Competition in the marketing industry is getting more cut-throat and dangerous than ever before and the role and impact of the media in marketing are ever-increasing. The global presence of the media influences and impacts the general populace, more particularly, the youth and children is immense. With the teens and the youth playing a major role in spending, the marketing industry is now on a “never-ending quest to capture the $100 billion teen market…” (Barbara D. P., ‘The Wall Street Journal’). Advertisement companies and the media, manipulate the perceptions of individuals including children, teens, youth and adults, and should aim at adopting a more responsible role to discover how they can enable the public to make better and healthier choices and empower them to develop more realistic expectations. The media can play a responsible role and take an initiative to create awareness about breast cancer to educate women and thereby prevent fatalities that occur due to this disease. Media awareness regarding the dangers of smoking can also play a crucial role in endorsing the ill effects of smoking in people and aid the prevention of the terrible health problems which take place due to smoking.
The media today not only manipulates people to make wrong choices of food, clothing and accessories but also encourages them to develop unhealthy choices and perceptions of body images, specifically the younger generations, by luring them to depict themselves as “cool” by vulgar styles and appearances. For instance, it is a well-known and widely accepted fact that fast foods and aerated drinks are not good for health, yet, marketing and advertisements lure the general public into buying these products.
References
Philips D.B., ‘The Wall Street Journal’.
Frontline Website, ‘The Merchants Of Cool’.