Advertising Campaigns: The Ugly, Bad, and Good

Ann Watercutter
watercutter_1@hotmail.com

In my humble opinion, advertisers and every person involved in the development of ads have one of the greatest ethical responsibilities in our society.

As we continue to move into a mega-consumer culture, advertising space becomes ever more crowded, and the temptation to use short cuts and psychological manipulation becomes ever more pressing.

While a company obviously needs to understand its consumers in order to create better products that will benefit their users, there is a blurry line as to the appropriate depth of analysis. Our knowledge and technology are more advanced than ever, and it is up to humans to decide just how far is too far.

A lot of people may not understand how much money, time, thought and research goes into that one 30-second ad you see between episodes of "Breaking Bad."

Ads on TV are the third most influential form of advertising behind personal recommendations and consumer opinions posted online. It is TV where ad agencies and companies are spending a majority of those persuasive dollars, and it works.

It is estimated that by 2015, $603.1 billion will be spent on advertising. Something that matters that much to businesses should have practices that are transparent and understood by the public, but I fear this is generally not the case.

The Bad

The millennial generation is the first that has grown up with TV from a young, influential age, and the damages are apparent. Data has linked advertising and obesity, potentially due to the fact that at least 50 percent of the advertising targeting children is for food. Particularly advertised are those high in sugar and fat, with little nutritional value.  

Physical health is not the only concern. Material-centric teens are not leaving materialism and selfishness in their teen years. Adults and children alike can become obsessed with the next big thing; their personal value is tied to material goods. This type of thinking can obviously lead to self-esteem issues, because human value is tied to economic status. It is a sad reality that even I can see our society heading toward.

The Good

One of my favorite examples of quality advertising is Gatorade. While they perfectly understand their consumer, they use it in a way that I find tasteful and effective. Gatorade serves competitive people who are looking for an edge in their training. They want to win and are looking for the best training equipment, including the liquid they use to replenish their bodies.

The “One More” commercial shows Gatorade’s consumers that the brand is behind their goals, without being sneaky or targeting audiences that would require special protections. 

Advertising is a business of persuasion, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, the people in the business need to humanize their audience. It is vital that they think of the impact of every message and image they put out there, because it is incredibly influential. A generation that is exposed to millions of advertisements before they reach age 10 can become a product of those messages.