Prompt: Some people say that advertising encourages us to buy things that we really do not need. Others say that advertisements tell us about new products that may improve our lives. Ċ Which viewpoint do you agree with? Ċ Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Things are never black and white, they rather tend to be in the grey zone, and advertising is not an exception. Although, it is hard to know about new products without commercials, the advancements in media-technology, and psychology has enabled commercials to be smartly deceiving. This essay discusses the belief that advertisements tend to mislead us into buying goods and services that we might not need because it is their sole purpose. Ċ Firstly, several studies have suggested that the advertisements, which remain the most effective means of increasing sales for many brands, can manipulate customers into buying goods that they don't actually need because their bottom line is to uplift the overall sales for a company. For example, in the realm of cosmetics, once the new innovation became stagnant, companies started to move towards misleading marketing tactics to increase their sales, which differentiate products with little to no actual difference, in terms of day Vs night, men's Vs women's and kid's Vs adult's. It changes the whole narrative into having a personal product for each household, then having a common consumption trend. Ċ Secondly, it is observed that the recent rise in consumer behaviour studies, which focuses on the emotional element behind a purchase decision, has enabled brands to manipulate buyers by forming stories that can tap into their feelings and emotions, and create desires that never existed. For instance, several luxury brands like Gucci and Ferrari create a sense of success and exclusivity around their products by using exotic locations and extremely attractive models in their commercials. It consequently creates a desire to get these limited products so that one can also become a part of these exclusive clubs. Ċ In conclusion, I think advertisements do have the power to pursue us into buying unnecessary goods. We as consumers need to be more vigilant, and authorities need to regulate the advertisements more tightly to counter this issue.