbiased reporting or governance, simply by nature of influential advertisers. In addition, the mindset of consumerism associated with advertising can overtake corporations to the extent that they no longer view customers as people whose feelings, beliefs and experiences matter, outside of what money they can squeeze out of them. While not every company necessarily holds that mindset, there are companies willing to manipulate things simply for profit and not for society’s good.
Round 2
Pro: No one is forced to watch ads. No one is forced to buy new technology. New technology and innovation is the byproduct of the latest advancements in the field of science. If you find it needful, buy it; otherwise, don’t. To advertise these technological innovations as products is the company’s marketing strategy and that is how they make money. You can ignore them at your will. One must understand that there is no difference between supermarkets painted in bright colors, or the alluring graphics of food packaging that make them look appetizing and advertising. When buying goods, we have the choice to read the contents and the manual. Consumers don’t just depend on the advertising when buying something. Of course, there has to be a limit to how something is marketed but ultimately, it’s our job to be conscious of what we are buying and, despite the small print, no font on the product is too small to be read. Companies produce what people want. Today, a business cannot survive if it does not address the needs of the people. Consumers now hold more power and can criticize and lodge complaints if they feel an ad has violated the culture or objectified some naive thing. We have seen the media uncover fake marketing in the past decades. Such incidents have made people aware of the negative advertising strategies. People are smarter and educated enough to know what to buy. Also, we should not forget all the advertisements have to go through the advertising committee who is authorized to filter out ads based on the inappropriate content. Today’s advertisements are more sensible than those of previous years.
Con: As mentioned, advertising can cause potential biasing and can stem from and participate in encouraging a consumer mindset. The problems that come from this consumer mindset are many. One such problem is that the audience typically receives unrealistic expectations from the ads since such marketing tends to portray perfect, happy lifestyles and places warnings and disclaimers in out-of-the-way small print or indistinguishable speech. If the audience doesn’t think critically about what they’re seeing or hearing, they may start to believe the idea that buying these products will make their lives better. Of course, with a constant bombardment of ads, they can be indoctrinated to the idea that consumerism equals happiness. Another problem is that by advocating a constant cycle of buying, companies are also advocating a constant cycle of new or innovated products to make more money. Now, there is nothing wrong with innovation and new ideas. Innovation is good. Responsible innovation is better. What happens when a company releases a new version of a product only months after the older one? If it is significantly better, many people will replace the item—and dump the old one in the trash. How much of our landfills are full of things that didn’t really need to be replaced? If a company is going to make new versions of products, maybe they should be thinking about where the old ones go. Is their advertising helping to foster thoughtless or responsible consumerism? As it stands now, too often ads imply the need to buy, buy, buy without any acknowledgment of their role in all of our excess.
Pro side debated by Paras Ghumare
One Response
Great