ADVERTISING is part of our lives and try as we may, we cannot avoid it. It is everywhere-on television, radio, newspapers, magazines and street posters. It is impossible to avoid it.
Advertisements persuade, convince and encourage us to purchase the items, hinting that it is necessary, that we need it.

Sometimes it makes us feel as though that our lives might change for the better by possessing it and various methods are used to accomplish this.

The advertiser capitalises on our desires via one of his most effective means, the television.

The persuasive, misleading nature of advertisements, in many

instances influence the thinking of the viewers often causing them to confuse their wants with their needs.

Sometimes advertisers misuse or twist the language in their advertisements.

For example, some advertisements say a particular brand of shoe is for $29,000 in other stores but at their store it is being sold for $20,000 so you save $9,000.

Actually, you don’t save anything .it is important to note that no business operates on the basis of sentiments; their primary concern is to make a profit.

Humour is often used by advertisers in television commercials. These kinds of advertisements, frequently give no hard information about the product they feature but the viewer is left with the name of the item in mind because of the humour the commercial.

Often, television commercials for cars seem to indicate that ownership of the car will guarantee a beautiful girlfriend for the man who buys that particular model of car.

But there’s also another side to advertisements, that is, they inform us of new and improved quality products on the market, where they are being sold, how much is readily available and the range and price of goods and services.

Advertisements generally are very important to consumers. Hence, I firmly subscribe to the view that advertising provides a useful service to the community and that criticism which results from a lack of objectivity is just a sheer waste of time.

It will not protect the consumer against the persuasive techniques of the advertiser, but an education will teach the consumer to cultivate an objective attitude towards advertisements and to exercise his powers of discrimination in his selection of goods and services.

I have come to the conclusion that advertisers have one aim only, and that is to induce us, the general public to buy the product or service that is publicised and we do.

Advertisers use numerous methods to persuade us to spend our money and they all have one thing in common. They are all successful.
KIANA WILBURG