Some believe that people will purchase a product based on their needs and advertising is not needed. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
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Band 9 IELTS essay sample
According to some people, it is not necessary to advertise products as people who need them will definitely buy them regardless of whether they are advertised or not. I do not quite agree with this view. Without advertising people may not even be aware of the existence of many products.
Advertising creates the need. Many people are unaware of the range of the products available in the market. They have needs but they do not quite know if there are products that fulfil those needs. Without advertising, for example, people may not even be aware of the availability of products like sanitary napkins, diapers or deodorants. Similarly, people have been washing their clothes and utensils with their hands for as long as civilization has existed. While this is time consuming and cumbersome it is still doable. Then companies started advertising washing machines and dishwashers and people immediately bought them. Without advertising nobody will buy designer garments or latest model mobile phones. These are not genuine needs. Ordinary garments serve the same purpose as designer garments and yet the rich are spending a fortune on the latter just because they are advertised. So, obviously advertising creates a need that does not really exist.
Of course, if the need is genuine people will certainly buy. For example, people will buy soaps, detergents, tea and salt regardless of whether they are advertised or not. These are indispensable products. Yet, advertising is beneficial in this case too. First, advertising creates competition among manufacturers and thus improves the quality of the product. If there is only one company that manufactures and sells soaps, we can imagine what quality it will be of. So, advertising benefits not only the manufactures but also the consumers. It creates competition, reduces prices and improves quality.
In short, I do not agree with the argument that advertising is not required. Without advertising, people will never learn about the latest products in the market. Also, without advertising and the competition it creates, we will never have access to quality and affordable products.
