Besides of the TV programs like news, movies, and music programs, we can find information from the TV advertisements (ads). The major purpose of TV ads is to promote a thing or service. However everything has progressed day by day include the TV ads. TV ads not only as a media to promote something but more than it, TV ads can influence people to do or not do something. TV ads in Indonesia nowadays are more harmful than helpful for the audience aware or unaware.
According to Jeremiah O’Sullivan R, author of “the Social and Cultural Effects of Advertising”, persuasion is core mission of advertising. Advertising tells you how the product service or idea you are considering will improve your life. The ways people promote their product nowadays just make me ashamed as an Indonesian people. They persuade people to use one product by teasing other products. For example is herbal product is teasing another product. They are teasing each other by slogan, making joke to another product with change their product slogan. Yes, sometimes it is funny and entertain but the bad impact is people will tease another’s because it is familiar on TV. Teasing each other’s is not a big deal, because people will think it is funny and not wrong, and people will use it in daily conversation. We know that TV is the fastest media which can influence the society.
Freedom of choice and advertising-supported entertainment which is often a promoter of social change, are two important components of society that are both promoted through advertising. Because ads can give the fastest effect to social change, it is good if the ads are not identifying the racism. We know that Indonesia is a multicultural ethnic nation. We can see many colors in Indonesian life. We can see on TV that many ads usually hurting other tribes. For example is a cosmetic slogan “white is beautiful”. In my opinion this advertisement is not understand of their marketing object. It is inappropriate to Indonesian people, what about The Papua tribe which is born with black skin? Should they use the cosmetics to be beautiful? It is better if the ads in Indonesia show their respect to every tribe by making a very careful ads slogan on TV.
In fact, according to Megan Vande Kerckhove, a student at the University of Florida’s Interactive Media Lab, advertising is free speech, and it can work to promote free speech. TV ads usually use the rude word to promote their products, and it influence people to use those words in daily conversation. Children will talk just the way they want to and not respectful. The creative teams of ads try to make the ads interesting by using the rude words. In my opinion, creative is not an excuse to be impoliteness. We have to realize that we are Indonesian people; we learn manners, norm, and religious.
Based on those facts it is logic when I say that TV ads in Indonesia are more harmful than helpful. Ads can influence people to use something or to say something. We need to distinct the policy of TV ads in Indonesia, to reduce the bad impact of TV ads. The good ads should not give a bad influence to others people, but giving a good influence to do or say something.
References:
Morley, Miranda. The Effects of Advertising. (Online)
smallbusiness.com
accessed on 16 May 2013
Stefan, tracy. 2007. Function and effect of Advs. (Online)
Smallbusiness.chron.com
accessed on 17 may 2013
KRISNAWATI SIGIRO 