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Topic 50: Some people argue that advertising is discouraging people from being different individuals, and makes people to be or seem to be the same. Do you agree or disagree?
Perhaps no subject in the world is as likely to cause so much controversy as advertising does. One of the main criticisms against advertising is that it erases individual's sense of identity and causes them to buy the same product. This view has flaws.
By tempting messages and persuasive arguments, advertising can draw the attention of the audience, but not necessarily stimulate the sales. It is clear that consumers rarely rely on advertising as a single source of information before deciding what to buy. Instead, they use multiple information sources that are complementary, such as family, friends, inspections, and so forth. It is over simplistic to say that advertising plays a decisive role. Most of the time, there are a range of factors a consumer would take into account, including their income levels, circumstances, and so forth. For instance, when it comes to luxury goods, only a limited number of consumers respond with a final purchase. Therefore, however persuasive an advertisement is, never can it lead to the viewers making the same purchase.
Meanwhile, consumers have low tolerance for sameness. There is much uncertainty about the preference of consumers nowadays, primarily because they have easy access to information. An existing brand is vulnerable to any new entrant. Brand loyalty is something of the past, and the rise and fall of a brand is abrupt. Even if brand preference is established because of advertising, there is no assurance it will be maintained. It seems to be an entrenched tendency of consumers to try different products. The main reason behind the high unpredictability of consumer behaviour is unclear, but it is certain that consumers will not buy the same product.
However, people should meanwhile admit that advertising has every now and then contributed to consumers' unplanned purchase Banners, signs, flags and other visuals, for example, turn unintended shoppers successfully into impulsive buyers in their mundane shopping trip. Another function of advertising is to make people live in a world of fantasy, in which they consider themselves prettier, slimmer, richer and more outstanding. Advertising also succeeds in creating peer effect. It is not unusual that one buys something on impulse without knowing much about the product but merely assuming that his or her peers are using it.
As suggested above, individual's reactions to advertisements and preferences on a brand are inherently complex and unpredictable, simple cause-and-effect conclusions are elusive. Despite boosting the sales of a product or service, advertising can hardly make any product or service dominate I he market.
erase = wipe out = remove
flaw = defect = fault
tempting = alluring = enticing
persuasive = influential = convincing
multiple = various = a compound of
complementary = balancing = matching
inspection = examination = assessment = observation
tolerance = acceptance
unplanned = impulsive
unintended = unintentional
mundane = dull = everyday = routine = dreary = boring
on impulse = on the spur of the moment = on a whim = impulsively
elusive = vague = indefinable = obscure
Topic 51: The high sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of advertising but not the real need of the society where such products are sold. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Advertising is well-known as a method of promotion, a method used by corporations to introduce their products and services to the market, attract the eye of consumers and increase sales. Critics of advertising argue that advertising is the main drive of soaring sales of some products and services, inducing consumers to purchase what they do not actually need in their daily lives. This contention is self-evident.
Advertisements conquer the audience mainly by sending them a message that they are lacking a specific brand or product that is likely to make them acceptable or even distinguished individuals in society. The advertisements as to medicine, dietary supplement and other life-enhancing products provide a typical example. Targeting the buyers that are doubtful or worried about health, advertisers have sought to encourage them to think that they are threatened by such problems as malnutrition, dysfunction of any part of their bodies. Lack of the knowledge in this field, the audience will rush to buy the advertised products. Such cases are ever-present, and the audience expects an immediate positive outcome — disregarding other solutions.
Advertising also works to create a best-seller image for a newly-marketed product. The audience is tempted to buy it in the hope that they can thus become one of the eyewitnesses and participants of a fad. It is not uncommon that cell phone users replace their phones every year, although the phone they have abandoned is still in usable conditions. They might not actually need to make purchases so frequently, but advertising spurs them to do so. The power of advertising has too often abused by advertisers, who tend to give an exaggerated account of the popularity of a product, soon after the product is marketed. So gullible are some buyers that they are driven to buy it. With the number of buyers growing, it will evolve into a buying craze.
In conclusion, people should stay alert to the influence advertising has on their decision making process. As indicated above, advertising has twisted the information about what product is needed, or what product is favoured, thereby driving people to make insensible buying decisions.
promotion = advertising = marketing
dietary supplement = pills to improve health
target = aim at
rush = hurry = dash = run
ever-present = omnipresent = ubiquitous = pervasive
disregard = pay no attention to = ignore = take no notice of = close the eyes to
tempt = attract = entice = lure
eyewitness = witness = observer
in usable conditions in working conditions-in serviceable conditions
give an exaggerated account of = exaggerate
gullible = credulous
craze = fad = trend = fashion = obsession
alert = attentive = watchful = vigilant
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