The biggest problem with marketing is that they often promote images and values that people are suppose to strive for. This means that certain attributes are encouraged, while others are ignored. Ads on TVs and magazines show what beauty should be, how people should look and the importance of money. As a result, the billions of people around the world who are exposed to these marketing are imprinted with the idea that to be happy they need to be like the people in advertisements.
Just recently, Dove started a new ad campaign that aims to change the perception of beauty portrayed in the media. Their ads involved digitally distorted models and “normal” people, hoping to bring forth the issue of misleading portrayal of beauty.
I think to a certain extent marketing needs to promote these images and ideas which are deemed socially acceptable so their products will sell, but there comes to a point where enough is enough. Some stuff shown on television are simply outrages and dumb, I heard of a show named “Honey Boo Boo“ which is about 5 year olds preparing for beauty contests. A lot of young people who watches these shows will believe they are real and normal, which result in shaping their perspectives of their society. The media is a powerful tool, and if used correctly they can bring endless positives to this world. Companies are trending towards having a positive image with their branding and marketing in the recent years, and hopefully these ad campaigns aren’t just for PR purposes.
