An Article on Effects of advertisements on Consumer Behavior

Abstract

Advertising is a means of communication with the users of a product or service. Advertisements are messages paid for by those who send them and are intended to inform or influence people who receive them, as defined by the Advertising Association of the UK. Advertising is multidimensional. It is a form of mass communication, a powerful marketing tool, a component of the economic system, a means of financing the mass media, a social institution, an art form, an instrument of business management, a field of employment and a profession. In India the advertising business is growing at the rate of 30% to 35% annually. The total advertising expenditure in India is about $5 Billion. It is a 1200 crore industry, even when billings are Rs. 8000 plus crores. It is 90% of India’s GDP. Today we see our senses bombarded with lots of advertisements. Be it the newspapers, magazines, the television or even so many hoardings which line up any street or highway, there are lot of advertisements to be seen. In fact the quantity and the quality both are increasing day by day. It has become an important tool at the hands of the marketers to sell their products. Some advertisements are criticized for being false, misleading, and deceptive and for concealing information. Advertisements can also manipulate the consumer to go in for unnecessary buying spree.