Is advertising a necessary evil ?

Is advertising a necessary evil?

An advertising is created to promote and flatter a brand, a service, an association, etc. Advertising can develop in several forms: video on TV, radio recording, billboard, magazine, etc. Over the years, advertising has developed but many people see ads as something evil.

Is advertising a necessary evil?

In general, advertising remains an advantage for everybody because it brings useful information about products, new products and possible promotions. Ads are not only for commercial purposes but also serve noble causes as for example: the prevention of tobacco risks broadcast on the TV or inciting people to respect the highway code. Advertising can also promote cultural and sports events. Even if, ads tend to incite to consumption, this will always have a positive effects on the economic sectors and therefore on the general economy on the country. And finally, advertising is a means for example by magazines and TV channels to acquire additional resources.

The advertising also has several bad sides. First of all, there are false ads that abuse the trust and use the naivety of consumers. Given that we are in a society of over-consumption, ads tend to become very invasive (TV, radio, internet, poster, billboards, magazines, stores, on the bus, etc…) for example on TV, the pleasure of viewer can be spoiled by ads that are too long and repetitive. Advertising is often manipulative, it can create a need by fear: as for example, an insurance company will not hesitate to say that your house will burn if you do not buy its insurance.

In my opinion, I think advertising was a good thing before but now it’s something evil, because it manipulates too much people’s minds. Recently, I watched a study on MacDonald’s advertisements and the subject was on toys in children’s menus in the USA. I am outraged when I see this because these toys are part of a collection and these ads encourage children to come back again and again. Advertising influences the behavior of people especially those of the youngest.

Léa Leborgne-Prigent 1L

...