Are Advertisements Good or Bad?

Advertisements are good if they inform us of new products. By doing so, they inform us that a new product is available for those who need it. It is also good in that it tells us of the many different companies which are manufacturing a certain type of product. In this way, we can make choices. We can decide to buy and use a certain company’s product which we think is the best for us. Besides providing us with choices, advertisements may bring down prices because of competition among the different companies making and advertising the same type of product.

Advertisements are bad when they encourage us to spend unnecessarily. For example, we may already own a car. Then we see an advertisement of a newer model of the car telling us about its improved features. So, although our car may still be in good condition, we decide to trade it in for the newer model. This is sheer waste of money. Another example may be that we have a perfectly good watch but because we see an advertisement of a more attractive watch, we throw away the old watch and buy the new one although it is not necessary at all.

Advertisements are also bad when they lie. They may tell us about the wonderful qualities of a product although there are none. So, because of the lies, we end up buying an inferior product. Or, advertisements may tell us only half the truth. For example, they may tell us that a certain medicine is good without telling us about its dangerous side-effects. Another example is an advertisement of a house for sale may tell us only its good points without telling us it’s a bad. The advertisement may tell us about its spaciousness and its proximity to social amenities without telling us that it is sited next to an industrial estate where thick clouds of poisonous black smoke are belched into the air sixteen hours a day.

Advertisements are also bad because they increase the price of the products advertised. Advertisements are not inexpensive. A full-page advertisement in a newspaper with a circulation of a few thousand readers can cost about US8000. Advertisements on television cost even more. A three-minute advertisement on television may cost about US1000. If the advertisement is aired three times a day for a period of one month, it can cost a fortune. The expenditure on advertisements is not borne by the manufacturers but is passed on to the consumers.