Thursday, September 18, 2008

Advertising

The art and science of advertising is taking great strides in the world of business and trade. In foreign countries, advertising is done very methodically and on a very large scale. There, the big business houses have regular departments with experts working on the art of advertisement.
Today, advertisement is the very backbone of any business, whether big or small. This is necessary because, unless people know about goods that are being produced, how will they buy? So in other words, advertising boosts up sales of items, small and big. Businessmen is a lot of skill and competition involved. Some of the business houses put up large hoardings on important crossroads, slides are shown in all cinema houses, small handbills are distributed through the vendors of newspapers. These are the few of the commonly know modes of advertisements. It has become an absolute truth that today, no business can stay or progress without appropriate advertising, there is so much of cut throat competition that, an opportunity missed is no likely to be made up. So, in this scenario, advertising goods is a of all business. It may be aptly said that advertisements are the axis on which the world of business revolves.
Advertisement of different kinds are also found in all daily newspapers, which cater to almost all spheres of human activity. There are advertisements for education, lost and found, tender notices, exhibitions and sales, matrimonial, and all other conceivable aspects of modern existence. We come to know a lot from these advertisements for, besides our responding to them, we at least become aware of what all happens in the world.
But advertisements must, like everything else, maintain some quality and etiquette, which are we often find missing in most of them. For example, an advertisement must be relevant to the item it is advertising. For instance, when there is an advertisement of say spectacles, where is the necessity for the advertisement to depict a woman and that too only in a two piece swimming suit, and wearing spectacles. I know that, to this comment, the advertisers will give their own justification that the advertisement must be attractive will give their own justification that the advertisement must be attractive and appealing. Yes, I agree that they are right when they say this, but if their paid artists find no other way to attract public except of exposure of a female body, they are not fit to be called artists at all. If our gentry cannot be expected to be attracted by any other form of art I am amazed at their standards of art. Besides, can it not be foreseen by the advertisers that when this advertisement attracts a section of the society, it may also have some viewers who find it obnoxious. It is very pertinent that advertisements must attract attention but, may be if more sobriety could be fitted in the art, it may not adversely effect the business.
Advertisements should be short and to the point so that the public sees them and at the same time does not feel that time is being wasted in them. The advertisement must be repeated often, so it must be short, eye catching and memorable. More so, these advertisements should be based on the psychology of the customers. As we know that different goods cater to different sections of society, an advertisement must also take into account the people their item has to attract. For instance, if a car has to be advertised, an advertisement must be such that it caters to the sense of the rich. However, if soaps or washing powder has to be advertised, consideration must be given to what will attract the common man.
Another important point that the advertisers must take into account is that, what they show and talk about the item must be absolutely true. If a customer even once finds that the credentials pronouncements in an advertisement are not true to the product, word will be spread that the item is not true to its publicity. If this happens and there is a counter advertisement by the public even by word of mouth, against the authenticity of the advertisement, it will play havoc for the item and its sales will come crashing. Thus, an advertisement must be wholly true to its strength, for, if there is any exaggeration and untruth in the advertisement, the customers feel cheated and the sales are sure to go down. This should mean that in an advertisement there should never be an over play of the greatness and goodness of an item for this may cast a nasty spell on the business.
Advertisement being the very life breath of a business, even the very big and well established business houses have got to take recourse to the business of advertising. This is necessary because of the very keen competition arising in every field. If the business do not entered newly, achieve some heights, and the big businesses do not advertise their products, may be one day the smaller industries will overshadow the big industrial houses only because of their lacking in the business of advertising. The system of advertising goods has become necessary due to the cut throat competition in every field of production.
Advertisements are no doubt necessary but they should, like everything else, cater to basic norms of propriety and ethics. As such, advertisements must be true, genuine and relevant. They should not cheat the trusting public into buying their products, for, this cheating fool some people all the time, all people for some time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

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