The selling of a product:

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Maherin Ahmed

A customer walks into a store. He stands in front of hundreds of boxes of laundry detergent. He chooses one brand, pays for it, and leaves. Why does he pick that specific kind of soap? Is it truly better than others? Probably not. These days, many products are nearly identical to another in quality and price. If products are almost the same, what makes consumers buy one brand instead of another? Although we might not like to admit it, commercials on television and advertisements in magazines probably influence us much more than we think they do.

Advertising informs consumers about new products available on the market. It gives us information about everything from shampoo to toothpaste. On the other hand, there is one serious problem with this. The "information" is actually very often "misinformation". It tells us the products' benefits but hides their setbacks. Advertising not only leads us to buy things that we don't need and make us spend recklessly, but it also confuses our sense of reality. "Whiz toothpaste prevents cavities and gives you a white teeth!" the advertisements tell us.

It doesn't tell us the complete truth- that a healthy and a good toothbrush will have the same effect, and that's more important than the toothpaste.

Advertisers use many methods to make us buy their products. One of their most successful methods is to make us feel dissatisfied with ourselves, and our imperfect lives. Advertisements show us who we aren't, and what we don't have. Our teeth aren't white enough. Our hair isn't shiny enough. Our clothes aren't clean enough. Advertisements make us afraid that people won't like us if we don't use the advertised products. " Why don't I have friends?" an attractive young man sadly asks in the commercial. " Here", replies his roommate, "Try Whiz toothpaste!" of course he tries it, and immediately he notices the change. "That's a stupid commercial," we might say. We still buy Whiz toothpaste out of fear of being unpopular and being rejected in public.

If fear is the negative motive for buying a product, then, of course, a good self- image is the positive reason for choosing it. Each of us has a good picture of the kind of person we would like to be. For example, a modern young woman might like to think that she looks like a beautiful movie star. A young man might want to see himself as a strong, attractive, handsome hero of movies. Two people may choose different brands of toothpaste with the identical price, amount, and quality. Each person believes that he is expressing his personality by choosing that brand.

Advertisers get psychologists to study the way consumers think, and their reasons for choosing one brand instead of another. These experts tell advertisers about the motives of fear and self- image. They also inform them about the recent studies with colors and word. Psychologists have found that certain colors of the package of an attractive product will cause people to reach out and take package instead of buying an identical product with different colors. Also, certain words attract our attention. For example, the words "new", "improved", "natural", and "giant size" are very popular and seem to draw our eyes and hands toward the package.

Many people believe that advertising does not affect them. They feel that they have freedom of choice and they like to think, they make wise choices. Unfortunately, they probably don't realize the powerful effect of advertising. They may not clearly understand that advertisers spend billions of dollars each year in aggressive competition for our money, and they are extremely successful. Do you still believe that ads don't influence your choice of products? Just take a look at your kitchen and bathroom.