Critical Issues in Advertising

Advertising as a profession came of age in the twentieth century, facilitating the shift of. society from production-oriented small-town values to consumer-oriented urban lifestyles. With its ability to create consumers, advertising became the central economic support system for our mass media industries. Through its seemingly endless supply of pervasive and persua­sive strategies, advertising today saturates the cultural landscape.

Products now blend in as props or even as "characters" in TV shows and movies. In addition, almost every national con­sumer product now has its own Web site to market itself to a global audience 365 days a year.

Advertising was manipulating helpless consumers, attacking our dignity, and invading "the privacy of our minds.  The advertising industry was all-powerful.  Although consumers have historically been regarded as dupes by many critics.   Some of the most serious concerns involve children, teens, and health.

Children and Advertising

Children and teenagers, living in a culture dominated by TV ads, are often viewed as "consumer  .  In addition, parent groups have worried about the heavy promotion of products like sugar­coated cereals during children's programs.  they are increasingly targeted by advertisers.  In addition, very young children cannot distinguish between a commercial and the TV program that the ad interrupts

Stereotyping commercials

Commercials are the vast source of gender stereotyping. The aim of the modern commercial is not only the satisfaction of needs but also their creation. Women are more often presented in commercials, because they are seen as responsible for making everyday purchases. Men generally advertise cars, cigarettes, business products or investments, whereas  women are shown rather in the commercials with cosmetics and domestic products. They are also more likely portrayed in the home environment, unlike men, who are shown outdoors. Another important distinction is the phenomenon in  the commercials, which consists in showing the entire figure in case of women and close-up shots in case of men . 

Health and Advertising

Eating Disorders. 

Advertising has a powerful impact on the standards of beauty in our culture. A long-standing trend in advertising is the association of certain products with ultra thin female models, promoting a style of "attractiveness" that girls and women are invited to follow.  Even today, despite the popularity of fit­ness programs, most fashion models are much thinner than the average woman.  Some forms of fashion and cosmetics advertising actually pander to individuals' insecurities and low self-esteem by promising the ideal body. Such advertising suggests standards of style and behavior that may be not only unattainable but also harmful, leading to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia and an increase in cosmetic surgeries.

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Puffery and Deception  false and misleading claims have haunted advertising. . A cer­tain amount of puffery—ads featuring hyperbole and exaggeration—has usually been permitted, particu­larly when a product says it is "new and improved." However, ads become deceptive when they are likely to mislead reasonable consumers based on statements in the ad or because they omit information. Moreover, when a product claims to be "the best," "the great­est," or "preferred by four out of five doctors, A typical example of deceptive advertising is the Campbell Soup ad in which marbles in the bottom of a soup bowl forced more bulky ingredients—and less water—to the surface. In another instance, a 1990 Excessive Commercialism DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING – FALSE CLAIMS Fair & Lovely Foundation  The stereotypical role of women in Indian society as  portrait by the company in its ads still encourages anachronistic beliefs , the company still manages to allure people to buy its products by saying that it contains some miraculous scientific formula which would turn their skin white , the company is still misleading people and society by depicting that when a dark – skinned lass uses fair and lovely , she moves towards success thereby making them believe that light skin is a pre- requisite for a fortunate career. Advertising's Role in Politics Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi's election juggernaut in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls is an example of howto prepare and successfully implement a marketing and branding campaign. Irrespective of your faith, ideology and voting decision, there has been no escaping Mod Since the 1950s, political consultants have been imitating market-research and advertising techniques to sell their candidates. To  giving rise to political advertising, the   use of ad techniques to promote a candidate's image and persuade the public to adopt a particular viewpoint.   Advertising agencies Soho Square, Ogilvy and Mather, and media buying agency Madison World—the media team that helped  Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sweep to power in the Lok Sabha elections with the biggest election victory in 30 years— have delivered once again with the party set to form governments in Haryana and Maharashtra, where assembly elections were held earlier this month. The BJP’s focus during the elections was on governance, growth and corruption during the 15-year rule by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) coalition in Maharashtra. With an advertising budget of Rs.25 crore and brand Modi still going strong, the odds were in the BJP’s favour. http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/case-study-strategy-tactics-behind-creation-of-brand-narendra-modi/1/206321.html he BJP’s focus during the elections was on governance, growth and corruption during the 15-year rule by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) coalition in Maharashtra. With an advertising budget of Rs.25 crore and brand Modi still going strong, the odds were in the BJP’s favour. The creative backbone of the party’s campaign was Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director for South Asia at Ogilvy and Mather. he party had arranged for 20,000 digital vans to show Modi’s speeches in rural areas of the two states. “The idea was to reach the areas which do not have much access to newspaper and television so that people know about the message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi through these speeches,” said a senior BJP leader, who declined to be named. We rounded off the campaign on the last day with an ad on the last page of The Times of India highlighting the admission of corruption by the Congress chief minister himself,” said Balsara—his reference is to an interview given by Chavan to The Telegraph where he claimed that he couldn’t act against his corrupt predecessors and partners due to political compulsions. The BJP spent Rs.25 crore on the advertisement campaigns in Haryana and Maharashtra including Rs.50 lakh for the telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Madison Square garden speech which was aired on seven Marathi television channels.