turning vicious…

Because I have an internship at a radio station and here advertisements constantly, I have noticed lately how advertising is evolving and changing. However, I believe its going downhill.

We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for this and that. And the options we have to choose from seem to just keep growing. Meaning more competition for everyone. So how do you get consumers to buy YOUR product over the other one?

Advertisements have turned into slander and criticism of other companies, rather than the benefits of their own. Its almost like a campaign: splattering the beliefs, looks, or principals of the other candidate for everyone to see.

I don’t really know why this bothers me so, but I think that it gives a subtle glimpse into where society is going. Can’t a company just sell its product by its own benefits and advantages? Apparently not. Just to take a look at some of the ways products are slashing their competition.

• Verizon vs. AT&T: I went to update my phone the other day and the store is strewn with banners explaining how they are better because AT&T doesn’t have 4G while they do.
• Tampons: I was reading in a magazine and one tampon company made a bash against KotexU by saying that “Our tampons don’t need to be in a black box in order to work.” However, KotexU isn’t innocent either. They criticize other companies for their frilly wrapping, or commercials.
• DirecTV vs. Dish Network: DirecTV attacks dish network for their pricing and their “dishonesty” of channel availability in comparison to their own company.

Those are just a few examples of this vicious cycle of advertising. Restaurants, stores, clothing stores, grocery stores, and many more companies participate in the diminishing of other companies.

To put it simply, companies are acting like middleschool Girls: Tearing others down in order to make themselves look better. Stop the cycle. Focus on your own product.

You are giving subconscious permission for people to use this strategy to promote themselves. I would rather not relive the middle school years again by other women competing for my boyfriend by telling him all the things that are wrong with me. Or my siblings striving for my mom’s attention by saying all the things I broke or lied about.

We see at least 247 advertisements a day. And when probably more than half of those is negative, that already causes us to have a negative opinion on multiple products. Stop the trend, little girls. Stop the vicious, and get the confidence.