The main purpose of advertising is to increase the sales of products people don't need. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
It is argued that the core goal of advertising is to boost sales of unnecessary goods for consumers. I completely disagree with this view, as advertising serves more essential functions beyond promoting non-essential products.
Admittedly, some advertisements do use persuasive tactics to encourage impulse purchases of unneeded items. For instance, many fast-fashion brands launch marketing campaigns that create a false sense of trend urgency, pushing consumers to buy clothes they will rarely wear, just to keep up with short-lived fashion cycles. This makes it easy for people to associate advertising with selling redundant goods.
However, this is far from the main purpose of advertising. First, a key function of advertising is to inform audiences of genuinely useful products that solve practical problems. For example, public service advertisements for accessible medication for chronic diseases, or ads for energy-efficient home appliances that cut electricity bills, introduce products that meet people’s real daily needs, helping consumers make more suitable purchasing choices rather than tricking them into buying useless items. Second, advertising also plays an important role in delivering brand value and public information. Non-commercial advertisements, such as those promoting environmental protection, safe driving or public health during epidemics, do not aim to sell any products at all; instead, they raise public awareness of critical social issues for the common good.
In conclusion, while a small portion of advertising promotes unnecessary purchases, its main purposes are to inform consumers of practical, needed products and convey valuable public messages, rather than solely driving sales of unneeded goods.