Advertising Promises

621 Words3 Pages
Advertisements always promise far more than they deliver.Discuss. From full page features in newspapers to large billboards on streets, advertisements have pervaded most of what we see. The statement that advertisements always promise far more than deliver implies that all advertisements hold false claims, that can never be fulfilled in real life. Though it is increasingly true with more profit-driven advertisers, it is myopic to dismiss all advertisements to be false. What is distorting reality is persuasive advertising, that only aims to impose certain ideals on consumers. In truth, other forms of advertisements paint more accurate images to pursue social causes. Advertisements often rely on selling images rather than the actual product.…show more content…
Some advertisements are spreading social messages instead of superficial ideas. Many beneficiaries use advertisements to reach out to a wider audience. For example, a Spanish charity, Aid to Children and Adolescents, created an innovative advertisement on child abuse; different messages could seen by different groups of people using lenticular lenses. These advertisements serve to inform by revealing problems and encourage people to take action. Indeed, some of these advertisements have improved the social well-being of people. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that its three-month “Tips from Former Smokers” advertisements caused more than 200,000 to quit smoking, saving quitters more than 300,000 years of life at a cost of less than $200 a year. Thus, advertisements, with its ability to reach to a wide audience, can be used to inform, thus showing the bleak reality needed to spur social change. Most advertisements now do promise far more than they deliver. Such distortion of reality is blurring the line between truth and false images. Some countries have understood such an implication and have imposed measures on advertisements which are misleading. However, it is difficult to detach ourselves completely from appearances, ultimately, we ourselves do seek images to fulfil ourselves. Victoria Secret Erin Heatherton summed it right, “We're not selling reality; we're selling a story. It's all about creating this
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