You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people say that advertising encourages us to buy things that we really do not need. Others say that advertisements tell us about new products that may improve our lives.
Which viewpoint do you agree with?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1:
The purpose of advertising is to tell the consumer about any new product or service or any new promotion on the existing product and service. We need it so we can make good decisions when we go shopping. Advertising tells us when new and improved products become available and lets us know which ones have the best price.
Through advertisements, we learn about new products. For example, many grocery stores now sell prepackaged lunches. These are very convenient for busy parents. They can give these lunches to their children to take to school. Busy parents don’t have time to look at every item on the store shelf, so without advertisements, they might not know about such a convenient new product.
Even products we are familiar with may be improved, and advertising lets us know about this. Most people use cell phones, but new types of cell phone service become available all the time. There are different plans that give you more hours to talk on the phone, you can send text messages and photos, and next week probably some even newer type of service will be available. By watching advertisements on TV it is easy to find out about new improvements to all kinds of products.
Advertisements keep us informed about prices. Prices change all the time, but everyone can look at the ads in the newspaper and see what the latest prices are. Advertisements also inform us about sales. In fact, some people buy the newspaper only in order to check the prices and plan their weekly shopping.
Advertisements improve our lives by keeping us informed about the latest products developments and the best prices. Advertisements serve a useful purpose.
(Approximately281words)
(This model answer has been prepared by the site developer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible answers.)
Alternative Answer 2:
I think that everyone can divide all advertising products and services into useless ones and useful ones. It is like looking through an information desk when you pay attention to those messages that interest you. Take me for example.
I do not like jewellery. It does not mean I do not have it at all, I have a couple of inexpensive rings as gifts from my parents. I just think people pay too much attention to this stuff. I believe it is the result of mass advertising. Every day when I am watching TV, listening to the radio or reading the paper I notice many ads about getting an expensive ring, chain, necklace or earrings. From my point of view, these kinds of advertising contaminate people’s minds. In this case, you are encouraged to buy things you do not really need. They make you believe you need such products in order to succeed or be happy.
From the other side, I think that advertisements of the new detergents with up-to-date formulas to help you maintain your cloth in perfect conditions, the new cars with some extra futures that make your travelling more comfortable and sports goods that make your life healthier may help you to improve your life.
Recently my husband and I saw an ad on the Internet about a very interesting and inexpensive vacation to Japan for a week. Is not it awesome? We like travelling. So now we are planning to find out more about it and, maybe, make reservations. I believe that, without advertisements, we would be unaware about plenty of opportunities that may make our life happier, easier and less stressful.
My point is that every person has his own scale of values. So if he is vegetarian he will consider an ad about meat products useless for him.
(This model answer has been prepared by the site developer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible answers.)
Sample Answer 3:
In a literal sense, Advertising is an art of showcasing a product to its future consumers. When a company or a person advertise a product he is conveying how the product would benefit the consumer with its unique and best features. Since the Inception of consumer markets merchants have been using Advertising and marketing to sell their product and increase their reach to maximum consumers. I am in absolute discord with the statement that Advertising insists people to buy things they do not need. In my view, Advertising is a key tool in the market mechanism and can benefit customers and ultimately merchants in several ways like spreading awareness, increasing competition, discourage monopoly and help the overall economy.
Advertising has helped and is continuing to help spread the right information and makes a consumer cognizant of what is available in the market. It helps drive the competition upwards benefitting the end customer by getting varied options to choose. For example, when ‘Colgate’ came in the market as the first toothpaste, consumers did not have any other option other than Colgate until other companies like ‘Close-up’ started advertising their product. This resulted in a boost in the competition which ultimately slashed the prices of the product. Thus, Advertising plays a very important role in engaging the end customer such that the buyer gets the best worth of what he is spending. While a consumer is the end target and beneficiary of any product produced by a merchant, a consumer is also the best judge of the decisions he takes in terms of what he wants to buy. In my opinion, it is inappropriate to blame the advertising for an increased consumer spending. To curb the unnecessary spending both people and government have to work collectively. People need to be wary of their spending and pay heed to their finances by managing them smartly. A government can play its part in authorising and monitoring the right contents to be published to the public. Hence, right and smart advertising can help a nation and its population in great ways by exploiting the benefits of advertising.
To draw the conclusion, barring a few disadvantages Advertising can be used as a tool to enhance the growth of an economy by increasing the spending, bringing the right products to the consumer, boosting the competition. Even Government can use smart adverts to make people aware of managing their finances and increase financial literacy. All in all, I would recommend healthier advertising to benefit the consumer, merchant and ultimately the world economy.
(Submitted by Deep Kagda)
Sample Answer 4:
I agree with the viewpoint that “advertising anchorages us to buy things that we really do not need.” Another word for advertisement is ‘a tool of marketing strategy’. To introduce their product or services or to promote their product or services this advertisement will highly useful.
If we have never seen an advertisement of a product and first time see that product in the market, we never want to buy. That is, we do not like to just try. If we have already seen that product in the advertisement, we may want to buy it and see how it works. That is by seeing an advertisement over and over again, we indirectly become familiar with that product before we buy and use it. To make us familiar with the products, the product owners make sure we watch their advertisements again and again.
In the advertisement, they show only the advantages of the product. That is an advantage for the marketers, but a disadvantage for the customers. While the marketing people encourage us to buy the things, we need to identify its disadvantages only after experiencing the product or services.
Some products are really essential for our life while some are not at all essential. Sometimes we purchase products that are optional for us. We may experience a new detergent powder since it was telecasted several times. This is the insisting part of advertisements on customers’ mind.
Each customer is different. All are not same. Same product will not convince all the public. Some products target children, kinder joy, chocolates, toys, cartoon products and etc. Even though parents know that a product is not good for their children, but they are insisted in buying the product by the children. Children get attracted to a product after they see the advertisement on television. Finally, I would conclude, that advertising encourages us to buy things that we really do not need.
(Submitted by Niro Devi)
Sample Answer 5:
Promotion of new products is appealing to customers. People watch them in electronic media and in newspapers and feel that it will be useful for their needs. On the other hand, we often waste our money and time after observing fascinating advertisement. In my opinion, it is useful for market trends. The advertisement has multidimensional impacts on economics and society, its benefits overweight disadvantages.
Most of the people do not like the monotonous life. They keep on changing their surroundings and personality. The requirement of humans changes with their ages. The advertisement is the method to introduce new products to people. Every person is busy in his day to day routine and they do not have enough time to wonder in shops and malls. Moreover through different media, one can see his favourite models in a good mood for describing the advantages of products.
Few media heads do not keep an eye over the validity of the information given in the description of promotion. Young people like their heroes like mentors and follow their footprints. In third world countries, health hazard products like cigarette are being advertised. As a result, man will buy the things which he does not need currently. These new purchase will be made at the cost of many other useful objects which he may be requiring actually.
In conclusion, advertisements are very useful for boosting the economy and it helps people to seek accurate products. A government should maintain the standard of promoting the products and injurious things must be banned on media.
(Submitted by – Rizwan Chattha)