Abraham Maslow in his Theory of Human Motivation stated that
while people aim to meet basic needs, they seek to meet successively higher
needs in the form of a hierarchy. This theory seems to have become the mantra
of advertisement industry that not merely caters to human needs but also
creates them, thus establishing a materialistic culture. It is true that the
ultimate decision to buy a product is in the hands of the consumer but
advertisements do modify consumer needs, building a new from the previous.
People find their selves buying things they do not need.
The kind of materialistic culture that advertisements have
created can be well estimated after the launch of iphone5. The name sells! Not
many of the millionaire sons who would have ordered Iphone5 even before its
launch in India would know that the only significant difference between
iphone4s and iphone5 is the so-called “brilliant 4-inch retina display that
allows you to see more of everything”. What intrigues one is the question that
for how long can one follow the escape route into the virtual world? One has to
come back to reality, sanely speaking.
Above all, the Advertisement and Public Relations is one
highly competently flourishing sector with humungous employment opportunities
for the creative minds. The materialistic aspect of it can once again be judged
by the cut-throat competition here for those who want to earn name and fame,
and for those who want to cut others’ name and share of fame. The battle of
brands between two leading national English dailies, The Times of India and The
Hindu, through the advertisement campaigns against each other is suggestive of a
strengthened earthly-mindedness of the generation.
What might also be an extreme case of the materialistic
culture that ad-makers mindlessly are creating is the morale draining of the youth, which once
tempted by a product if is not able to seek it, might well fall into the
vicious circle of thefts and robbery. Ambika Puri, B.Com student of Delhi
university says, “Same ad may have different effect on different societies.
While ads may influence a person dwelling in urban areas to buy a certain
product without its need, it may leave a member of a minority society
disappointed.”
Having mentioned about the role of advertisements in
altering the preferences of the youth, it becomes equally important to talk
about the portrayal of women in advertisements. Females are, more often than
not, shown assuming a passive role giving ample satisfaction for the ‘male
gaze’. Commercial ads of deodorant brands like Axe, Vanessa and condom brands
depict females as having being made for males; furthering a step in the gender
biases prevalent in our patriarchal society. Another major aspect of gender
roles in creating a materialistic culture is that the advertisements are made
differently for male and female audiences. For adolescent boys ads are made
targeting their all-in-one-man aspirations. Ads of Hero bikes and of drinks
like Thumbs Up and Mountain Dew are made depicting adventurous and daring men.
While for adolescent girls advertisements are made inspiring them to become
sweet and sensual by depicting attractive models/actresses endorsing a teen
product.
Shruti Gupta, An Economics teacher at Kamala Nehru College,
Delhi University says “ The big MNCs like Coke, Lays, McDonalds etc. have a
such powerful financial muscle that they use in advertising which makes the
youth of today think that watching a match in stadium without buying a bottle
of coke and chips is boring and useless. The irony is that in a country where
poor people don’t have clean water to
drink, some people harm their health by consuming junk food.” She goes on to
add that “From an economic point of view, advertising today is a game of money.
Adverts distort the consumption and production patterns of a nation. We don’t really
need mineral water when so many people in villages and rural areas don’t even have
clean water to drink. In a nutshell, ads distort economic priorities of a
nation through misallocation of resources. Their products are promoted on such
a huge scale on banners and billboards that they are visible everywhere and
create a huge impact so much so that each one of us believes that we cannot
party without a bottle of coke!”
Adverts also have a tendency to divert one from reality and
make one dream beyond one’s reaches. The ads that one sees on billboards while
crossing the main roads portray a lifestyle that each one of us would want to
have, consequently only leaving us in a miserable state of envy. And if one
gives into these ads, one is often found being stereotypically associated with
that brand in particular. For instance, if one sees a girl wearing Reebok shoes
and Reebok sweatshirt, she exudes an impression of being athletic.
An interesting concept prolific in the advertisement
industry is of Behavioral Targeting used by online website publishers,
advertisers and marketers allowing them to tailor ads based on consumer’s web
behavior to increase their profits. However, this concentrates dangers to the
user’s browser security and is even considered illegal by many country’s
privacy, data security and consumer protection laws.
The most plausible solution to this constructive
materialistic culture is with consumer himself; by being smart and aware, by
availing consumer protection services and consciously keeping away from victimizing
oneself into this materialistic culture.
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