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Sambandha SilwalI, Sambandha Silwal, promise that I will do this exam entirely on my own, without reference to
any other material whatsoever and without communication with any individual. I understand that
I will fail the exam if I do not abide by this pledge.
8. ‘Television advertising rarely tells the truth.’ To what extent do you agree? [30]
We see advertisements all around us. They are in the magazines, on the TV, on huge billboards
everywhere and all over the internet. Advertising is a method to attract people’s attention.
Advertising is an important and simple procedure for companies and agencies to make
themselves and their products and services known.
Advertisements as we can see are made to look attractive and appeal the viewers. They are
generally eye catching, using catchy phrases, popular music and sometimes vibrant colours.
Advertisements also collaborate with famous personalities in order to grab as much attention as
possible from the public. Although such advertisements are made to please the viewers, the
claims such advertisements make and the assurance they give are usually vague and too good to
be true. For example, The High Definition Television advertisements claim that it as a flat screen
is a ‘virtually distortion and glare free’. The ad doesn’t exactly say that the TV has no glare or
distortion whatsoever. Instead what it says is really has no meaning since it virtually can be
interpreted in many different ways. The ad does provide the notion, that the television has no
distortion or glare.
While such commercials do please the viewers, comparing it with reality, it does bring in some
disappointment. The burgers always look bigger and juicier in ads than they do in real life. All
women are rail thin and perfectly endowed and it is always clear skies in the travel brochures for
Indonesia. Therefore, in comparison to the reality, such advertisement isn’t always honest.
Advertisement can be deceptive in many ways. One of the most common deception in
advertisement is taking relevant information off the table so that only the best features of the
product and services are highlighted. In those advertisement the benefits are exaggerated and
conveniently enough, nothing negative is said about the products. It is in fact completely honest,
but a misconception is created about the product. Although there is nothing wrong with this
approach in advertising, a full disclosure is not made. Hence such advertisement becomes a half
truth. as said by a famous Yiddish proverb, “a half truth is a whole lie”.
On the moral scene, such advertisement can be criticized by saying that no such advertisement
just tells the entire truth. There are thought to just be a small truth about the products being
advertised. These advertisers entice their consumers through offering sugary information about
the products which at times is not the truth. Rather than creating an awareness, they do this just
so they can attract as much ‘customers’ as they can. It is of great importance, that the advertisers
make enough and more information on their products. The information should be factual and
honest.
Another way, advertisements swindle the public is through the power of influence. When a
popular celebrity collaborates with a company and plays a part in their advertisement, a huge
mass of people gets attracted to the products as they think that their idol is using the products,
whilst the celebrity is just getting paid to do so.
Within each of these different ways that advertisement trick the public, there are still other
methods of deception such as white lies, disassembling, exaggerations and fabrications.
With all this being said is it, justified that such advertisements are not completely honest to the
public? Not exactly but sometimes the truth just does not resonate. People would want to think
they are being told the truth, and do not want to be blatantly lied to. Somewhere in between there
is exaggeration, sarcasm and playful presentation. For example, in the deodorant ads compared
to reality, woman might not chase after the person using the product as shown in the ad but
might just say hi in a public place.
Hence, in conclusion, advertising in general rarely tells the truth. Advertising is all around us,
but a moment's reflection should make one wonder how it could exist at all. Everyone knows that
such advertisement is often misguiding, so why would anyone believe a company that is trying to
sell them something? But if anyone wouldn't be swayed into buying by a giant billboard or TV
commercial, so many successful and sensible companies wouldn't even put up an effort to
advertise.