The main purpose of advertising is to increase the sales of products that people don’t really need.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some feel that the primary function of advertisements is to entice individuals into buying unnecessary items. In my opinion, although advertising can accommodate real needs in certain cases, its main purpose is to drive companies’ profits regardless of consumer needs.
Some argue that advertisements can bring products that address specific needs in society to the masses. This is true in certain cases like when medical companies show the effectiveness of their drugs through advertising campaigns, allowing patients to know which products to purchase ease their pain. For example, when pharmaceutical companies advertise cough syrups on television, these products become known to individuals seeking relief from cough-related symptoms. This is also true in the technology sector, where advertising can highlight latent needs that consumers may not have previously recognized. An evident example for this is the advertisements promoting an application called Notion that allow users to achieve higher productivity through the integration of work platforms and streamlined task management features.
However, I believe the primary purpose of advertisements is to boost companies’ revenue irrespective of the actual necessity of the products being promoted. Businesses need to continuously grow to survive, and therefore marketing plays an instrumental role in raising brand awareness and propelling the business forward in an increasingly competitive market. For instance, in a consumerist society, luxury brands typically advertise designer handbags as symbols of social status rather than as essential items. As a result of these marketing campaigns, these brands have attracted a large client base, becoming global conglomerates valued at billions of dollars. This demonstrates that advertising often prioritizes profit generation over addressing genuine consumer needs.
In conclusion, although advertising may occasionally serve genuine consumer needs, it is fundamentally designed to maximize corporate profits.
Words: 286
🔹 B2 Vocabulary
- advertisements: quảng cáo
- entice individuals: lôi kéo / dụ dỗ cá nhân
- unnecessary items: những sản phẩm không cần thiết
- real needs: nhu cầu thực tế
- consumer needs: nhu cầu của người tiêu dùng
- address specific needs: đáp ứng nhu cầu cụ thể
- medical companies: các công ty y tế
- advertising campaigns: chiến dịch quảng cáo
- effectiveness of their drugs: hiệu quả của thuốc
- purchase: mua
- ease their pain: làm dịu cơn đau
- cough syrups: siro ho
- technology sector: lĩnh vực công nghệ
- productivity: năng suất
- task management features: các tính năng quản lý công việc
- luxury brands: thương hiệu xa xỉ
- essential items: mặt hàng thiết yếu
🔹 C1 Vocabulary
- primary function: chức năng chính
- accommodate real needs: đáp ứng nhu cầu thực
- drive companies’ profits: thúc đẩy lợi nhuận của doanh nghiệp
- bring products to the masses: đưa sản phẩm đến đại chúng
- pharmaceutical companies: các công ty dược phẩm
- become known to individuals: trở nên quen thuộc với người tiêu dùng
- latent needs: nhu cầu tiềm ẩn
- previously recognized: từng được nhận ra trước đó
- boost companies’ revenue: gia tăng doanh thu doanh nghiệp
- irrespective of: bất kể / không xét đến
- instrumental role: vai trò then chốt
- brand awareness: nhận diện thương hiệu
- increasingly competitive market: thị trường ngày càng cạnh tranh
- consumerist society: xã hội tiêu dùng
🔹 C2 Vocabulary
- primary purpose: mục đích cốt lõi
- integration of work platforms: sự tích hợp các nền tảng làm việc
- streamlined task management: quản lý công việc tinh gọn
- symbols of social status: biểu tượng địa vị xã hội
- attract a large client base: thu hút một lượng lớn khách hàng
- global conglomerates: các tập đoàn đa quốc gia
- valued at billions of dollars: được định giá hàng tỷ đô la
- profit generation: việc tạo ra lợi nhuận
- addressing genuine consumer needs: đáp ứng nhu cầu tiêu dùng thực sự
- fundamentally designed: được thiết kế mang tính cốt lõi