How can advertisements change the world? What is their importance?

Hi. An advertisement is a way of communicating to people about a product, brand, idea, or service to attract interest, engagement, and/or sales. Basically, it’s a way of spreading a message and creating awareness among the masses, either for the benefit of a business or to enact some sort of social good (in the case of nonprofits). It is an important part of our economic and social life.

Let’s discuss more.

Advertising is a broad topic. There are many different forms of advertisements, and they are important for  advertisers themselves, businesses, manufacturers, middlemen, salesforces, customers, and society in general. Even governments make use of advertisements to spread awareness.

A lot can be discussed on the importance of advertising for different segments of society. Even a job posting for a small, entry-level position that a teenager applies to for their first job is technically a form of advertising. Anything that needs to attract attention to a group of people, without specifically targeting any one person (because that would be solicitation), and is meant to make them do something (basically not just free entertainment) is advertising on some level.

We can understand the value of advertising through the following eight points:

1) It is helpful for a launch or an announcement, such as a new product or event.

2) It is a source of revenue for the advertiser and business, so much so that businesses will pay outside marketing experts a lot of money to handle it.

3) An ad is an effective medium for the promotion of goods, services, ideas, events, etc. The economy would not function without them.

4) It helps in spreading awareness of a topic in society.

5) It generates employment, since ad platform providers and experts in advertising are highly sought after.

6) For producers and manufacturers, it helps in creating demand for a product or service, and also helps in differentiating and prevailing against competition, creation of the brand image, etc. In other words, advertising is the difference between a business and a hobby.

7) It eases the decision-making process for customers to buy a product/service, such as through inspiration and customer education.

8) For salespersons, it makes the selling process easy as the potential customers are already aware of the product/service and have been pre-sold to some degree.

For the second part of your question, there’s really no limit to the extent of how ads can affect the world. There are ads that inspired soldiers to go to war, and ads that introduce products that we couldn’t imagine living without today.

For instance, when toothpaste was first invented, it sold terribly because no one believed it was necessary. People had no problem believing it might be good for them, but they saw it as overkill, a tacked-on extra sale that dentists were trying to get their patients to buy. Until one day, the right ad campaign came out and associated toothpaste not with dental health, but with physical attractiveness. Overnight, the concept of sparkling white teeth being better than normal off-white or yellowed teeth changed everyone’s minds. Brushing with toothpaste is obviously good for you, and no one disagreed, but it was that special angle, a pitch from a more immediate and relatable interest, that reshaped people’s habits around the world.

I have an interesting post to share that would give more points to this answer. The importance of advertising is undeniable. Can you imagine the world with literally no advertising? I have discussed what that would actually be like in my post: Welcome to a World Without Advertising.  Also, if you would like to read the answers to other questions related to advertising strategies, you can check the Knowledge Base section on my website.

Please feel free to reply if you need clarification.

Good Luck!

Thanks,

Cleo