Advertising as an Art

As a young Communication Arts graduate, I refuse to believe what some people say about advertising: that it is creative deception, that it is dishonest and dirty. I say advertising is an art, just like painting, music and theatre. It is the art of making a brand stand out, the art of creativity, cleverness and wit mixed with perseverance and determination. It is the art of letting people know that there’s this product or service that could fulfill their needs and wants and it’s worth every penny they’d pay. It is the art of providing options and working hard to perfect it and make it stand out not just for the sake of the task stated on the brief but most importantly to accomplish the very point of why advertising exists – to help the community or the general public be fulfilled with their wants and needs. 

Henry Ford once said, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." This just proves that people really don’t know what they want. However, in my opinion, it is not the job of advertisers or marketers to tell them what they want and directly point it out to them  because that would be bossy. All we can do is provide them with options and try to persuade them why our product or service gives the best value for their money - because that is the beauty of advertising: you get to compete, you get to fight for your brand, you get to rise above. The challenge is not just to be good but to be the best, to keep creativity flowing, to always find a way to be unique, to differentiate.

Just like all the known arts, advertising is a craft to be perfected. With sincere passion and dedication, one might actually get to see it more than just an industry or profit-centered activity but as an art that shapes the community, affects the people and creates history. Since the time of Henry Ford or even beyond, advertising played an important role in gratifying the needs of the consumers as well as in aiding businessmen and corporations. In the present time people should already learn and value the significance of advertising in our lives because if not, it might continue to be a neglected, unappreciated, misunderstood and misused by some.