Advertisement ?

Publicity ?

Marketing ?

Communication ?

Is it really our decision every time we decide to buy something? Or is it an induced decision and does our subconscious act? When we purchase a product , are we convinced of its qualities or does the influence of advertising messages captured by our brain from certain publications, television, the internet, cinemas, or street banners come into play? Is there a probability that we act based on these factors and make purchasing decisions based on the impact of the advertising message, even if we often don’t need the respective product ? And if that’s the case, whether we’re talking about well-known brands or not, with big or small promotions, how do we choose in front of a shelf with dozens of similar products , differentiated only by attractive packaging designs? Does advertising help us or does it only induce sensations, needs, and the ultimate goal is to purchase a specific product ? In this context, is it correct, is it moral?

Read also : The Love Consumer

From the consumer protection point of view, the most important thing is for advertising to be conducted in legal terms, not to involve deceptive advertising. We must ensure that the information we receive is understandable, and in terms of readability, the characters should be equal, there should not be letters that are too small on which our decision-making power depends. It is important for messages to be clear, not to use subliminal techniques or rely on logical reasoning errors, to lead us to have a purchasing behavior based on wrong decisions. In the case of deceptive advertising, messages are conveyed to us that can mislead us in making purchasing decisions. An example of this is the message that tells us that people in a room are 100% non-Martians, which can lead to the idea that other people are Martians. In this way, even if true things are conveyed to us, the messages at the subliminal level are false and cause us to make decisions that are not correct.

Read also : Statement by InfoCons President, Sorin Mierlea, for the media network EurActiv on the ‘shrinkflation’ phenomenon

For many messages of this kind, sometimes we pay! We subscribe to a cable company and in the subscription price, we pay for the commercial communication transmitted on television, we buy magazines and newspapers that have advertisements, we pay for the cinema ticket, and in one way or another, we are attacked by advertising messages. In the context of paying for the advertising we receive, it would be advisable to have a means of accurate information, without deceptive or misleading messages. Ultimately, becoming consumers of advertising messages, we need to know what kind of commercial communication we are consuming , and if we pay for an advertisement, it should respect the law, fair competition, and be correct. In advertising consumption , unlike product consumption , we don’t have a guarantee and we can’t return something when we realize that we have been deceived! So, let’s get used to making complaints whenever we find that an advertisement violates advertising law and take action! Let’s know our rights and when choosing a product or service, let’s inform ourselves better! I invite you to visit the infocons.org website, and if a product or advertisement does not comply with the rules, let’s take action and understand that if we can pay for advertisements and publicity, we can also pay to be members of the consumer protection movement, to become even better at evaluating the products , services, and advertisements we receive.

Read also : Consumers International : Members , Mission , World Consumer Rights Day – What is Consumers International ?

I await you with us with a new attitude! Can you also consider this message a commercial? If yes, I hope it has a favorable effect, if not, at least it raises a question when we buy advertising, publicity, and everything that this type of information entails. In today’s society, we can rebrand with a slogan in advertising terminology, which sounds something like this: consumers from all countries, unite! Thus, we would become a respected partner, not only in forgotten slogans on walls: our customer, our master! Type infocons.org now and take action with a new attitude!

Sorin Mierlea – President of InfoCons

InfoCons – European Organization for Consumer Protection and Promotion of Programs and Strategies , a full member of the World Organization Consumers International , founding member of the Federation of Consumer Associations , and member of ANEC .