Topic: Society would benefit from a ban on all kinds of advertising because it serves no useful purpose and can be damaging.
Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Advertisements have long been an effective marketing tool. However, in recent years
people have started questioning the significance of them, asserting that they are not only
useless but harmful too. While this concern can be justifiable, I believe that advertisements
still play an important role in informing the public. Therefore, not all advertising should be
eliminated.
A key concern regarding many advertisements is that they sometimes promote harmful
products. In recent years, it has become common to see advertising for alcohol, tobacco
and junk food, which generally contributes to the prevalence and consumption of such
products. The advertisements targeted at children are even worse. Artificially sweetened
food items and video-games containing violence are some of the pertinent examples for
such potentially damaging products.
Deceptive practices of advertisers are another reason why some support the elimination of
advertisements. Oftentimes, advertising contains misleading claims and exaggerated
product benefits. Weight-loss advertisements are a good case in point, often promising
instant results, claiming the effectiveness of the product, when, in fact, this is almost always
untrue. Such cases can erode public trust in advertising.
In my opinion, however, as long as advertising is socially responsible and transparent, it
should be allowed. Firstly, it is one of the most efficient ways to reach out to the public.
Such honest and trustful advertisements often inform customers about the availability,
price and utility of a particular product, which in turn can help people save time, compare
and make informed purchasing decisions.
On a broader level, a ban on all types of advertising can lead to reduced turnover for
companies. As the alternatives to promoting a product as effective as advertising are
practically unthinkable, it is natural that many manufacturers, commercial center and even
marketers may struggle to find customers. This goes to show that banning all
advertisements is not a logical course of action.
In conclusion, some advertisements do have detrimental effects on people but this cannot
be a strong enough ground for the prohibition of all advertisements. Instead, only those
that can be damaging should be targeted because there are many advertisements that
serve the public interest and contribute positively to society.