Introduction
As one moves from one country to another, he is able to note the similarities in the lifestyles manifested across different cultures. The world, therefore, has become a small global village. This is attributed to international advertising that makes communication possible between people of different nations. International advertising is meant to promote more sales competitively in developing nations. It has been enhanced through the use of television, radios, print media and social media that rely mostly on the internet.
Different cultures and lifestyles have been adopted by people in different parts of the world. International advertising has come with its positive and negative effects in the developing countries that range from social and economic to the political state of developing nations. In this paper I have researched the positive impacts of international advertising in developing nations.
Essay Body
Information dissemination across many developing countries is now easier. This is due to the common modes that advertising companies use to pass information to people in developing countries. The codes used have become universally accepted, thus, understanding of them is very easy. Many countries are able to communicate effectively with minimal misunderstanding. Advertising reinforces some social roles, values and language. It introduces goods from one country to another resulting in sudden or gradual changes in lifestyles in a given society. It creates a desire for the good western lifestyles in third world countries, thus increasing the demand of products from the west. (Douglas and Craig, 2002).
The major aim of international advertising is to sell products and services to people around the globe. It persuades people to buy and accept lifestyles originating from the west. As a result, trade activities have been boosted as people in developing nations buy goods and services from the American continent, thus improving their GDP of trading countries. As a result of advertising, trading activities have been expanding into the third world countries that want to consume American imported products. It has provided job opportunities in various fields ranging from trade and production to advertising in various media (MacRury, 2009).
Advertising has achieved standardized development that has given birth to transnational culture around the world characterized by common themes. Advertisers tend to rely on common themes so as to capture a bigger market in developing nations. They study the trends in fashion, beauty and luxury, especially in the youth of these nations. These themes have led to the competition amongst advertisers, thus improving their creativity so as to persuade more people to use their products as well as accept their culture.
Transnational culture has helped to eliminate diverse cultural variables. It has replaced it with a universal one, in which people believe to live in a modern way that they perceive to be good (Noreen, 2010).
Noreen (2010) observes that international advertising has led to adoption of western culture as seen in children who incorporate what they see in television commercials, in their daily games. An American, therefore, who happens to visit these third world countries will feel to be at home as he sees everything being familiar (in culture, goods and services). He further says that goods from America are often cheaper and more effective.
The International Advertising Association (IAA) has helped a great deal to uphold commercial freedom of speech and the advertising industry. The IAA’s mission is to champion for the suppression of controlled commercial speech. The IAA argues that as long as the advertising is done responsively, those who engage in it should not be controlled. It acts as an advocate of choice for both business markets and consumers.
It is through IAA that political parties support the freedom of commercial speech and advertising. The IAA, for example, was involved in contesting for the ban imposed on American products both locally and internationally to promote the consumption of the banned commodities from the markets. The IAA has, therefore, laid a foundation that championed for the rights of the media in disseminating information (Vanderkochhove, 2002).
International advertising allows customers to compare and chose what kind of products to consume. As a result, competition is stiff to produce quality goods for sale and scramble for the market in the third world countries. Companies in competition are compelled to reduce the prices of their products so that they can make more sales. Innovation and more creativity are of more importance in persuading more customers to consume their products. As a result, advertising leads to the growth of economies by encouraging more consumption. Consequently, living standards have improved by a wide margin as people are able to access and use products of high quality (Vanderkochhove, 2002).
In third world countries, western advertisements have helped a great deal to sensitize women on their freedoms and rights. Traditionally, men suppress women’s rights making them be used as tools for men’s satisfaction. The suppression is worse in areas where income and class inequality is extreme. Western advertising helps to promote a true positive picture of a woman in society in terms of her roles in development. Western advertising propagates equality of all people that exist in a given community (Vanderkochhove, 2002)
Advertising supports the media industry by paying for the adverts, thus, creating and sustaining jobs opportunities. It encourages creativity and quality writing by programmers so that they can get the attention of the customer. Advertising, therefore, provides funding and promotes technological development and innovations of various modes of communication in developing countries (Mooij, 2004).
Advertising has been used as a tool of informing and educating people in developing countries on various topics. The information is meant to help the consumer differentiate between many products in the market and also give information about the use of the product. Advertising is, therefore, necessary as in minimizes chances of misusing or abusing the products. This advertising aspect gives the buyer an opportunity to make a choice on whether the product type is desired to suit the need. On the other hand, advertising helps developing nations to identify what its citizens need so that they can use it as a window of opportunity to develop their industries. It helps developing nations to exercise control of such demanded goods to favor the growth of their local industries (Mooij, 2004).
Conclusion
In conclusion, international advertising has more positive aspects as compared to negative ones. This is evident from the education, competition, product innovation, creation of jobs, it provides a variety of entertainment in sports and music. It advocates for independent, pluralistic, affordable media that creates a strong foundation for a democracy in developing nations. Advertising has made the world a small global village with similar international cultures that are depicted in many countries. International advertising is the reason for improved living standards in developing nations.
References
Douglas, S. & Craig, S. (2002). International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 12. Oxford: Elsevier. Web.
MacRury, I. (2009). Advertising. London: Routledge. Web.
Mooij, M. (2004). Consumer behavior and culture. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage Publications. Web.
Noreen, J. (2011). Advertising and global culture: The electronic era. Cultural Survival. Web.
VandeKerckhove, M. (2002). The Purpose of Advertising Defined. Web.