赞成广告论(The Case for Advertising)

　　money spent on advertising is money well spent. it assists a rapid distribution of goods at reasonable prices. it draws attention to new ideas and so helps enormously to raise standards of living.

　　by helping to increase the demand for goods, it increases the number of workers needed to supply the goods and,therefore, provides employment. it helps to pay for many services. without advertisements, your daily newspaper would cost a dollar or more, the price of your television license would need to be doubled, and travel by bus would cost more.

　　perhaps most important of all, advertising helps to keep up the quality of the products and services you buy. no regular advertiser dare offer a product that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. he might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising.

　　he will not do so for ong; for the public has the good sense not to buy the poor uality article more than once. if i see an article advertised, it s the surest proof i know that the article does what is claimed for it, and that it is of good value.

　　there is one more point i feel i ought to touch on. recently, i heard a well-known television personality declare that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. this is hair-splitting. of course advertising seeks to persuade. if it only gave information, advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. but perhaps that is what the well-known television personality wants.

　　lam prepared to make just one admission to the opponents of advertising. not every advertisement is a good one.some advertisements are silly. some are pointless though not very many. pick up the nearest magazine or newspaper and count the advertisements that really offend you. and then count the advertisements that, in some degree, interest you, or give you pleasure. and be honest!