Are We Sure That's What We Want to Tell Consumers?

While advertising may seem like nothing more than a noisy or annoying interruption of whatever media you’re attempting to consume between commercial breaks, I do believe that it has a kind of value in our society. Advertising is a way for companies and manufacturers to communicate directly with their consumers, and it encourages those consumers to consider their options before committing to a purchase by making them aware of those options. It helps encourage innovation and competition, and keeps individuals informed of products or services they may be interested in.

I also believe that there should be a certain degree of restrictions placed on advertisements. Because they are usually accessible by the greater public, some things should be toned down or censored, similar to the way that the film industry cuts previews for certain films differently depending on where the preview will be run. Ads on TV and radio should be a little more restrained, as they are highly accessible. Advertisement on the internet would likely need to be handled differently, though, and websites should probably be the ones to have final say on what they find appropriate to advertise, as they are the ones with the best knowledge of their user demographics. The goal of these companies is, ultimately, profit. In order to profit from their consumers through advertising they have to ensure that their ads find the correct people and then resonate with them in the intended manner, as an inappropriately placed ad can instantly alienate potential consumers or turn them away from the product or service entirely.

When it comes to regulations, I think it’s best that the companies be allowed to set and enforce their own regulations with the government stepping in as a last resort. THe film industry is the perfect example of this. The movie rating system is simple, easy to understand, and lets the viewer know immediately what kind of content they should be prepared for, how to filter out a certain kind of content, or how to find a certain kind of content. If ad agencies were to develop this kind of system for their advertisements as a way to designate what kinds of ads would be best placed in certain kinds of media, I think it would serve as a highly effective method of rating these ads.

In regards to potentially harmful products, like alcohol, cigarettes and guns, I think that the policies that are in place currently are well thought out. It’s definitely inappropriate to advertise these products within a certain proximity to a school, and advertising them on television would also be in very poor taste. Magazines, billboards, and other forms of advertisements that are directly intended and placed for adults to see are more than enough to gain their attention, as many of the people who would be seeing these products out are already aware of their existence. The ads are introducing a new concept, simply attempting to steer their preferences in one direction or another, so simpler ads are appropriate and sufficient.