Negative Impacts of Advertising

 Now you've done it: Your small business has finally gotten to the point where you can commit to regular advertising buys, and now you've opened the door of criticism to people who wish to remind you of the negative impacts of advertising. Yes, some sour grapes may be leading the charge, but there's no denying that bad, manipulative and poorly executed advertising gives all advertising a bad rap. Your best strategy? Size up some of those negative impacts so you can be prepared to quash those sour grapes.

Charge No. 1: Advertising Encourages Monopolies

Advertising doesn't come cheap. It's never come cheap. And even if you've been indoctrinated in the ways of inbound marketing and the more cost-effective tactics you can use to lure new customers to your website, advertising still represents an investment. For this reason, advertising has long been considered the domain of big businesses with deep pockets, which critics say gives these businesses a competitive advantage that can verge on monopolistic.

Your best comeback: By committing to regular advertising, you've upended another criticism of advertising: that small businesses stand little chance to compete in the marketplace. Lead a cheer for small-business owners — with a bowl of grapes next to the cracker and cheese platter.

Charge No. 2: Advertising Can Be Deceptive

Even casual media observers could rattle off a dozen examples of advertisements that seem manipulative, deceptive and even untruthful. Then again, in this day and age, when some people are exposed to as many as 10,000 ads per day, there aren't exactly many “casual” observers left. It's futile to argue that some advertisers, in their quest to “inform and/or persuade members of a particular target market or audience about their products, services, organizations or ideas” go over the top.

Your best comeback: Definitions from the American Marketing Association are bound to get you only so far. Better to say that you've brushed up on the Federal Trade Commission's truth-in-advertising guidelines, which say that ads must be truthful, fair and “non-deceptive” and that advertisers must be able to support their claims. You're smart enough to toe the line.