Advertisements – a source of information or a clever mean of manipulation?

We come across advertisements every step we take: at out homes on television or on radio, in the streets on so-called billboards, in newspapers etc. But have we ever wondered what kind of influence do they have on us? Are they a source of information or a clever mean of manipulation?

The main point of advertisement in its all forms is to make us buy a product. Marketing experts fight with each other about who is to discover a better slogan to attract customers. Sometimes they use hidden means to do that, so we are unaware of the influence the advertisements have on us (for example the meaning of colours). Almost always they simply lie – even the most up-to-date face cremes will not let us look 20 years younger. Producers just wait for our gullibility to empty our wallets. In most cases advertisements have no other goals as to present advantages of the product (no disadvantages possible!).

However, for some years we’ve been able to see, specially on billboards, advertisements sponsored usually by the Governemt. They present us many important pieces of information on issues, such as alcoholism, drug addictions, aids or bribery. Their main point is to focus our attention on these problems, show, that they do exist in our country and indoctrinate us to start acting against them. For sure the governmental advertisements are more intelligent form of spreading information. But whether they act like a mean of manipulation or not, is still doubtful because we cannot measure it in any way (just as we can with advertisements of products).

All in all, the goal of advertising industry always remains the same. No matter what they want to show us, their message is to catch our eyesight and manipulate us