Advertisements
Advertisements have become a part and parcel of our lives. Try going anywhere in the world you can not escape from advertisements. Consumers are bombarded with more than 1500 commercial messages
every day.
Advertising, in a way, represents the contemporary society. The content of an advertisement, the its illustrations and its message all have a social flavour. Advertising effects society and gets effected by it. So it is necessary to use advertisements with caution to avoid a corrosive effect on social values.
Though advertising seems to be of use to various groups, questions are frequently raised whether it creates class consciousness, materialism, unnecessary needs and other values which are not universally accepted. For most companies, the question is not how, but rather how often to communicate with the consumers. To reach the target markets advertisers sometimes overstep the legal and social norms.
The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech but special restraint is needed in commercial speech including advertisements. An advertisement is termed deceptive when it misleads people, alters the reality and affects the purchasing behaviour of the consumer. According to the Federal Trade Commission (USA), deception occurs when,
1. there is misinterpretation, omission, or a practice that is likely to mislead.
2. the practice is material and consumer injury is possible because consumers are likely to have chosen differently if there is no deception.
Children as targets of Advertisements
Children in India constitute 18.7% of the World’s kids population and one-third of India’s population is under 15 years of age. A survey by A.C.Nielsen UTV’s research partner showed that an average child watches TV for about 3 hours on week days and 3.7 hours on weekends. About half of this time is spent watching the advertisements which can effect the behaviour of the child.
PUFFERY
Puffery means the usage of harmless superlatives to sell their products. The advertisers use superlatives to boast the merits of their products like…. the best, number one, cheapest, greatest, finest, etc. Even law approves trade puffering or exaggeration. But the subjective statements of opinion about a product’s quality are so untrue that it becomes an outright spoof and which is not true.
In 1997, MRTP Commission asked the Hindustan Lever Company to stop its campaign that it’s Pepsodent tooth paste was 102% better than the Colgate toothpaste.
Sex appeal is used explicitly to sell all sorts of things. It is used to gain consumer attention. It is used where it is not even appropriate to the product or service being advertised. Women are shown as decorative objects or or as sexually provocative figures for products where women are not required.
BAIT ADVERTISING
In this the consumer is lured into a retail outlet by an advertisement for a low cost item and then is sold a higher priced version. Once the consumer enters the store, he/she is pressured to purchase another more expensive item. In such stores, one finds a handful of outdated products on the discount announced and other better products as ‘fresh stock’.
Advertisement of harmful products
Advertisement is not restricted to products that are good and useful to the people. In India, advertisements for cigarettes, liquor, paan masala (chewed tobacco), products that are harmful to the public continue to find a place in the TV channels, surrogates etc., despite the ban imposed by the Government of India.
Legal Aspects of Acvertisemnt
- The Consumer Protection Act, 1986
- The Emblems and Names (Prevention of improper use) Act, 1950
- Trade and Merchandise Marks Act, 1958
- Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995
- Indecent Representation Of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986
- Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969
The Regulatory Authorities
- Insurance Regulatory Development Authority
- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
- Securities and Exchange Board of India
- Reserve Bank of India
- Medical Council of India
Unfortunately despite several laws meant to protect consumers against such unfair trade practices, false and misleading advertisements continue to exploit the consumer. Outdated laws, poor enforcement of laws are the main reasons for the prevalence of mal-advertising. The need of the hour is better laws, regular updating of the laws, better enforcement of laws and regular surveillance on the advertisements by the authorities.
Related Topics : Science and Technology material for APPSC Exams
Source : Govt. Jobs Material
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