Advertising

The effect that advertising has had on consumers is of consequence to everyone due to the nature of capitalism. "Defined a consumer is someone that acquires goods or services for direct use or ownership. Advertising is the activity of attracting public attention to a product or business, as by paid announcements in print, broadcast, or electronic media (Dictionary.com)." Consumers see a need for items that can make their lives healthier, more enjoyable and convenient. What advertising does for consumers is that it alerts them to the benefits that they may expect but at the same time advertising may also open the door to deception.

Advertising is a multifaceted means by which a company or an individual may market a product or service. Advertisements can be seen in books, journals, magazines and newspapers. And, can also be heard on the radio, while viewing TV or by surfing the Internet. "One form of advertising is Co-operative advertising is done when a group of businesses with similar interests work together co-operatively to increase the impact, and reduce the expense, of their marketing efforts (Strait)."

There are advantages to advertising that is of direct benefit to the consumer. It produces innovation and product improvement by forcing competition that lowers prices. Advertisements are also the principle means by which most people hear of a product or service, in so far as to what the product can do and its' performance. For instance an ad can alert a consumer to a product that may be able to help them live longer. They help a consumer to make up their mind when choosing. And, ads can introduce a consumer to new products and new uses for older products. Most importantly perhaps, due to its' time-management appeal, is that an ad provides a means by which the process of trying numerous products may be eliminated.

In a capitalist society sometimes the sole interest of the provider of a product may be to just earn money. At issue is whether short-cuts are worth the money that can be earned. Advertising costs money and in a competitive market providers know that if their product is not known than no one will buy it. To pass on the price of advertising on to consumers can be disastrous. For this reason some providers have developed strategies to reduce the cost of marketing which include mass production, buying needed materials in bulk and wholesale and relocating the production plant in another country in order to escape high taxes. However, are these tactics for increasing profit enough? Well, it stands to reason that if the quality of the product suffered as a result of short cuts than that would also reduce profit.

For most companies and individuals that rely on advertising as a means of acquiring profit it is about getting their brand name recognized. When someone sees or hears an advertisement they usually are able identify the product with the company that makes it, i.e. McDonald's Big Mac or Burger King's Whopper. It is in the provider's best interest to maintain a high standard in regards to their product or service due to the negative effects that name association bears on success. Sometimes the consumer may be misled by false advertisements.

The largest problem plaguing consumers is fraud (Smith). This often occurs when an add deceives a consumer by having them to pay for a product or service that does not exist. It also happens when a claim is made or alleged that about product's quality or performance which cannot be substantiated. Another example of advertising