Advertising is useful or misguiding

In this essay, I am going to weigh in on the benefits or perils of advertising. Every company wants us to buy their products. They are facing unprecedented competition today. Everyone wants to lure their customers and showcase to them how their offerings are better than everyone else. Advertising is a potent marketing strategy. Companies don't spare a dime when it comes to emphatically prove how their products are what their customers have always been looking. Some people consider these advertisements benefit the potential buyers as they get to know what is in the product and how it addresses the challenge they are facing. Some, however, think otherwise. They believe advertising often misguides the buyers as they end up purchasing items they didn't even want in first place. In my opinion, while advertising is necessary for businesses to introduce their products, they often go overboard, especially in today's highly competitive landscape. I once saw an ad for a men's perfume that said women will fall like flies around the man who applies it. Besides being outright egregious towards women, in reality the perfume didn't even smell good. Yet another misleading advertising strategy is offering confusing subscription options. I wanted to subscribe to the online version of a magazine. When I went to their website, I saw I could buy the subscription for $4 a month. I curiously looked at other options they have got. To my surprise, I found out that by paying a dollar extra, I could subscribe to both their digital and print version and get a bag free! The offer was so alluring that I forgot to think why I would need the same magazine with the same content in both online and offline versions. Now that is the insidious power of advertising. In conclusion, though I think advertising is essential for companies to demonstrate their key differentiators, it can get confusing very soon, and people will end up buying something they didn't need.