Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they' re always coming in for criticism. Their critics seem to resent them because they have a flair for self-promotion and because they have so much money to throw around. "It' s iniquitous," they say, "that this entirely unproductive industry (if we can call it that) should absorb millions of pounds each year. It only goes to show how much profit the big companies are making.Why don't they stop advertising and reduce the price of their goods? After all, it's the consumer who pays."
The poor old consumer! He'd have to pay a GREat deal more if advertising didn't create mass markets for products. It is precisely because of the heavy advertising that consumer goods are so cheap. But we get the wrong idea if we think the only purpose of advertising is to sell goods. Another equally important function is to inform. Advertisements introduce us to new products or remind us of the existence of ones we already know about.
Lots of people pretend that they never read advertisemerits, but this claim may be seriously doubted. It is hardly possible not to read advertisements these days. And what fun they often are,too! A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a drab wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration of calamities.
We must not forget, either, that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets. Newspapers, commercial radio and television companies could not subsist without this source of revenue. The fact that we pay so little for our daily paper, or can enjoy so many broadcast programs is due ehtirely to the money spent by advertisers.
Another thing we mustn't forget is the"small ads. "which are in virtually every newspaper and magazine. What a tremendously useful service they perform for the community! Just about anything can be accomplished through these columns.No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offers such a deep insight into human nature. It's the best advertisement for advertising there is!
广告的益处
广告人往往喜欢夸张，或许这就是他们总是招人非议的原因吧。他们的批判者们对他们似乎有些愤愤之情，因为他们有自我推销的才华，也因为他们挥金如土。“真是作孽呀!”那些人感叹：“一个完全不创造价值的产业(如果还能把它称作产业的话)每年竟然要花费数百万英镑。这只能表示，那些大公司赚的钱多到什么程度。他们为何不停止做广告以降低商品的价格呢?毕竟，要付钱的是消费者。”
可怜的消费者!若非有广告为商品开辟了大规模的市场，他们要付出的钱还多着呢!恰恰是由于大量的广告宣传才使得消费品如此便宜。但是，如果我们认为广告的惟一目的就是推销商品的话，那就大错特错了。广告的另一个同等重要的功能就是提供信息。广告为我们介绍新产品，或者提醒我们那些我们熟悉的老品牌的存在。
许多人佯言他们从不读广告，但是，认真地想一想，这种声称十分值得怀疑。如今要做到不读广告几乎是不可能的。况且，广告为我们带来多少乐趣呀!一则令人愉快、妙趣横生的广告会给一面单调乏味的墙或一张登满各种灾难的报纸平添多少变化呀!
