Values and Attributes of Society - Essay Example

One of the most important among these is the societal factors associated with the target audience. It is vital to properly understand the structure, kind, and need of the particular society to which the advertisement is targeted. A vitally relevant question in this context is whether a successful advertisement should aim to influence society in terms of its customs and attitudes or it should reflect the existing values of the society.  David Ogilvy has opined that “advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them." The objective of this essay is to critically review the statement of David Ogilvy with reference to the existing scenarios in the market and personal perceptions.

            The basic principle of any advertisement is to attract potential customers towards the product or service which the advertisement intends to publicize. With no regard to the type and kind of advertisement, this objective is universally relevant. Now considering the generic trend of humans, any person gets most attracted towards things and factors that are close and familiar to him or her personally. Anything which sounds and looks similar to things that are known would be listened to, viewed, and understood better. Taking this fact in a generic scenario, any society would get attracted when exposed to values and attributes it is familiar with. For example, if an unconventional product or service is advertised in a conventional society, it would look into it as an alien entity. Thus in this context, the viewpoint of David Ogilvy becomes much relevant. On the other side, if a completely new product is introduced to a society emphasizing a background that is familiar to the society, it would welcome it. For example, to a society that is completely new to the internet, if internet service is advertised as an improved version of communication systems which they are used to, the advertisement would work better. In this context, society would formulate an idea on the product or service based on the values to which they are familiar. Another factor that would influence society in accepting an advertisement is the adaptability of the advertisement to the existing values and attributes of the concerned society.  No society would pay attention or respond positively to an advertisement that promotes anything which is not acceptable as per the societal values.

            Taking these factors into consideration, it is quite justifiable to assume that any successful advertisement would be in accordance with the values and attributes of society. This makes society, the decisive factor in influencing the style and strategy of advertisement. On the other side advertisement which argues with the societal values while proving to be unsuccessful, confirms its inability to influence society. Thus, in conclusion, the statement of David Ogilvy that “advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them" is very much true on practical grounds.