Negative Impacts of Ads

March, 1. 2010
Hyorim Kim
FD#2


According to the industrial development, new products are turning out every single day in a fast pace and people have various choices in their purchase. For instance, when we go to a supermarket to buy a tooth blush, we could see an abundant tooth blushes which filled an entire wall. A number of companies have been producing the same good and competing with other company producing similar product with them. As a result, the industry of commercial advertising also has grown fast. The purpose of commercials is to attract people a certain product so that make them want to buy the product among others. The problem in contemporary commercials is to be a more luring advertising to people among one’s competitors, commercials tend to manipulate, be deceptive and offensive to people. [THESIS] In general, most of advertisements have a negligible negative impact on our lives by illogical and sexual concepts especially on women and adolescents.[THESIS]


According to Dr. Turow, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, advertisers do not focus on all audiences, instead, they narrow down a certain audience group targeted (Goshgarian, and Krueger 330). The narrowed audience group is consisted of potential buyers. Commercial is the new way of marketing to reach customers with a special message. However, in order to be a powerful temptation, some commercials contain logical errors, called logical fallacies (Goshgarian, and Krueger 48), to manipulate people who are targeted by advertisers. I have found an appropriate example of advertising that tend to manipulate target customers.


The name of product is Motherly Cubes, a frozen baby food brand, and Jenny Webber is the director. The TV commercial of Motherly Cubes starts with a mother having her baby in shopping cart. A mother is pushing a shopping cart around frozen food section in a mart and a baby is in the cart. In the background, other two mothers are shopping with her baby. The main actress, the mother, says “all moms want to give their babies the best start in life. That's why I love motherly cubes 100% natural "grain or range" This commercial contains the Bandwagon Appeal and Circular Reasoning. The bandwagon is easy to appear in advertisements because it gives people image that “people is doing this and thinking that.”(Goshgarian, and Krueger 419-48) The renowned slogan for bandwagon is “Smart shoppers shop at Sears.”


“All moms want to give their babies the best start in life, that’s why I love motherly cubes 100% natural "grain or range" This commercial contains a meaning that mothers concerning their babies love to buy “motherly cubes” which is bandwagon. All moms want to give their babies the best start and natural foods, which are generally true, but mothers really concerning their babies’ life and health, most of them would not want and feed instant frozen food for their babies. Therefore, what the actress said is not general idea that accepted all mothers. Feeding a baby the frozen food never can be a logical reason for the baby start in life because the commercial slogan does not have accurate evidence to support. Such fallacy calls circular reasoning. (Goshgarian, and Krueger 48) Not only many commercials contain such logical fallacy but also make adolescents and women vulnerable by commercials focused on sexuality.


Brining sexual concepts in advertisements is one of powerful techniques to attract people. Sex stimulates people’s curiosity. Although sexual advertisements are hard to recognize what they sell, in reality, many of advertisements employed sexuality are top selling products such as Puma’s Kneeling and Carl’s Jr. Hamburgers. (Gifford) The main a school girl is kneeling at a guy feet and she is touching his knee. Even though, heads of models is limited. People can easily image a sexual situation. Carl’s Jr. Hamburgers got famous by Paris Hilton’s sexual appeal in the commercial. She is wearing swim suit and car washing with her body. Until see the final scene of the commercial, audience may not recognize what she is advertising. My classmate, Remington Taum sets a good example that is selling sexuality in TV commercial.
Calvin Klein’s perfume commercial, CK In2u, starts with one girl and boy. They meet at a street and smell each other. The girl keeps teasing the boy, unfasten his belt, and runaway into elevator. The boy follows the elevator finally meets her. The commercial ends on a couch and the girl and boy touch each other. This commercial definitely gives image of sexuality. Reminton Taum also point out that this commercial contain logical fallacy which is post hoc, ergo propter hoc. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc is a wrong cause-and-effect relationship. The main message of this commercial is that if you use CK In2u, other gender would be attracted you. Therefore, CK In2u commercial contains the post hoc, ergo propter.


To be a more powerful sexual commercial among others to shock or stimulate people, some commercials contain even unethical issues such as rape and homosexuality or Lesbianism. These unethical issues influence negative impact on adolescences and women. For example, one of Dolce & Gabbana advertisements in magazine, in two pages of advertisement, a topless guy is pushing a girl on the ground and she is wearing sexy dress. She seems to resist the guy but four guys around them are watching the situation. The commercial situation describes rape and this commercial does not have relationship with fashion. The other example is Jimmy Choo’s advertisement from our text book, the Dialogues. In the advertisement, a dead woman is lying in a car truck and a guy is digging ground with his shelve. This commercial indicates murder and abandonment of a dead body. Both commercials of Dolce & Gabbana and Jimmy Choo contain criminal issues such as rape and murder and are very offensive to women at the same time. Such unethical commercials have negative influences not only women but also adolescences.


A research has shown that advertisements impact on adolescents. An adolescent views about 250 ads per hour. The problem is they do not have ability to understand or distinguish the notion of various commercials which means they are defenseless. (Pediatrics) According to Pediatrics research, when adolescents are exposed at sexual media such as ads, they attempt to do sexual intercourse or other activities. In addition, most of models in ads are erotic and skinny. Such factor impacts on adolescents’ body images. They perceive their body shape has to be the skinny model. Actually many teenagers are having eating disorder to reduce their weight.


As Jennifer Pescador, classmate says commercials such as movie, special event, sport, help people to have information. However, in general, most of commercials have negative impact on people. Commercial is a marketing tool that approach its target customer in a fast pace. Each commercial contains message to manipulate people to act in certain way. Moreover, today many advertisers employ sex in commercial to sell everything from hamburger to shoes. They want people to be shocked by their ads. However, using criminal concepts or excessive sexuality in advertisements are offensive to women and cause significant negative impact on adolescents. Definitely commercials are responsible. Therefore, when advertisers consider commercial concepts, they must deliberate ethical issues and further social impacts.




Works Cited

Gifford, Amy. "Sex Sells Best?." Inventorspot (2007): 3-1. Web. 29 Feb 2010. .
"Children, Adolescents, and Advertising." Pediatrics. 2006. American Academy Pediatrics, Web. 27 Feb 2010. .
Goshgarian, Gary, and Kathleen Krueger. Dialogues. 6th ed. 771. Longman Pub Group, 2009. 419-48. Print.
Taum, Remington. "Logical Fallacies ." Online posting. 27 Feb 2010 Laulima discussion. 27 Feb 2010
Pescador, Jennifer. "No, Ads Don’t Have Negative Impact." Online posting. 19 Feb 2010 Laulima discussion. 28 Feb 2010