Advertising: Role and Importance of Advertising
The existence of a particular commodity or a service to the public, and to create a desire in public to get that commodity or service.
Huge sums of money are spent every year by business concerns on the publicity of goods manufactured for and services offered to customers. These businesses are amply repaid for the costs they incur in advertising their product or services.
Advertising is left in the hands of advertising agencies who know best how to give effective publicity to goods with a view to securing a large and extensive sale for them. Advertisements have now days developed into a fine art whose technicalities have to be mastered by long practice and a specialized study of the subject.
Advertising occupy a place of great importance in the business world of today. In fact, we live now a day in an age of advertisements. They are assailing us from all directions. Very few people can resist the persuasive power of salesmanship.
All kinds of advertising services are being availed of for pushing the markets of various commodities. They are often marked by a touch of originality. The art is being improved upon every year making the business world more and more dependent upon advertising agencies.
The more extensively and effectively a commodity is advertised now-a-days the greater is the chance of its securing a wider and wider market.
It is often believed by Indian producers that advertising and publicity unnecessarily raises the cost of production. They also opine that it is only goods of an inferior quality that require to be advertised for pushing up their sales. However, it doesn’t seem correct to think that costs incurred on advertisement are not paying. On the contrary, successful advertisement by extending the market for a particular commodity will ultimately bring down its cost of production.
It is a known fact that even goods of a very excellent quality have little chance of reaching a wide circle of customers unless due publicity is given to them by effective advertisement. However, illiteracy of the Indian masses offers a great hindrance to publicity. Press advertisements being of no use to them, the only way by which they can be approached is by audio-visual appeals.
Besides its commercial importance, publicity has great educative value too. The advertisement of food products, medicinal drugs and even of cosmetics may disseminate much useful knowledge among people on matters relating to hygiene, public health, neatness and cleanliness in daily life and even develop their aesthetic taste.
It may also stimulate efforts for a better living by creating in them a desire to add to their material possessions and rise in social estimation. In fact, publicity carried on a high level of efficiency may sometimes change people very out-look on life and their pattern of living.
Conclusion: Every advertiser wants to show that the goods that he offers for sale have some special qualities. There are, of course, a number of goods of the same quality competing for the same market. Though, his business is to create a bias for the particular brand he deals in, he should be responsible enough not to deceive the consumers in any way. One should not forget the consumer is the king. An advertising campaign can produce the desired long-term result only if the need and wants of the consumer is not compromised.
