109改传媒

TOPIC: ISSUE109 - "The purpose of many advertisements is to make consumers want to buy a product so that they will 'be like' the person in the ad. This practice is effective because it not only sells products but also helps people feel better about themselves."
In a commercialized society today, advertisements are embedded into our life. The effect of them, however, remains a question. Admittedly, advertisements attract great attentions, but ultimately, sales of any product rely on its quality.
Since the development of consumerism, there are numerous brands of any particular product. For consumers, it is not easy to choose among them, as many of them are similar. Facing such a situation, consumers usually choose the cheapest one or the most famous one. Advertising meets the companies' requirement, of making their product well-known and impressive, perfectly. For the reason that ads are the fastest and simplest approach to earn a reputation, it results in the consumers' preference of a product being based on the quality of its ad rather than the quality of the product itself. Even though those renowned brands with better quality are also those with the better ads, there still will be exceptions. What’s more, if a person is so disgusted with the first brand of a product they buy they may never buy any brand of that product again. They may even spread the word not to buy that product. Thus although ads sell products effectively, they sometimes mislead consumers, preventing them from choosing the best product.
Another trend in advertising is companies tending to hire celebrities as spokespeople. Taking full advantage of the public’s admir ation for celebrities, these companies tempt many consumers to purchase something which might not be needed. Fans of the celebrated often imitate their idols by using what they use. Moreover, it shortens the distance between idols and their fans and might even create an illusion that they can be the same as their idol.
Even when there is no celebrity, a similar illusion may still exist. The ads might produce an atmosphere of romance or luxury and then try to persuade the audience using various techniques that if buying their product will invoke the same atmosphere. These kinds of ads satisfy both the emotional and rational appeal of the consumers. They cause an audience not just to respond emotionally but to identify with the ad and to feel what the advertising character feels. The values and beliefs implicit in the ad are conveyed imaginatively to the audience. The impact of the emotional and imaginative message of this ad on an audience, determines the company's power to move them to decision and action. However, advertising may set people’s expectations too high. People believing it is natural to live in an unreal world of romance and luxury will always feel dissatisfied and be unhappy after they bought the product if it didn’t make them feel romantic or luxurious genuinely, which is mostly the case. Thus these kinds of ads might be effective, but risky.
Despite the fact that advertisement can enhance sales, what eventually determines the market share of a product is its quality. Even if a consumer buys a product because of a moving advertisement, he or she may not buy it again if the product is of poor quality or not as helpful as described in the ad. Even worse, it would be detrimental to the reputation of the company and
maybe even a famous spokesman. In this situation, the advertisement plays a negative role, totally opposite to the manufacturer's purpose. What I suggest is that companies need to pay more attention to the quality and function of their product rather than the ads. Government supervision might be necessary to prevent consumers from being deceived by a misleading ad.
In conclusion, advertisement can be beneficial to increase the sales and make people feel better. Nevertheless, what truly makes people feel better is a product of excellent quality and powerful function at a reasonable price.。