Advertisements

Advertising is a form of marketing communication used to persuade an audience to take or continue some action,usually with respect to a commercial offering,or political or ideological support.

In Latin,ad vertere means "to turn toward". The purpose of advertising may also be to reassure employees or shareholders that a company is viable or successful.Advertising messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed by various old media; including mass media such as newspaper,magazines,television advertisement,radio advertisement,outdoor advertising or direct mail; or new media such as blogs,websites or text messages.

Commercial ads often seen to generate increased consumption of their products or services through "branding", which involves associating a product name or image with certain qualities in the minds of consumers.Non-commercial advertisers who spend money to advertise items other than a consumer product or service include political parties,interest groups,religious organizations and governmental agencies.Non profit organizations may rely on free modes of persuasion,such as a public service announcement(PSA).

In a competitive society or in a capitalistic country like ours,advertisements are a necessity.Factories mass-produce goods, and shops, and firms sell them.The advertisement of these goods is meant to attract a wide variety of customers to buy them.

We look at the innumerable posters,notices,small boards and hoardings(called 'billboards' in American English),huge boards on the outside of buildings,and banners for advertisements at road crossings and street corners or in busy public places.At night,the advertisements are well lit.

Advertisements introduce new products to the general public,for example,the public comes to know readily of new medicines for diseases,effective techniques of constructing houses through companies having specialized knowledge,availability of new methods of teaching,new and useful fertilizers and equipments for agriculture that can add very rapidly to agricultural production, and so on.

The government advertises its schemes and policies to inform the public and to make it participate in them.It has advertised in the past its new housing plans,savings schemes,educational policies,issue of identity card,etc.from off and on.

Advertisements in newspapers for jobs in government departments and private organizations are highly useful.They help the offices and agencies to get readily trained manpower from the public.They help the educated public to get jobs and employment.The labor force gets work in government offices,market places and production centers through newspaper advertisements.

The education private sector mostly depends on advertisement and publicity to attract students to educational institutions.The huge posters,billboards, and newspaper ads provide information about courses and studies in different schools and colleges.

Advertisements of cigarettes,undesirable dress,expensive foods,harmful soft drinks, and time-wasting games should be discouraged.Cosmetics and items of make-up that cause waste of money and negative effect son health should not be put up at public places.

The visual pollution caused by the numerous pictures,signs,slogans and writings on billboards (hoardings)should immediately be checked.In the big cities,all the main roads and public parks are crowded by these most of which are a kind of nuisance.

Advertising should be developed as an art that pleases and informs the people rightly about the best products and services.