@Kimberley

What all it boils down to is the fact there would be always a set of smart marketers who would take advanatge of the gullibility of a certain section of our masses to further their business interest.Who are out there to exploit and manipulate.This is a reality which no sensible person can ever deny.But what we have to direct our attention to is the remedial part. Legal sloth is definetly a problem but my experience and the latest trends too indicate a positive attitude towards resorting to consumer laws to protect one's interests as consumers.Consumere education institutions are coming up in greater numbers in all parts of the country to help consumers in asserting their rights.Even the number of consumer courts cases are steadily on the rise.

We have to live with advertisements and strong actions need to be against those who puts this otherwise effective instruments of spreading mass information to blatant and gross misuses to achieve their narrow and decriable goals to the utter of detriment of all of us! Then we have to pay the price for eternal vigilance to protect our rights as consumers!

It goes without saying that advertisements solely aim at creating demand for a product in general and a brand in particular. Needless to say, that a consumer will go to nearby store and buy what he needs even if there were no advertisements. The advertisements do not primarily aim to inform the customers. Information contained in advertisements is not impartial or objective. Chinmoy has aptly pointed to the brand of copywriters who expertise in writing advertisements for products. These advertisements toy with emotions of love, pity, beauty care, ambition etc and exploit these for selling particular brands. Chinmoy agrees but he is polite enough not to go to extent of defining this as brainwashing. I believe that any attempt to play with emotions and give attractive slogans with a view to create loyalty for a particular brand is nothing but an exercise to brain wash customers.

A bye product of emotional advertising causing brainwashing is consumerism. There is mad race for consumption of ever increasing branded products irrespective of actual needs. This is causing over population of products like cars, other vehicles, products that need more space and ultimately create tension, loss of peace and space for animals, wild life and forests. Mad race for products caused by advertising is raising setting up of more factories, roads, railways and infra structure thereby leaving very little space for trees, animals, agriculture and forests.

@Gulshan

My argument against using the efforts of advertisers as 'brainwash' is based on my understanding of the dictionary meaning of the word which is:to make someone adopt radically different beliefs by using systmeatic and often forcible pressure.

I wonder if the current laws of the country allow any advertiser to do so!

Chinmoy- Brainwashing has been traditionally used for propaganda mechanism in totalitarian states. In India, this is not literally possible owing to competitive advertising. However, the leading manufacturers attempt to create indelible impression on consumers about superiority of particular brand and some succeed also. Aggressive advertisement is an attempt to brainwash. This is only a question of degree and in general, our views on the topic are identical.

Some members agree to my thinking on the topic but there is some difference on use of the word 'brainwash'. I also feel that advertisers' sole aim is to create brand loyalty by hook or crook. Owing to competitive environment, most cannot but the most powerful are in fact successful in creating an impression of peoples' mind. In spite of no guarantee of success, it appears that the advertisers' aim at brainwashing but a few succeed and others make only a limited success. I have given link below for better understanding of concept of 'brainwashing'. Even unethical means are considered an element of brainwashing process. however, this is a matter of degree only.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_control

I had prepared some advertisements for my computer institution years ago during an exhibition in my local area.That advertisement was the most attractive one in that exbition ground and people were very keen to listen to it.I just aimed some people and thought about bringing their attention.It worked well.Still I am preparing advertisemnts for them free of coast eventhough I sold the institute.

@Gulshan

I understand that you have explained it from the figurative angle.That's ok.What I was stressing that market forces would negate the effects of any aggressive marketer.As I remember one particular case which was heard before MRTP commission on 'unfair trade practice' and interestingly the contestants were two competitors. I am referring the one between Clogate Palmolive and Hindutan Lever! If exaggerations and histroionics are relied upon too much by an adman his goals are clearly defeated as this historic case proves.Here no consumer brought the case but its own competitor!

Chinmoy

The competition is mainly between manufacturers of rival products manufacturing almost identical goods of different brand. That is why creating brand loyalty is very important to the manufacturers. The advertisement campaign is for aggressively creating brand loyalty among as many consumers as possible. If this is too aggressive, there is some degree of attempt to brainwash, but not to the extent practised in totalitarian regimes.

Regarding MRTP act I don't know in detail.But those advertisements which are misleading will invite severe actions against the company.So if the customer feels that the advertisement had cheated him or brainwashed him for sail of a cheap thing he can file a case in respective court.So I think today's advertisement will not go beyond a limit.

Amazing participation! :) :) :)

I just could not help myself but make an observation related to the topic. I saw a news bit in today's newspaper regarding a hybrid soybean seed named "405". This seed variant was brought into market by the Agricultural ministry in Maharashtra just before monsoons started and a lot of publicity was given to it on many channels, singing its praises. Countless farmers fell prey to it and bought it in tonnes and today its disclosed that more than 5000 farmers claimed that NOT EVEN SINGLE SEED has germinated and the 17000 hectares of lands on which these were planted are lying barren as now with half the monsoons gone, the farmers are clueless on further action! Now this variant was brought by the Agricultural ministry, which no doubt will have its own team of experts, so what kind of stupidity brought this disaster on??

I just posted this info because I thought we should just broaden the scope of what all advertisement entitles!!