In today’s competitive market, brands and organizations are dumping millions, if not billions, of dollars into marketing schemes and advertising campaigns to promote their images and boost sales. One school of thoughts contend that sales of unnecessary products are the main drivers of these costly advertising endeavors. Acknowledging the reasonings behind the argument, I would content that it is an oversimplification of the capabilities of advertising.
Granted, proponents of the argument often point to the effectiveness of these adverts when it comes to driving sales of “unwanted products”. By employing various sophisticated psychological tactics, advertisers, for years, have successfully associated these so-called “unsolicited” products with the tags of happiness or the keys to fulfillment, enticing people to make purchases. This explains why most sport cars, despite their lack of practicality, are highly sought after. Likewise, designer clothes also fall into this categories. Many are willing to splash out thousands of dollars on these extravagant products, even though their true values might not appropriately reflect their prices.
That being the case, I believe that it is not the sole goal of advertising, as maintaining relevancy and boosting brand awareness are also, if not more, important focuses of advertisement. For the former, when it comes to competing for market shares, brand’s image is key. Companies that fail to maintain their images in the customers’ mind are bound to cease to exist, as seen in the case of Blue Berry by Nokia. In addition, an effective marketing campaign is one that not only reinforces the brand’s identity but also improves its awareness. This is why despite its success, Apple keeps rolling out new advertising campaigns on the monthly basis, aiming at promoting their products to not only their existing customer base but also to potential buyers.
In conclusion, while there is no denying that advertising can promote the sales of non-essential products, it is not the key focus.