The influencing power of advertisements is strong. Big brands persuade renowned celebrities to promote their product. This makes a huge impact on advertisements amongst youngsters.
Over the years, advertisements can be compared to a coin with two sides.
Advertisements can have a positive or negative impact. Certain social advertisement help create awareness of crucial issues. The recent social advertisement on the preventive measures of Covid-19 or the advertisement of the Aarogya Setu app are some examples. Advertisements can promote awareness on important social issues such as child labour or malnutrition. They can also enhance our knowledge of brands of various items, for example, the latest model of an SUV or the latest brands of watch.
On the other hand, some advertisements can be deceptive. Teenagers can fall victim to such false advertisements. A classic example is advertisements of fairness creams that guarantee glowing skin. These fairness cream commercials promote false propaganda that a fair skin completion is desirable. For instance, the Fair n Lovely commercial portrays that females become successful by applying fairness cream.
Another example is the commercial for Sweat Slim Belt, which claims that one can get slimmer in five seconds. I remember the 13-year-old me completely believing it. They are also responsible for promoting consumerist behavior among the youth. Some advertisements don’t highlight the side-effects of their products that, in many cases, if overlooked, can be harmful. For instance, the Pan masala commercials completely ignore the fact that chewing them can cause mouth cancer or they write warnings in small fonts at the bottom that is barely visible.
As a sensible consumer, it is our responsibility to be brand conscious, that is, become critical as a consumer to examine the potential side-effects of certain products. Teens should be taught to monitor their expenditure right from the moment they start receiving pocket money from their parents to prevent them from becoming spendthrift. In this manner ,they can become responsible and conscientious adults in the future.