Is Advertisement Creating Fake World?

Advertisement has revolutionised the way we think about marketing strategy. It performs a vital role in driving success for businesses worldwide.


It is no secret that advertisements often tell lies, creating a false narrative to make products more appealing. It is an industry of falsehoods.


 Facts rarely find their place in an advertisement. The exaggeration may be effective at first glance but does not reflect the reality of the product being sold. 



It does not provide the exact information one might need to make an informed decision about the product. Therefore, advertisement is used for manipulation due to their power to deceive and mislead viewers.


The advertising industry presents falsehoods as facts and creates an unrealistic fantasy for potential buyers. Blurring the line between facts and fiction gives advertisements the same characteristics as a fairy tale. 

Persuasive messaging often takes precedence over truth. This claim is certainly not without foundation; advertisements are inherently designed to draw a certain kind of attention or evoke certain emotions and create an idealised version of reality.

 It steers wildly from the boundaries of possibility. No matter how persuasive a message may be, it ultimately relies on falsehoods and fantasy to sell a product – this is the basic premise behind advertisements as fairy tales.




The persuasive tactics can lull people into a false sense of security, leading them to make decisions they may regret later. 

At best, an advertisement should inform and provide insight without making any promises that cannot be delivered. Still, in reality, advertisements are often far removed from the truth and take the shape of a fairy tale.

Flying cars, transformational cosmetics, superfoods, embellishing fashion clothing, and even angelising charitable appeals are some delusional advertisement contents.

By carefully selecting their words and visuals, advertisement companies can hide any factual information needed to understand the accurate picture of the product they are selling. 

Unfortunately, this means that advertisers may give consumers the exact opposite impression of what reality is regarding their products.



Advertising has grown to include many channels and strategies, making it a large industry with considerable revenue.

In addition, advertisements have become incredibly sophisticated in their ability to create an idealised version of reality. 

For example, they often make false promises that promote a healthy lifestyle while enticing people with unhealthy products.



An advertisement can have financial and psychological consequences by creating an untruthful framing of reality.

Advertisements can have some severe consequences psychologically, particularly for young people and women. 

Research has demonstrated that advertising often appeals to common insecurities and amplifies negative self-perception to pursue meaningful goals.

Numerous studies have shown that the superficial images showcased in advertisements can lead to feelings of inadequacy among those who lack what is ‘advertised.’ 


Thus, advertisement has the potential to shape our view of ourselves and others, while its persuasive power can potentially result in unhealthy choices.



It has been frequently argued that advertisement is too compelling, making consumers feel like they need to purchase something to be accepted or happy. 


As a result, it can lead to highly detrimental consequences; a skewed perception of self and reality is among the many potential side-effects of advertisement. 

This skewness can create significant harm, such as distorted body image and decreased self-image, leading to anxiety. 

Additionally, advertising often has a negative influence on self-esteem, with unrealistic beauty standards being perpetuated. 

These “standards” build mental pressure and unrealistic comparisons.

Regular advertisements featuring perfect models portraying lavish lifestyles can create an unattainable life goal. Unfortunately, the tobacco industry has been using this appeal.

Studies indicate that advertisement affects people’s buying decisions, and those decisions may lead to financial difficulty, too.

It is essential to understand the effects of advertisements to be an informed consumer who isn’t affected by their potentially harmful influences.


Studies have shown that advertisements can result in unrealistic expectations and an inability to distinguish reality from fantasy. 

Additionally, the advertisement often preys on people’s deepest desires or fears to persuade them to spend money, which could have damaging consequences when not properly managed. 

Stories of overspending are sadly all too common when advertisement language is taken at face value.

The advertising industry is a massive economic machine, and consumers need to be aware of its impact on their wallets. Modern homes are filled with goods that are not required.

 Wasteful expenditure and unwanted items result from impulse buying, greatly influenced by mind games of advertisement.



Who must take responsibility for its impact on society when an entire industry relies on exploiting existing personal vulnerabilities?

If advertisement companies keep creating this false fancy world, believing the half-truth and lies will be normalised. Why do we want to build a society on a foundation that inherently does not exist?

The effect of the advertisement has percolated in parts of society that matter most. It is perilous when the news reporting is distorted to “paid news”. 

Democracy is terrifying now because it has started to use tactics of the advertisement industry to lure voters. Commitments, which must be inherently binding, are projected like dreams. 

At the end of a term, voters lose their wishes because the pledges were fiction in the first place.

It is not just the person buying decisions affected by advertisements but also the national policies.

Living in a fake world is inevitable, even knowing that advertisements are inaccurate and fantasy.

If a person watches television for an hour, there are commercials for 25% of the time. Through this period, the viewer mentally challenges the commercial’s content as false, fantasy, half-truth or cunning.

 Many magazines have 2/3rd of their content as either advertisement or paid product placement. 

As a society, it is developing a habit of being suspicious of everything that is being watched or read. The same syndrome is with hoarding too.



The tactics of advertisement are used in propagating religion and cults. The same fancy unrealistic promises are disseminated to the ignorant masses.

 Religious groups and cult leaders can make a mass following using emotional appeal and highlighting individual inadequacies. 

The tools that are used for effective advertisement are used to sell faith. It is dangerous because, in that case, it is entering into the part of society which affects the social fabric and culture.

But, conveniently, they can be termed as a necessary evil. Why?

Many innovations in this modern era have come from companies like Google. As a company, they have been using advertisement revenue as their primary source to drive innovation. If it were not for advertisement, Google wouldn’t be there.

With an estimated revenue of more than $500 billion in 2019, the advertising industry plays a vital role in the global economy. 

Google is one of the most prominent advertisement providers. Since its launch, it has dominated advertisement platforms, profiting enormously from advertisement revenues. 

Moreover, through advertisement revenues, it remained one of the biggest technology firms with a mammoth capitalisation of $855 billion. 

All these stats and facts make it clear that Google’s advertisement revenue remains at the top over other competitors.

Like Google and Facebook, millions of ventures survive with revenue from product placements. Not only do they profit from adverts, but they also provide an avenue for millions of other aspirants to get a share of global advertisement revenue.

Today, advertisement revenue is a household income source, thanks to social media platforms like YouTube. There is 5.1 Crore (51 million) channels on YouTube and 29,000 with more than 10 Lakh (1 million) subscribers.

The social media industry, now part of modern-age human DNA, is oxygenised by advertisement revenue. 

Therefore, the advertisement industry must take responsibility for its impact on society and consider more sustainable approaches that do not exploit personal vulnerabilities.



The world wouldn’t survive without advertisements, however distant they may be from the truth. As a method to reach the customer, advertising is not evil, just that its content is questionable.

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