Here are some arguments for and against advertising

Pro:

1. Advertising creates mass markets, therefore goods are cheap.

2. Their purpose is not only to sell goods, but to inform.

3. We get information about house­hold goods from advertisements.

4. They contribute to our pockets: can you imagine the cost of a newspa­per if we paid full price?

5. Small ads perform a service to community. With their help any­thing can be accomplished: e.g. find a job, buy, sell, announce birth, marriage, death.

Con:

1. It is unproductive industry, waste of money.

2. If we stop advertising we’ll reduce the price of goods, because it is a consumer who pays.

3. Advertising is offensive because it appeals to baser instincts.

E.g. preys on our fears, our vanity, our greed, etc.

4. Because of advertising we experience shocking interruption of television programmes.

5. Good quality products don’t need to be advertised.

Writing

Task 1

You are going to write a letter of complaint about an advertisement you have seen. Before you write, first revise the information in the text E about the UK Advertising Standards Authority. Then read the following letter which was written in answer to the task, and answer these questions:

1. What kind of advert is the writer complaining about?

2. What is the reason for his complain?

3. What does he want done?

4. How does he conclude the letter?

5. Are the tone and register appropriate to the task? Are they consistently maintained?

Dear Sir,

I am writing to complain about the car advertisement currently being displayed on the hoarding outside the main post office in the centre of town.

The advertisement shows a car speeding away from a set of traffic lights, with the caption, “0-100 in under 10 seconds”. I feel that this claim is misleading and irresponsible. For a start, there is so much traffic on the roads these days that it is extremely unlikely that anyone could reach a speed of 100 kilometres per hour in town. The advertisers also seem to have forgotten that there are speed limits on most roads. In my view, this type of advertising only encourages drivers to break the law.

Furthermore, the advert suggests that the best cars are the fastest cars and places undue emphasis on the power of this car in particular, implying that its best feature is its speed. I would argue that this can only encourage those people who buy the car to drive fast in order to maintain that image. However, we all know that speed kills, and more often than not it is the innocent pedestrian who is the victim of the speeding driver. Don’t you think car companies should behave responsibly and try to reduce fatalities on our roads by giving safety a better image?

May I request that you have this advertisement taken down as soon as possible? While I have no objection to cars being advertised. I feel strongly that this type of advertising should not be allowed. I have already written to the company concerned, requesting that they remove this advertisement from their campaign and giving them my reasons in detail. I enclose a copy of this letter for your information.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Sam Broadbent

Encs*.

Task 2

You have seen a commercial on your local television station which appeared during a children’s programme. You feel that an advertisement of this type is not suitable for showing on children’s TV. Write a letter of complaint to the television company, explaining why you object to it and what you would like them to do about it.

The general guidelines you will need while doing the task:

1. A letter of complaint is usually written in a formal style, and it clearly states the writer’s point of view.

2. Plan your letter before you write. How many paragraphs will it have? What will each contain?

3. After you have written the letter make sure you state your point of view clearly and use a consistent tone and register.