ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

STUDENT DETAILS

Student name: TRAN PHAM BAO PHUONG Student ID number: B1112025098

UNIT AND TUTORIAL DETAILS

Unit name: ACADEMIC ENGLISH Unit number: AEn4

Tutorial/Lecture: Class day and time: Thursday 12PM
Lecturer or Tutor name: Ms. Lennie Heather

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

Title: Individual essay

Length: 1157 words Due date: 9/5/2021 Date submitted: 9/5/2021

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Note: An examiner or lecturer / tutor has the right to not mark this assignment if the above declaration has not been
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 Topic: Analyze the impacts of advertisements on buying behaviors of consumers.

         The human life process is a series of needs and needs fulfillment. Once one need is met,
another immediately arises. Satisfying the needs of people, goods are more and more popular,
developing in both quantity and quality. Especially in the current market economy, manufacturers try
to find out every strategy to compete to sell more profitable products to the company. One of the
healthy competitive strategies is advertising.

          Advertising is a form of engaging with the consumers of a product or service. In an article

written by Devika N. (2019), different professors said that the term advertising as – “any paid form
of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, and services by an identified sponsor”.
The significance of advertising has developed so much over a long time that it is considered one of
the most vital fundamentals to the improvement and success of any specific business or company.
However, there are both sides to the positive and negative impacts of advertising, especially on
consumers.

          On the one hand, the first benefit of advertising that customers receive is the increase in
knowledge about a certain product. According to the GWI article written by Gorman D. (2021), they
have conveyed a survey on 4,013 U.S. and UK consumers of all generations about what they want
from ads. The results showed that a majority of people, even Gen Zs, prefer advertisements
providing real product information. With ads highlight the various types of information such as the
price, unique features, the source of the product, etc. This enables customers to make decisions about
the exact element they want and the amount they willing to pay before physically visiting a store. 

          Besides the role of informing, it could be a useful tool to educate people in general since
advertising does not necessarily promote a product, it can also deliver meaningful messages.
Humphries L. (2014) had listed a series of social issue advertising campaigns on the Lifehack website
and there are two posters that have impressed readers. The first poster was created by a Russian
company Red Pepper. It was created to emphasize the importance of road safety during the summer
vacation. The subtle graphic and catchy tagline “Think of Both Sides” effectively convey the dangers
that distracted drivers pose on the lane and also encourages them to stay focused at all times. The
second poster concerns recent viral COVID-19 outbreaks around the world which people are
becoming more aware of the importance of hygiene. By presenting dirty fingers emerging from a
public payphone keypad, and the thought-provoking tagline "What you Really Touch," Sanzer's
commercial sends a strong message and urges viewers to wash their hands regularly. Lastly,
advertising offers solutions to buying problems. Consumers can experience issues such as hair loss,
tooth decay, illness, inability to find the desired product or design, quality, or price, etc. Despite the
fact that advertisement can exaggerate consumers' concerns about social or physical flaws, it does
provide solutions. Advertising removes fears, uncertainty, tension, a lack of self-confidence, and a
variety of other issues associated with the product by providing customers with good solutions. 

           On the other hand, besides the good aspects of advertising, there are also negative effects on
brand value, especially when marketers do not understand advertising culture and they offend the
habits and customs of some countries. As a result, consumers feel insulted and hurt. A typical
example is that in the report written by Mak A. (2018) about the promotional video of the Italian
brand Dolce & Gabbana, they used the story of using chopsticks - a traditional dining tool of Chinese
and many Asian countries. Instead of talking about the traditional beauty of an East Asian country,
the act of using chopsticks to pick up Western dishes such as pizza, spaghetti, shows the disrespect for
the culture of their country. After that, the Italian brand was faced with a wave of boycott from
netizens. Besides, the brand also suffered heavy losses when it lost a large number of customers from
the country of billions of people and it may never have the opportunity to return to China. 

           In addition, there are many advertisements out there that give false information about the effects
of the product and it has severely affected consumers, especially on health. On the website USA
TODAY, Suneson J. (2019) has given concrete evidence of some of the company's most misleading
claims about their products of all time. The first mentioned product is Vitaminwater. The brand is
owned by Coca Cola and they falsely claimed the water can minimize the risk of eye disease and
makes the limb joints healthy which does not have any scientific proof. The second one is Sensa’s fat-
burning product which asserted to enrich the smell and taste of food, making users feel full and eating
less. According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), the brand was found to have deceived
customers and made unsubstantiated weight-loss claims. 

           Finally, advertisements often create unrealistic expectations for consumers. As reported in an

article written by Zahir N. (2016), teenagers see extremely skinny women in store windows and on
television every day, which makes them aspire to this body type. Also, particularly for developing
adolescents, this effect is harmful and potentially dangerous. The causes of having to be too thin lead
to a negative body image and its consequences, such as eating disorders, unhealthy attitudes that
damage youth, as well as low confidence and self-worth. In other words, it can pressurize people to
conform to unnatural or unrealistic body standards. 

In conclusion, advertising helps convince customers that one brand is superior to another and it
can be more beneficial to improve their lives. Persuasion can lead customers in a positive or negative
way, depending on the intention of those who produced it. Whether consumers are easily swayed by
advertisements or maintain their stance is a matter of personal choice. As a result, it can be shown
that there is a close and decisive relationship between advertising and consumer behavior.
Determining the importance of advertising as a producer is already half the business success. 
References:

Devika, N. (2019), Definitions of Advertising: As Given By Eminent Authors. Retrieved from

https://www.economicsdiscussion.net/advertising/definitions-of-advertising/31793

Gorman, D. (2021), How effective are ads on social media?. Retrieved from
https://blog.globalwebindex.com/trends/ads-on-social-media/

Humphries, L. (2014), 30 Powerful Advertisements You Won’t Be Able to Forget. Retrieved from
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/30-powerful-advertisements-you-wont-able-
forget.html

Mak, A. (2018), Dolce & Gabbana’s Racist Chopsticks Ad Suggests Asians Have Small Dicks And
Can’t Eat Pasta. Retrieved from 
https://zula.sg/dolce-gabbana-china/

Suneson, J. (2019), Cigarettes and supplements are among the 42 most outrageous product claims of
all time. Retrieved from
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/11/43-most-outrageous-product-claims-of-all-
time/39451953/

Zahir, N. (2016), Television Advertisement as Source of Creating Body Dissatisfaction among

Females Viewers. Retrieved from 
https://gmcrjournal.com/papers/tDRDMPw9Js.pdf