According to the text, choose the best answers for the following statements.
Advertising
When advertising first became popular in the early and mid19th century in America, it was quite dry and unimpressive for the most part. The sole aim was to make people aware that the product existed. No more than one line of print was used to advertise the product and there were usually no illustrations added nor was print that was highlighted in any way. Also, most advertisements were placed in the back pages of the publication and there was no intention of trying to make the ad attractive or entertaining in any way . Of course, things are much different today.
Nowadays, we are bombarded with advertising images on a daily basis. In fact, there is no other kind of image that is in our faces with such regularity and there is very little we can do to escape from this assault. The visual images and sound bites that enter into our consciousness do so without our being aware of it and stimulate our imaginations at a subconscious level. The question is, is this good for us?
The existence of advertising is justified by the fact it makes people aware of what products exist and could make their lives better. Also, as one product competes against another in order for it to be purchased by the buying public, quality improves and prices drop, all to the benefit of the consumer. The knowledge that one product has these extra benefits could only be transmitted through advertising, thus advertising is of vital importance.
But advertising does not only pit one manufacturer or seller against the other, they also confirm and enhance the perceived necessity of having these products regardless of who is making or selling them. What advertising aims to do, regardless of whether the object being advertised is a toothpick or a luxury car, is in some way to transform the buyer into a better version of him or herself. It also appears that the more and more we buy, our lives will also become better since we will be increasingly improving as people. In truth, however, the more we buy, the poorer we become, financially at least.
Another aim of advertising related to the one above is the idea of becoming more enviable since we are able to acquire what others are incapable of having. When an advertisement is able to convey that the product is in some way exclusive, it makes it and the person who has it special. The mission of a successful advertisement is to make the consumer feel they are special.
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