Write a discursive essay in which you explore the positive and negative aspects of different types of advertising.

#625Lab Feedback: this is a decent attempt at a discursive essay. This sort of essay requires clearly stated assumptions, sharp structure and clear logic within each point. The structure here seems to be intro – economic growth – propaganda – body image – obesity – conclusion. They are connected to the concepts in the essay title, but if I were writing such an essay, I would identify specific positive and negative aspects and different types of advertising, almost like a grid, and move through them systematically. There are plenty of excellent aspects in this essay, but towards the end the argument turns quite unoriginal.

“Advertising is the art of making whole lies out of half-truths.” -Edgar A. Shoaff

We live in a society where we are driven by our desire. Since the beginning of time, we have always wished for more – often believing that the grass is greener on the other side. We live in a world where this primal desire is harnessed by advertising companies. We are invaded by it daily – TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, social media, sides of buses, etc. This consumer pressure has so many facets to it: what we buy, what we do, how we look, how we live.

Does advertising also has a very positive impact on our world? Arguably, because of its obvious informative nature, they (who?) enable us to compare a variety of products in a simple and effective manner. Furthermore, it could be said that it improves the standard of living of the citizens in the country. Advertising increases competition between manufacturers, which in turn, means that better quality products are found in the market at lower prices. (Excellent.) Hence, benefiting the consumers. (Fragment. Avoid.) This very consumer culture is what keeps the economies of many modern societies going. At a national level, more jobs are produced – hundreds of people are often needed for a single advertisement to go on air- from writers and animators, to website designers and coordinators. Internationally, a nation’s export potentials are boosted by advertising. For instance, a recent study done in the UK demonstrated that for every £1 spent on advertising, £6 are produced for the economy. Lastly, advertisements are largely responsible for maintaining the survival of major communication media such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television. (This is an excellent paragraph written in the language of argument. It may sound like specialist knowledge, but most of it is quite obvious – and statistics don’t have to be real. This is a prime example of use of critical thinking in an exam – rather than memory – don’t miss the chance!)

Nevertheless, what might at first seem as a benefit, not always is. (Rephrase.) With the widespread popularity of the internet, many methods of advertising have been created to target individual consumers. For example, the use of ‘internet cookies’ tracks an individual’s website activity. Have you ever been on a new website and wondered why the ads on the site display items of clothing from an online shopping site that you visited earlier? Or perhaps it is a weekend getaway from a site that you were on months ago! These are all due to internet cookies. At first glance, these cookies seem innocent, as they only personalise ads to benefit your interests, however, these ‘microtargeting techniques’ have been used by political campaigners to influence their audience. In the US 2016 election, these political cookies enabled candidates to target specific members of the population with propaganda. On a large scale, this is capable of affecting the whole political stance of a nation. These ads are often of a dogmatic nature that are capable of effectively ‘brainwashing’ members of the public to influence their vote. In fact, this method of utilising advertising to influence others’ views has been used for centuries. A famous example is how Hitler used propaganda to control Germany and its people. Realistically, we are surrounded by false advertising everyday, as H.G. Wells once said “Advertising is legalised lying”. (If you’re going to bring propaganda into this, you need to define how it is different to advertising and how it is different to normal political discourse. Otherwise, it sounds like a straw-man.)

As individuals, we don’t generally like to stand out, we follow trends, even subconsciously, in order to feel included. Advertising not only reflects trends in popular culture but also influences them in many ways. Studies have shown that on average, 1 in every 4 ads includes messages or images of attractiveness and beauty. The beauty standards used in these advertisements are completely unrealistic. In fact, most models weigh an average of 23% less than a typical woman and only around 5% of the female population fit the certain beauty standards portrayed by the media today. Ad campaigns only include ‘perfect’ women – with the use of photoshop and airbrushing, unrealistic bodies are portrayed as the goal. Thanks to advertising on television, the Internet and magazines, media has a strong hold on women’s personal perceptions of what beauty is supposed to be. This is also affecting many young girls with 70% of them believing that models found on magazines portray what a perfect body shape should look like. This has been known to contribute to many young women experiencing eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, with a 400% rise on these cases in the past 30 years. One thing that has been done to tackle this issue in countries such as France, is regulating the weight of models, so they maintain a medically healthy weight. Although, nothing will ultimately change unless we learn to embrace each unique body type.

Incidentally, these beauty standards are viewed differently across the world. Advertising companies identify what the most desirable features are for that culture and harness this in order to increase their sales. For example, in Japan, straight slick black hair is viewed as ideal, so many permanent hair straightening products are on the market and in the majority (if not all) of the advertisements for beauty products include models with this hairstyle. Likewise, in China, women in the media are portrayed to have a very pale complexion. Hence, skin bleaching products are widely popular. In many nations across the world, this is the same. In Western culture, women in advertisements have beautiful tan skin and no wrinkles, therefore two of the most popular beauty products on the market are fake tan and anti wrinkle cream. (This paragraph isn’t great. You’re assuming a causal relationship. Perhaps, you are correct, but that’s not the important part. The important part is that you argue it. For example, how do you know that the following isn’t true: 1. We have a set of beauty standards, independent of advertising. 2. This beauty standard is used to enhance the attractiveness of what’s being sold.) This all goes to show that as individuals we are deeply influenced by the media and advertising to the extent that we are willing to undergo treatments and spend hundreds of euros in order to achieve the ‘perfect’ look.

Furthermore, there is a huge issue on how food, particularly unhealthy and fast food, is advertised. Research has found strong associations between increases in advertising for non-nutritious foods and rates of childhood obesity. The children of today consume multiple types of media, often simultaneously, and spend more time in front of screens than any other activity except sleeping (on average 35 hrs a week) meaning that they are under constant influence from advertisements. Advertising exploits children as young as two as they are targeted in their fast food commercials. Children have a remarkable ability to recall content from the ads which they have been exposed to, which causes product preferences to form. These affect the products, in this case junk food, that the parents purchase due to their children’s requests. Therefore, it is absolutely unacceptable that these ads are allowed to run during family programs – in fact, a recent study showed that children are seeing up to 12 adverts an hour for high-fat, high-sugar foods during prime time family shows! These ads promote an unhealthy relationship with food by normalising bad eating habits. These norms will more than likely carry on into adulthood for the affected children, increasing their risk of life threatening diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart disease. Ultimately, new generations are being raised in this same culture of fast food, all stemming from their easy and accessible nature that is so widely advertised.

In conclusion, advertising has many perks and flaws for society. Different types of advertising affect us on a day to day basis and influence us in different ways. Many of the advertisements we come across on television, print or social media, are completely harmless and serve to inform us of available products and services on the market. On the other hand, advertising can also be used to have ultimately negative consequences – this is the case in which fake ads or even political propaganda influence and manipulate our views. Advertising also sets an unrealistic standard of beauty across the globe, causing many, especially girls, to lose self-confidence and have lower self-esteem as they feel unhappy with their bodies. Lastly, advertising companies often direct their campaigns to influence young children which in turn, has shown to increase rates of childhood obesity as an unhealthy diet and way of life is normalised and at times, encouraged.