Research Article Reading for Final #2 " How Advertising Informs to our Benefit"

How Advertising Informs to our Benefit

John E. Calfee

In the article of “How Advertising Informs to Our Benefit”, the author John E. Calfee provides interesting ideas and views of how he sees the way some advertising can be useful to our advantage. In detail, Calfee argues that the type of informative advertising can do no harm to the consumer, in matter fact, it creates a welcome feeling to know more. The author explains the use and the amount of information can escalate useful independence of advertisement by the consumer and the media.

I agree with some mixed feelings.In my view, some types of advertising can be very informational and helpful. In addition, it breaks away from the annoyingly loud, look at me, look at me the style of advertising which can tune out a potential buyer away. Some might object, of course, on the grounds any advertiser announcement is a bad one and they only want one thing and that is your money. That is true, but those unfamiliar with a product may be interested to know that it basically boils down to, the consumer feels better about themselves or about the product by receiving new information making they feel smart and educated on what to purchase. John E. Calfee complicates matters when he writes, “But advertising does much more. It routinely provides immense amounts of information that benefits primarily parties other than the advertiser”. (CALFEE74). The essence of Calfee’s argument is that the information is now useful for the consumer and the potential competitor. The author is surely right of advertising is extremely useful because it sheds the light on the sum of information between sources and the consumer creating price wars havoc.

Another standard way of thinking about beneficial advertising is the desire of healthy being. Health is a big seller, especially in our present American time where we consider being obese. Ads are being produced by the food on why we should eat it, by health plans so you can see the doctor in case that food poisoned the consumer, and then of course advertisement from drug companies that are selling you pills to fix or prevent health issues. John E. Calfee’s himself writes, “Useful information initially failed to reach people who needed it because information producers could not charge a price to cover the cost of creating and disseminating pure information”.(CALFEE78) While drug companies promote that you will live healthier, they rarely admit as much, the real dangers often consumer take for granted that taking drugs to make you feel better for one issue, it potentially creates worst internal body issues and sometimes mentally. Furthermore, the information is getting to us, the consumer and now we are talking about to our family, friends, co-workers and so are the competitors. Overall it is spreading like a word of mouth is on fire and it creates a very true elicit knowledge to the world good or bad, in the end, the consumer has the ultimate upper hand by taking action on doing their own research.