Advertising Appeals to Imperfect Lives and the Desire Satisfy Needs - Essay Example

Advertising Appeals to Imperfect Lives and the Desire Satisfy Needs While most businesses use advertisements as a way ofattracting the customers, most of the customers view the main function of the ads as to exploit the imperfect lives that they have as well as their desires to satisfy themselves. This is because the advertisements are made in such a way that they would either make people feel more perfect or satisfy their needs. One of the facts that make the adverts very effective is the notion that people are immune to it and that they only purchase what they really need (Boston Womens Health Book Collective, Inc.). The belief that people hold, that their decisions cannot be affected by the media and the advertisements, makes media very strong because when a person purchases a product they are convinced that they really need it. However, in most instances, this is not true. The average individual in the American society sees very many adverts per day. These adverts are available in almost all corners of life ranging from home where most part of the television is advertisements to the office where an individual doing research on the Internet is exposed to many more adverts in this media that has become more pronounced in the contemporary world. The ads that are directed towards the female population range from beauty, fashion, and diets. The companies undertaking the advertising usually do enough market research to know which side of the society can be exploited to the advantage of increased sales volume and market share for these businesses. The adverts are projected towards ensuring that the customers would be pleased to the point of thinking that their lives would become perfect if they purchased certain goods. If the media does not find a need to exploit, they can create some to make people think that they need the product being advocated for. Creation of an area to exploit makes people think that they have a problem or even make them doubt themselves. This would definitely prompt people to try the product to see whether the perceived problem would be eliminated. This is during the quest to make lives perfect, which according to people, can be achieved through elimination of the problems that cause the imperfection. The need to create doubts in people is usually the result of intense competition that has been taking place in the modern world between the main players in the business sector. However, during most instances, the ads are designed to exploit the existing needs that people cannot live without. For instance, most magazines intended for the male population have female figures on their covers. In this regard, the media found out that women who are mostly dressed in provoking ways are appealing to the male population. In the same way, the mainstream movies are made in such a way that the female figures appeal to the male who would then watch or purchase the films more often (Boston Womens Health Book Collective, Inc.). The female stars in these films and advertisements are dressed and behave in aphrodisiac ways looking helpless; these are some of the moves that men find highly appealing. This is a clear indication that the media uses women in the attempt to satisfy men’s sexual desires. Additionally, this is the main reason that the media uses women in advertisements and magazines meant for men. With respect to women, adverts are made in such a way that they can satisfy the need to become the center of attention. This is mostly accomplished through beauty products that the media advertises in exaggerated ways to make women feel that they can use the product to gain the feeling of a model. The need for attention is the idea that one wants to be looked at. For women, this need is directed towards members of both genders. This is because women want to gain the attention of the female population so as to fulfill the need for affiliation and to look better than other women as well as to get the attention of the male population for reasons related to intimacy and psychological development (LaTour and Tony 82-83). To fulfill this desire, the media uses adverts intended to make a woman’ body shape look good or attractive. This is because if an individual feel positive about themselves, they become more confident making their lives perfect. The media exploits this need by offering products that women can apply on their bodies or others that they can take like medicines to improve their body shapes. On the other hand, those advertising healthy foods also exploit this idea maintaining that an individual could get the desired body shape when they eat properly or when they exercise frequently using specific devices such as treadmills from a specified company (Berg). This implies that the media exploits the need to feel comfortable with oneself when advertising. Although one may feel comfortable with their own body, the adverts can be twisted to make them feel incomplete especially when appealing to the obese people. This is the exploitation that the media can use from two main perspectives that include health and body shape. A product can be advertised to make the obese people question their health and their comfort with their bodies prompting them to become distressed and develop low esteem (Berg). This would then prompt them to want to lose weight through any means possible. These individuals become misguided that if they use a specific product they would become perfect and satisfy the desire for attention. The central criteria advocated for the obese people is thinness and youthfulness as women are made to feel that obesity or being overweight is a disastrous fate and the first stage for aging. This diet trap is directed towards the overweight individuals as well as many adolescent girls. With respect to the adolescents, when the girls cannot afford some of the products that the media is advocating for so as to lose weight, they tend to use other dangerous alternatives just to satisfy their attention and affiliation needs (Fowles). Such alternatives may include skipping meals, severely reducing the amount of calories in their food, smoking, fasting, and using diet pills. Most of these methods have serious health related repercussions that may result from unhealthy eating habits. Under contrary, these individuals may become more depressed when their methods they use for losing weight fail to work. On this regard, research indicates