How Are Current Advertising Techniques Used to Manipulate Consumers?

An advertisement is a paid communication through a non-personal medium in which the sponsor is identified and the message is controlled. They can be about publicity, product placement, sponsorship, underwriting and sales promotion. They can be delivered through various types of media: television, radio, internet, newspapers and magazines. It depends on how consumers actually get manipulated by it. In the past, advertisements were in black-and-white; without much information; and people were not able to afford some of the media. However, currently advertisements are being able to be understood by the viewers easily; everyone is able to view the advertisement because they can afford the media; and advertisements are now both easily audible and visible. All these depend on how advertising techniques are being used.

Certain products use a specific form of advertising known as "Custom publishing". This form of advertising is usually targeted at a specific segment of society, but may also "draw" the attention of others. Such advertisements are the anti-smoking advertisements Anti-smoking groups, particularly cancer charities, along with many government health departments have attempted to counter the advertising of tobacco by creating their own advertisements to highlight the negative effects of smoking. The earliest commercials mainly focused on aiding smoking cessation, the increased risk of lung cancer and the problems associated with passive smoking. Currently, there is such advertisement circulating in Singapore’s media. It is the �Smoking Kills’ advertisement. Even though it made a huge impact on many smokers, it created nightmares for several people especially the kids. Such evidence is:

An advertisement showing a woman suffering from oral cancer, with a diseased tongue, teeth and lips. I haven't seen the complete TV ad yet, but catching a glimpse of the end of it a couple of nights ago was enough to give me the creeps. I'm not sure that it would necessarily make me quit smoking, if I were a smoker, but I can appreciate why it gave at least one nine-year-old child nightmares (as dutifully reported by Channel NewsAsia).

Therefore, the impact of advertising has been a matter of considerable debate and many different claims have been made in different contexts. According to many sources, the past experience and state