Day to day, there is a constant reminder of brands, products and services appearing in almost every aspect of our daily lives. The impacts of advertising, which in my view, has become so cleverly designed that it has had adverse effects on our well-being without people’s realisation.

Advertising that exists in almost every medium imaginable, whether that is on the television or on a billboard, sell the idea of an improved lifestyle or happiness. The first problem with this is that the promise of advertising is entirely empty since there is no connection between the amount of consumer goods a society accumulates and the well-being of its people. People may be sold on the idea that a materialistic lifestyle should provide happiness when in fact, it creates a bottomless need to fill homes with unnecessary junk. Advertising, in that sense, pushes people towards maximising their income rather than focusing on activities that actually give a real pleasure and meaning to their lives, such as a simple walk in the park. The second problem observed is the detrimental effect it has had on people’s self-confidence. As part of people’s innate need to be respected or admired amongst their peers, carrying or using famous brands act as a status symbol to represent their class. It is socially accepted to believe that those who wear or use highly reputable products or services are considered to be either progressing well in life or intelligent. Carrying the latest gadgets, wearing the most fashionable brands, all thanks to the constant intrusion of advertising, has caused advertising to become very necessary in determining the most elite social classes among our communities. In short, though people have passively accepted the existence of advertisements, they misjudge the way they have been manipulated on what is considered normal behaviour and our psychology, as people are forever elusively searching for happiness.