Consumers are faced with increasing numbers of advertisements from competing companies. To what extent do you think are consumers influenced by advertisements? What measures can be taken to protect them?

In today’s material world, we are inundated with various forms of advertising. In my opinion, this can be dangerous as people are encouraged to spend without thinking and young people, in particular, need some protection from it.

Advertising does make people to spend money they do not need to. There are nowadays so many different ways companies can promote their products or services, ranging from television commercials to simple flyers, which people cannot easily escape from it. For example, anyone cannot miss to notice the logos and slogans of tournament sponsors while watching the football. Furthermore, consumers are not aware that they are manipulated when the products are placed in films by the advertising agencies. As a result, this amount of advertising profoundly influences the customers and persuades them to buy without thinking.

It is not easy to decide on how to regulate the advertisements. First and foremost, Government ought to ban the advertisements on harmful products like alcohol and tobacco and mandate statutory warnings to be printed on their displays. In some countries, cigarettes cannot be advertised in televisions. Secondly, advertisements aimed at children must be controlled or censored. For instance, advertisements on products that are unhealthy like fast food should not be aired in cartoon channels or during kids entertainment programs. In addition, parents should also encourage their kids not to pay too much attention to those advertisements.

In conclusion, while advertising is needed in free market economies, false information or advertisements on unhealthy or harmful products should be regulated.