One opinion supports that advertisements encourages us to buy things that we really do not need while another opinion defends that advertisement tell us about about new products that may improve our lives. I agree that advertisements encourage us to buy things that we do not really do not need although I acknowlege that in some cases, it can help access new products. I will provide arguments supporting my position and, in parallel, provide examples where advertisements may provide us information of new products that will prove useful in our lives.
Advertisements is an art of marketing. Most of the time, the advertised products or services do not really meet all the characteristics showed through the advertisements. In addition, advertisers tend to take advantage of weak quality control, especially in less developped countries. Because of weak quality control, it is difficult to test if the products or services advertised correspond really to what is advertised. As illustration, articles have been published from time to time about subsaharan africa countries where people buy products which at the end prove not only unnecessary, but also sometimes harmful for health.
Nonetheless, advertisements are sometimes useful to inform customers about new products and services that can be useful, especially in developped countries. Strong quality control in those countries incentivize advertisers to truth in their advertisements. Therefore, customers are better equipped to buy products or services that really respond to the advertisements.
In summary, advertisements can inform us of new products that can be really useful to improve our lives, especially in developped countries where quality control is ensured, while in general, it tends to encourage us to buy things that we do not necessarily need, especially in contexts where the authorities cannot ensure quality control.