The Impact of Ads on Our Lives - Essay Example

1 2. 3. 4. The Impact of Ads on our Lives Introduction ‘Beauty is only skin deep’ is quite a popular saying, but there are not many takers. In this contemporary world or the modern world as we call it, life is so fast paced, that there is hardly any quality time for us to think and take action. It is at this juncture that we easily allow the world of Ads to take a grip on our lives, irrespective of whether we like it or not. Desiring to be beautiful is not wrong at all, but making it an obsession is what is really bad. In today’s world, ‘A Beauty on the Catwalk Ramp’ is what most young people aspire to be, but at what cost? Natural appeal has become a thing of the past, while beauty today has taken on a whole new avatar, which is nothing but a commodity, bought off the shelves. Since the cosmetic industry is one of the most lucrative businesses around the globe, it doesn’t need mention that the Ad industry is far 2 behind. In fact, we could say that the Ad industry is right on its heels to promote these products. The Ad Industry seems to have captured our entire lives because our lives seem to revolve around these advertised products. In this essay, we would be examining and discussing how these Ads entice customers and change people’s tastes, likes and attitudes towards the products advertised. In the world of Advertisements, the media plays a very definitive role in emphasizing beauty, glamour and dress sense, because society teaches us, that looks matter a lot and so at a very young age children try to build an image for themselves that is not as natural as their true self. From a very early age, children are exposed to films, television and other media, that advertises images telling us that being slim is beautiful, or we have to lose weight, or fat people are simply made fun of or are said to be lazy and so many other such things. Very rarely do we find women and men with average body types wearing disheveled clothes while giving advice. Our society is truly absorbed by Ads from mass media through the internet, movies, television, radio, magazines, books, newspapers and music and these advertisements somehow convince people that the products would do wonders for them by way of making them more beautiful and sexy and make them stand out from the regular crowd. Very often, these companies link their products to health and fitness, sexual appeal, friendship, achievement and success and even forms of escapism or patriotism. 3 Our society today, seems to be putting a lot of pressure on the younger generation who are most impressionable in this age group. They want to be good at everything they come across ranging from beauty to performance. The younger generation thrive on good looks and hanging out with the ‘in- crowd’ because no one wants to be left out of anything and once again it is these Ads that have a strong influence over them. The reason for such a condition is because they are exposed to too many things that grab their attention and leaves them with very little time to decipher the right from wrong. Youth look up to celebrities and try to ape them in the hope of becoming a celebrity someday. Though some of the younger generation has control over the kind of role model they chose to follow, such as a good sportsman, a great social worker, a good spokesperson, a leader etc., yet it is the majority who are easily influenced by Ads and follow them, unaware of the dangers lurking behind. According to Jeffrey Schrank, Ads are nothing but pseudo- information because all of them claim to be good or superior to the rest, hence there is no one product that is absolutely superior. In Schrank’s opinion, since such superiority does not exist, Ads are used to create an illusion of superiority for the customer, to grab the attention. In addition Schrank states that if a product is truly superior to the rest, they would emphatically say so and back their claims with convincing evidence. 4 “Calvin Klein” is one of my favorite brands and I am well aware of the type of campaigning they do. Calvin Klein is an American fashion house based in Manhattan, New York. The company markets a whole clothing range from coats, dresses, jeans and lingerie for both men and women. Their other products are cosmetics, perfume, belts, scarves and even shoes. All their products are advertised with men and women models who have a high sex appeal. Never-the-less, their clothes and other products are of good quality and they are highlighted further by their very sexy models who are shown in very provocative positions while modeling for the Ads. As can be seen in the picture below, the model is shown advertising for lingerie while reclining in a rather provocative way. This Ad has sexual overtones which is obviously Calvin Klein’s style of advertising. 5 The youth and the more fashion conscious crowd are the special target group who swear by this brand and even go to the extent of aping the models they see. “Zara” is another brand that is close to my heart and its products range from clothing for men, women and children. In addition they also market shoes, handbags and accessories such as ornaments, belts, clips, watches, goggles, scarves, caps, and underwear. They also cater to Living- room, Bedroom, Bathroom, Tableware and even gift articles. However, unlike Calvin Klein, their advertising is very clean and modest and is more closely related to images of health and fitness. It also gives the feeling of belonging to a group because it not only caters to an upper class group but also to the middle class group of customers. There is nothing intimidating or inhibiting about the way they advertise their brand and hence this is quite appealing to a wide range of 6 customers. The above Ad depicts a very rough background with a group of pretty youthful models dressed in simple yet elegant clothes. The ad has a very casual appearance but at the same time looks modest and trendy. As can be seen, many articles of clothing are advertised in a single ad, giving the customer a better idea of what they could find in the brand. Forever 21 had a different name initially which was Fashion 21 and began in 1984, in Los Angeles. The products have a wide range from clothing, shoes and accessories for men, women and children which are moderately priced. Their products entice the customers with their style and fashion quotient and also the modern and trendy clothes which are not exorbitantly priced. Forever 21 ensure that they keep their customers happy by keeping up with the times and the changing tastes and trends in by keeping up with the times and the changing tastes and trends in society 7 The Forever 21 brand targets the youth and the young at heart. In the Ad above we see a young girl in very trendy clothes that is not only highly fashionable but also very attractive. The colors used for the Ad immediately catch the eye which is what makes the brand all the more popular. This is one of the reasons that the young crowd is attracted to the brand. This is one of my favorite brands too and their clothes make me feel confident and one of the crowd too. 8 Conclusion Jib Fowles quotes media philosopher Marshall Luhan as saying – “The con-tinuous pressure is to create ads more and more in the image of audience motives and desires.” According to Fowles, he appeals to customers to pay attention to what is really good instead of responding without thinking properly. In Fowles opinion, it is these emotional appeals that draw or entice the customer to like particular brands. Satisfying the deep desire and emotional aspect of the customer, is what Ads. strive to do and most of them are successful because the customer is so gullible to buy that. References Jeffrey Schrank. The Language of Advertising Claims. Web. Retrieved on 12th March 2014 http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/comp/ad-claims.html Jib Fowles. Advertising Fifteen Basic Appeals. Web. Retrieved on 13th March 2014. http://www.cyberpat.com/shirlsite/education/essay2/jfowles.html Ads Zara http://i1.wp.com/popbee.com/image/2013/08/zara-trf-fall-autumn-2013-ad-campaign-6.jpg?resize=1728%2C1152 Calvin Klein http://webmium.blob.core.windows.net/users/58710/assets/4c8d6148e043bf715a615f48bd1b3412/calzoncilloscalvinklein148.jpg Forever 21 http://promoffer2u.com/promo/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/604082-400x500.jpg Read More