In light of fierce competition among a growing number of firms, consumers are now being bombarded with numerous advertisements. In this essay, I will demonstrate how advertisements may trigger impulse buying and then suggest some viable solutions that governments can adopt to alleviate the adverse impacts.
The primary method companies use to promote their products is by attracting people’s attention through visual arts. The exaggeration of a product’s features using eye-catching graphics in commercials may sway people to purchase items when they have no real need for them. This is reinforced by the appearance of celebrity endorsements, which can greatly influence their fans, who tend to imitate their idols. For example, OPPO, a mobile company, perfectly exemplifies this situation. Many youngsters in Japan buy OPPO phones because the company’s promotion campaign features a prominent pop singer. However, they often find that the products do not meet their needs and end up having to replace their phones.
In order to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions, states could take the following measures. First and foremost, they must regulate the content of advertisements. Prior to the publishing of an advertisement, a rigorous check must be conducted to ensure it reflects the actual quality of the product. This measure ought to be implemented in tandem with educating consumers on how to critically evaluate the information they watch on media mass. They have to consider whether the commercial is accurate or not, then make informed decisions. The combination of these two methods may safeguard consumers against the aforementioned detrimental effects.
In conclusion, advertisements may lure consumers into purchasing unnecessary items and therefore governments should take immediate steps to minimize their impacts.