I am an advertising major at my university. As someone who grew up in a capitalist economy, advertising is everywhere. The overwhelming prevalence of advertising has led many to view the industry as unethical and invasive. However, I disagree. It is a medium of creativity and an expression of art. People who create advertisements are creative individuals with artistic backgrounds and active imaginations. They have minds that compare to artists. They are different and their brains are wired uniquely. So why are there negative connotations toward the advertising industry? This negative stigma is a direct result to the mainstream and those who do not create advertisements in its true form. Advertisements should spark thought and inspiration. They should not manipulate or mislead. Unfortunately, there is a good amount of advertising that has no valuable content and this is where the industry gets its negative stigma.
A buddy of mine told me that his mother used to put all the commercial advertisements on mute and would tell him “I don’t want you to be influenced by this garbage.” It’s an unfortunate side effect of the industry as a result of advertising that lack content and creativity. Of course, the goal of advertising is to promote a product or an idea. However, it is unfair to view an industry as a whole as garbage. For an example, look at the music industry. There are good and bad bands. There are artists that are in it for the money and those that are in it for the love and passion. The same goes for advertising collectives. There are those who live and breathe the industry and those who are in it just for the money. I look at the advertising geniuses in Wieden and Kennedy. They created the “Just Do It” Nike campaign, which was an advertising campaign that inspired many individuals to pursue their dreams and lead a proactive lifestyle. If you know anything about the advertising firm, you know that they are true artists of advertising. Sure they have had some advertisements that I don’t particularly like or admire. However, it is the same as if your favorite band releases an album or song you don’t like.
I definitely understand the criticisms of the industry but I feel that it is wrong to judge it as a whole. It is an industry just like any other. There are good and bad seeds. There are work of arts and also complete garbage. Perhaps I am biased because I am planning on pursuing a career in the advertising industry. However, if you feel so strongly against advertising then you should really be focusing your criticism on capitalism instead. It is an integral aspect of a capitalist economy and I can’t see how it can work without advertising. So the point I am trying to make is that you should embrace advertising. Sure you should question everything and decide for yourself what you accept but you should also think about the immense creativity and intellect behind it. If you see an ad that disgusts you, you should ask “Well, can I do better?”
