Advertisement of bad habits

One of the reasons why teenagers start bad habits is advertisement.
Smoking and drinking is advertised in mass media a lot. In some countries it is prohibited but in others this problem is actual.
According to law, advertisement of smoking or alcohol must contain information that these things are harmful for your health. Advertisers respect this law and give information but it is written in small letters.

Advertisement is the great art. People, who make it, use very clever techniques to use on subconscious of people. They do not just advice to buy this or that brand. They create positive image of bad habits through short advertising films or posters.

These are the most frequently used associations with smoking or drinking beer: independence, freedom, success in life, happiness, respect of friends, popularity, attractiveness, being modern, clever and fashionable, having merry parties.
What teenager does not want to have all these? How to achieve it? Advertisement gives you simple solution: smoke this particular brad of cigarettes, drink this beer. No need to work on your development, on improving relations with people, on study. Just smoke and drink and you are on the top.

Teenagers should think critically about advertisement of bad habits before believing it.
A short lesson of economics: What should companies do to increase sales of their products and get more profit? To advertise it. They pay big money to advertising agencies, for them to do product attractive and convincing. Then they pay huge sums for TV or other mass media time and space. Alcohol and tobacco factories are not charity organizations. Why would they care about making you successful, independent and so on? They use these slogans to manipulate you. You are very important for them, you are potential customer. And they try to do everything to make you buy and bring them profit.
Tobacco companies even organize lotteries many with very expensive prizes. You need to send them the empty packs to take part. All this is also done to attract attention to the company only.

There is also hidden advertisement that does not advertise bad habits directly. It is in many films where actors who play the part of successful people or popular actors smoke or drink.
Teenagers are fans of some actors and want to look like them. That is why they might start smoking or drinking. Is such copying really good? Where is your individuality?

In journals we can read interviews with popular musicians or articles about them where it is said that they use drugs. We know that there are different teens fan clubs of musical groups. Trying to look like their heroes, teens copy clothes, style and often start using drugs if group members use them. It is natural that your hero will not tell about his sufferings from drugs, or he will lose his popularity. He talks about success, that everything is normal and perfect.

Conclusion: Remember that all kind of advertisement of bad habits is aimed at you, a teenager.
Its purpose is to manipulate with you and make you buy addictive products.
If you are really strong and independent you will never allow others to manipulate your mind and you will be able to ignore advertising.

Alex (R), Nika (R)

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