Advertisements often encourage people to purchase items they do not truly need. I strongly agree with this view, as modern advertisements frequently manipulate emotions and create fake desires.
On the one hand, advertisements are made to make people want things by making products seem like they are needed for their needs, even when they are not. Companies use tricks like people buy products, catchy phrases, and nice pictures to good consumers that their lives will be less good without a certain item. A clear example of this is the advertisements for the latest smartphone models. There are not almost new functions but, people buy for their auras.
Moreover, advertisements often use emotions and psychological tricks to influence decisions. Many beauty and lifestyle products, for example, show standards through perfect images, making customers feel bad about themselves. This emotional manipulation makes people buy their products in an attempt to be better or to fit in. Such purchases are not based on need but rather on a desire created by the adverts.
In conclusion, although advertising can help companies reach people, I believe its overall influence is often bad as it promotes artificial demand and plays with emotions. Therefore, I believe that its overall effect on consumer behavior is more bad than good.