Reading Advertising
Ads are found almost everywhere -- they are broadcast on TV and over the radio, posted on the Intemet and printed in newspapers and on posters in our cities. Advertising is a highly developed industry. The develooment of radio, television and other media has gone hand in hand with the development of advertising.

People react to advertisements in different ways. Some people find ads useful and entertaining; others think that they are annoying. Defenders of ads say that ads help us make informed choices as consumers by introducing good quality products. On the other hand, critics sometimes accuse companies of using ads to mislead us by making us believe that a certain product is better than it really is or that we will be happier if we buy it.

The basic principle of advertising is fairly simple. By introducing a brand name to potential customers, and by associating the product with the customers' needs, companies are able to influence the choices customers make. Customers see so many ads every day that advertisers must work hard to get their message across. For that reason, companies spend large amounts of money employing advertisers. The best chance to reach customers is to appeal to their emotions. Thus, instead of selling them the product, the ads sometimes seem to be selling them what money cannot buy: love, happiness and success.

Ads help companies and customers in a variety of ways. It has been proven again and again that frequent advertising increases product sales. Since an increase in sales means an increase in production, the price may be reduced. Therefore advertising, instead of making a product more expensive, often makes it cheaper. Advertisements also help consumers choose among all the available products. There are many things we need to take into consideration before we buy an expensive product, such as a car or a computer, and ads can help us make the fight decision.

Perhaps the most important function of advertising is to introduce new products. Truthful ads provide good information that helps customers to decide whether they want or need the advertised product. By explaining the features, functions and costs of a product or service, ads also allow customers to compare prices and quality before they actually go to the store. Armed with facts and figures, customers are better able to deal with the often powerful arguments given by a salesman or saleswoman.

Not all ads are used to promote a product or to increase a company's profits. Many governments use ad campaigns to make people aware of social problems and government policies. Aid organizations often name a well-known person as their spokesman or spokeswoman in order to get their message across. For example, the United Nations selected the soccer star Ronaldo, pop singer Tetsuya Komuro and other famous people to represent the UN and make its programmes known to the public. By using the techniques developed by the advertising industry, govemments and other non-profit organizations can spread knowledge, change attitudes and improve society.

There are some ads that are not helpful. These "bad ads" use illegal ways to mislead consumers. It is not always easy to spot a bad ad, but there are a few things we can look out for. First of all, we should always keep an eye out for "hidden information". Some ads hide important information by using small print or colours. Other ads mislead us by showing pictures that are only partly true or have been changed to look better. A similar trick is used in so-called "bait-and-switch" ads, that is the customer is shown one product (the bait) and then given another.

There is no clear evidence to show just how well ads work, but they are important to both companies and consumers. Good advertisements make it possible for companies to introduce new products and increase sales. If the ads provide accurate information, they also help the average consumer to find the right product at the best price. Because ads are powerful and some companies try to mislead us, we must be careful when we read ads. If we cannot distinguish between fiction and facts, we will become easy targets for ad makers. If, on the other hand, we learn to analyse ads, we may be able to protect ourselves from false advertisements and make good choices.
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