In this modern era of advertisement and media, ads often influence people. The advertisement process is a technique for introducing products or services among people. Ads are used for increasing the sale of products. It encourages people to buy things that they do not need.
Advertisements are not always as real as they look. They get the attention of buyers but some people believe ads introduce such products that can improve our lives. I agree with the statement that it also introduces stuff that can really change our lives, but on the other side, I think we get convinced to buy some unnecessary stuff through ads that affect our budget. In our daily routine, we use various things to make our chore much easy, so it doesn’t signify that we waste our hard-earned money on useless things.
Read more: Mental health is one of the biggest pandemic consequences we’ll face in 2021
We should use products or services that are beneficial to us. In fewer cases, beauty products ads convince consumers by presenting a normal and ordinary product into some extra-ordinary products. They use buzzwords and attractive phrases to persuade the attention of the buyer. These buzzwords play with the mind of buyers. Mostly they use the word ‘natural’ or a phrase that will enhance your beauty naturally. For instance, whitening creams and face wash ads that look so attractive for teenagers to apply these on their faces to get a lighter tone is a so-called trend in Pakistan.
Playing with emotions
Our cultures, backgrounds, and upbringings have vital impacts on our minds that make us choose what to buy. So we all know in our society, we prioritize lighter skin. Most people in Pakistan believe that having a lighter and whiter skin tone makes one beautiful. It creates inferiority complexes in people who have darker skin tones.
So the advertising companies play with the emotions of such people who are already suffering through these inferiority complexes. Companies make such ads of whitening creams and face washes that convince young teenagers to apply it on their faces and become more attractive. They only propagate the best side of the product and make consumers blindly believe them by ignoring their negative aspects. We should try to not get fooled by such a fascinating ad and for that, we should use our brains.
Read more: 4 Pakistanis make the Forbes 30 under 30 list
Manipulating tactics
We see these ads in magazines, newspapers, or while watching any drama or news on TV or whatever one likes. These useless ads while watching their favorite shows annoy people. But the advertising companies have got all the tricks they sponsor actors, cricketers, or famous personalities to make people buy their products. By associating these reputable personalities with any brand or any product, they show that this will transform our life. Hence they manipulate consumers to buy products that are not essential for them to use or to buy.
Regardless of thinking these ads create imitated needs, one gets attracted to them often. So, these products give us a very rough idea about their quality, buyer assumes that their result would be the same as they are pretending in the ad. Sometimes they manipulate us to buy those products. They get successful in playing with our minds as they want to.
Read more: Diabetes drug shows promise in treating and reversing heart failure
Eventually, they make us believe that the standard of our life will instantly change if we buy these products. Their features look fascinating until we use them and we do not find the desired result. It makes us feel sad because of the time we wasted watching it, the money we spent, and the bad outcomes we faced. Well, it is hard to control our desires, and it makes them play with us directly. So, they bring an idea of an ideal life and ideal body by making such ads. I will quote here another example of energy and fizzy drinks. They make us believe that drinking these will make us more energetic and relaxed.
Danger to life
I do not try here to criticize any company because there are always pros and cons. I am just trying to say that sometimes it creates awareness. We should admit that these advertisements create needless desires in people too. We should accept that digital billboards, posters, and electronic moving pictures are dangerous for drivers in distracting them. Although these digital billboards take our attention and make them buy that thing, on the other hand, it is also dangerous not only for drivers and pedestrians.
Read more: Respect Earned: Billboards Expressing Love For Imran Khan In India Sparks Fury
These days everyone has access to the internet. Social media is an essential advertising platform. Some agile advertisers present a beautiful and attractive side of their products. In reality, these products come up with bad quality. Unfortunately, when it comes to being more beautiful and energetic, the buyer wishes to do everything. Hence, ads create needles desires in them to buy the product the advertisers are willing to sell. And I am so convinced that advertisements aim to manipulate buyers to buy their products.
The author is a master’s student of International Relations and writes for various newspapers and websites. She can be contacted through her email aqsasaleem312@gmail.com. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.