The Effect of Advertising on society

Issue 7 is regarding advertising, and if the efforts of advertising companies are good or bad for society. One stand point taken by John Calfee a former U.S. Trade Commission economist believes that advertising is very much beneficial to society and supports his claim with examples from many different industries. One example that Calfee uses to support his argument is Kellogg's cancer awareness ads. The advertising campaign is supported by the, "National Cancer Institute who believes a high fiber, low fat diet may reduce your risk of some kinds of cancer." This statement regarding health and wellness coincided perfectly with Kellogg's All-Bran cereal, which has nine grams of fiber per serving, so they ran with it. Is this a deceptive way of getting people to buy Kellogg's cereal? John Calfee believes no, and that advertising as a whole is more beneficial for consumers than deceptive. Turns out the cancer awareness Ad campaign printed by Kellogg's was a big hit with the Federal Trade Commission - who regulate food advertising, and in-fact, the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection declared that "the ad has presented important public health recommendations in an accurate, useful, and substantiated way." This is one clear example of how advertising can have a positive influence of society.

On the other hand, most shoppers know that some advertisements they read and see all around them are persuasive and created to spark emotion which will drive them to buy an item they do not even need. This is aspect of Dinyar Godrej view, which is that advertising is worse for society than it is good for society. He supports his side by explaining the media business and the corporate giants who control every second of airplay and the idea that advertising which is displayed by the corporate giants are not to inform society but to persuade them to think a certain way and do a certain thing, buy their products. He also makes the point that advertising companies portraying a "lifestyle that is beyond reach of all but the wealthy." 

After reading the yes and no arguments regarding the question, is advertising good or bad for society? It was obvious to see that both sides of the argument had examples and good points supporting their side. I agree with Dinyar Godrej many lifestyle advertisements are portraying a life which is often unobtainable and a waist of time looking for. However, I also can see the positive power which advertising can have on society if it was used correctly. unfortunately, for the most part corporate giants would rather let their pockets get fatter than inform society on public health or important issues. I also think the scope of the question is extremely wide, with so many different forms of advertising in todays society. Advertising can both be beneficial and detrimental to society depending on the content and the company policy. Advertising is clearly a prominent form of media in the 21st century with a massive amount range and power.