Impact of Advertisements on the Younger Generation
Advertisements have become a part of the daily life of the youngsters and they have gotten used to being bombarded with several advertisements during the course of their day.
AUTHOR : SREEJITA KARMAKAR
Introduction
Advertising is a means of marketing communication with the users of a product or service, or the general public in order to promote or sell a product, service, or idea. Sponsors of advertising are generally businesses wishing to promote their products or services. In advertising, the advertiser pays for and has control over the message. Advertising is distributed and communicated through various mass media. Including traditional media like newspapers, flyers, magazines, television, radio, and news media. Such as search results, blogs, social media, text messages, or websites. Commercial ads seek to induce increased consumption of their products or services through “branding”. Which associates a product name or image with certain qualities in the minds of the consumers.
Advertisements and the Youth
The advertisement industry has a massive impact on the younger generation. In the modern world, with the widespread impact of social media among the youth, advertisements are at an all-time high reaching equally high to the audience. Advertisements have become a part of the daily life of the youngsters and they have gotten used to being bombarded with several advertisements during the course of their day.
Advertisements have become so common for them that they do not even realize that they are viewing or hearing them. They certainly have a persuasive influence on the youth. In the ever-expanding world of consumerism and advertising, companies are always looking for multiple new ways to sell their products to the youngsters by making their commercials and campaigns more memorable, which would leave an impact on their minds.
The younger generation has become the prime target of the advertisers. Because they have more spending power than ever before, as well as having increased avenues at their disposal. Therefore companies spend tremendous amounts of money to rope in popular film stars, sportspersons, musicians, etc. to endorse their products. These famous people are usually in such an influential position that their fans follow their lifestyles and their famous personas leave impressions on the lives of their fans too. Especially the younger ones – who mostly follow the footsteps of their idols from deciding what to wear to choosing what to eat and drink.
Advertisement using Famous Personality
These advertisements using famous people not only help to ensure popularity but also early brand loyalty. In the last decade, many superbrands have looked towards new and outrageous ways to lure young audiences. Through appealing campaigns as these youngsters are cognitively and psychologically quite defenceless against advertisements. These prove that advertisements represent ‘big business’ and have a significant role in the lives of young people. Who need to be educated about the effects of advertising, that is, media literacy. This will prove effective in mitigating the harmful effects of advertisements on youngsters.
These days, Cristiano Ronaldo – the renowned Portuguese footballer and health fanatic is being talked about because he removed two Coca-Cola bottles during a press conference at the European Championship. He held up a bottle of water before declaring in Portuguese: “Agua!”, thereby encouraging people to choose that instead. This caused a $4bn fall in the share price of the drinks company. Coca-cola, which is one of the official sponsors of Euro 2020, saw the drop of its company’s share price from $56.10 to $55.22 almost immediately after Ronaldo’s gesture, a 1.6% dip. The market value of Coca-Cola went from $242bn to $238bn. This responsible gesture from an impactful man like Cristiano Ronaldo is truly commendable. It shows he knows his influence on the lives of his fans and he cares about them.
Although advertisements can be informative and help one make an informed choice, they may have certain effects on the youth and go as far as influencing their decisions, lifestyle, and personality, in some cases. Advertisements can have both positive and negative effects on the minds of the younger generation.
Positive Effects of Advertisements
⦁ They can be a source of information as certain advertisements, especially public service announcements present innovations and technological milestones. Which can offer knowledge and a good learning opportunity to the youth, besides educating them about new products on the market.
⦁ Healthy food choices advertised the right way can influence the youngsters to opt for a more balanced diet.
⦁ Advertisements can also have motivating content that can encourage children and youngsters to choose a profession or chase a specific dream. They can help develop a passion for the same and make the youth work towards making it true.
⦁ Certain advertisements about hygiene or cleanliness can inculcate good habits in youngsters.
⦁ Advertisements that present other youngsters of a similar age engaging in activities like helping out with household chores and saving can persuade kids to do the same.
Negative Impacts of Advertisements
⦁ As advertisements can be persuasive, youngsters may want to purchase a product because ads are generally aimed at the youth. A stubborn youngster might demand products shown in advertisements.
⦁ The portrayal of stunts in advertisements can be very dangerous. Although they do come with statutory warnings, they may be ignored at times and the kids may attempt the stunts.
⦁ A large portion of food or drinks advertised are junk food and can be very visually appealing. These can have an impact on the eating habits of the youth and promote an unhealthy lifestyle.
⦁ The sexual objectification of people in certain advertisements is a cause for concern. As the youth grow up to think this is the norm.
⦁ The visual portrayal of some inappropriate acts such as lying or cheating can make someone vulnerable believe such types of behaviours are acceptable.
Conclusion
There can be some tips given to stop the negative influences of advertisements from spreading among the youth. Like cutting down the screen time or trying to download television programs to avoid watching advertisements and more. But in a world full of innovative advertisements, it is very hard to ignore all of them. Advertisements appear almost everywhere, from newspapers to billboards, from television to luggage tags. The best way to eliminate the negativity surrounding advertisements is by educating the youth. Regarding the finer concepts of the marketing world.
Bibliography
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/effects-of-advertising-on-children/
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/16/cristiano-ronaldo-snubs-coca-cola-billions-wiped-off-drink-giants-market-value
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