that girls who diet gain more weight as compared to those who do not because the body would react differently as they eat too little in one period and then binge on another. Such individuals are at a higher risk of developing poor nutrition problems, emotional problems, and growth impairments. This implies that advertisements may prompt people to hurt themselves while in the quest for satisfying or eliminating and imperfection. Most marketers understand that every innate desire corresponds to an object that can satisfy it (Kreeft). The need to satisfy curiosity is another reason why most people buy things that they probably do not need. This is because most people want to change, as they believe that they hold the ultimate choice to change or not to. Bearing in mind that most people would like to have better lives, which are close to perfection and better than other people’s, they tend to buy things that would make them appear better. This is the quest that most men would like to achieve with respect to acquiring a different lifestyle, which could indicate a high social status. In the quest to fulfill the need for change, people tend to look for guidance in the media. The media then shows ads, which depict that the only way to change is to purchase classy things that are mostly not necessary. Although this might satisfy the curiosity need for some time, the satisfaction is not long term and individuals later find themselves purchasing other more expensive things to keep up with the social class. This is a chase to perfection. Research maintains that advertisements prompt people to act according to the idea that nothing lasts long, nothing is ever finished, and nothing is perfect (Wood). The contemporary advertising is very different from the traditional advertising. While modern advertising looks towards exploitation of desires and creation of others, traditional advertising was aimed at the most basic things such as clothes and how to eat in a healthy way without persuading people to use a specific product. From a personal point of view, the information provided regarding advertising and its exploitation and creation of nonexistent needs is accurate. This is because some advertisements are manipulating people’s choices into thinking that they really need to purchase something while they do not in the real sense. For instance, media makes an individual to perceive their worth by evaluating their weight and body shape. However, although being overweight could bring health problem, a person’s self-worth should not be measured through weight. Instead, it should be measured according to the person’s contribution to the society, their families, and the overall community. This implies that weight should be viewed as just weight and not as some form of a disaster or the beginning of aging, which could lead to depression and the need to look for any possible means for losing weight irrespective of the dangers involved. To enhance on the body image, I think people should develop a more positive image of themselves through appreciating the functional nature of one’s body and without contemplating on ways of tampering with it. For instance, a person should thank their legs for being able to carry them about. A person should also avoid the manipulation that comes from media adverts by avoiding criticizing oneself. The inner voice may be manipulated into telling an individual that they are not good enough. An individual should be strong enough to disregard such feelings so as to ensure that they are not manipulated. Such voices should be regarded as unwelcome intruders. On the other hand, although it might be difficult, a person should ensure that they do not chase after perfection and accept themselves the way they are. For instance, an individual should ensure that they stop viewing certain things as inferior to others. Here, occasional indulgence should not be the cause of the perfection need. Personally, I would recommend an individual to educate themselves on certain issues such as diet and weight losses. This is because what research says about obesity and what most people believe are different things. People should base their arguments, especially, which concern their health, on scientifically proven facts and not on mere advertisements. This implies that people should learn to differentiate the art of advertising and real world when considering serious issues such as health. Additionally, people should avoid being pre-occupied with ideas seen on advertisements. The fact that the society is not always right should also be acknowledged by all members of the society. Lastly, it would also be effective for an individual to avoid competition and comparison with other people. This would not only eliminate the chase for perfection but also encourage people to accept themselves the way they are. In conclusion, advertising leads to some form of manipulation to a significant extent as it persuades people to buy things that they do not need by creating a need that was previously non-existent. People follow the advice given by the adverts so as to make their lives perfect. The desire to satisfy the human needs is what the media, through advertisements, exploits. This is because people are obsessed with perfection and competition. Some of the most common needs that the media exploits include the need for affiliation, attention, and guidance. Adverts are made differently according to the gender or the population portion being targeted. This is the reason behind the idea that magazines made for men have many female figures because men usually seek to satisfy the need for intimacy. Works Cited Boston Womens Health Book Collective, Inc. Body Image. 2011. Web, 26 Apr. 2014. http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/excerpt.asp?id=2 Berg, Frances M. Self Esteem / Body Image Size Positive. 2014. Web, 26 Apr. 2014. http://www.healthyweightnetwork.com/size1.htm#esteem5 Fowles, Jib. Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals. n.d. Web, 26 Apr. 2014. http://www.cyberpat.com/shirlsite/education/essay2/jfowles.html Kreeft, Peter. The Argument from Desire. n.d. Web, 26 Apr. 2014. http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/desire.htm LaTour, Michael S., and Tony L. Henthorne. "Ethical Judgments of Sexual Appeals in Print Advertising." Journal of Advertising 23.3 (1994): 81. Print. Wood, Jo. Perfectly Imperfect. 3 Apr. 2014. Web, 26 Apr. 2014. http://ddfhb.ie/updates/2014/04/03/proudly-imperfect Read More