In our daily life, we have all come across a number of different advertisements – be it on television, mobiles, banners, or posters. With them being almost everywhere, advertisements are a great way of attracting or familiarising people with products, issues, and schemes. You can find them in the middle of a YouTube video or even during the intervals of an IPL match. Even the advertisements that are less than 50 seconds in length, helps the firms behind them earn a lot of money. Have you ever wondered what the driving force is behind these ads that make companies spend so much money on them for their products?
The only logical reason behind this is that we, as humans, tend to remember things that stand out visually better than pamphlets crammed with information about the product. The creativity, background music and work of celebrities that go into advertisements tend to garner more attention and are remembered in the long run. Ever wonder why YouTube shows targeted ads of the products you searched for on Google or Amazon? While most of us skip ads that interrupt videos, the chances of us watching something personalized till the end are significantly higher. Inquisitiveness and the needs of consumers are used as the basis of several advertising strategies.
Consumers are much less likely to show interest in a product that is promoted by someone unknown, as opposed to if it was promoted by a well-known actor, influencer or sportsperson. The irony is that some of the best products on the market with passable advertisements may fail to reach out to a greater number of consumers compared to an average product with advertising. More than demand influencing product supply, advertisements have started to shape how many people really want it.
Just as we remember the best brands to pick for a product, people have begun to remember the trademark ads of products too. This leads to some advertisements running the risk of setting false pretenses in society. People are forced to believe that energy drinks are what help athletes win and not their hard work. Another stereotype that some fairness cream ads have created is that a person with a lighter complexion is more confident and successful than a person with a darker skin tone. Even though it is easy to troll these illogical advertisements, doing so only helps these products capture people’s attention. Ads can make us think we are not perfect the way we are and force us to associate happiness with consumerism.
Despite this, there are a lot of advertisements that create awareness among people and help people find the best product for their needs. We as consumers ought to be careful and should put some effort into researching a product before buying it. In this digital world where companies have a multitude of mediums at their disposal to advertise, consumers also have several ways to inform themselves about the products they purchase as well, so let us make use of them.
