Question

Though advertising is one of the most frequently used medium of promotion of goods and services, it attracts lot of criticism. Identify various criticisms of Advertising:
(A) Undermines Social Values
(B) Encourages Sale of Inferior Products
(C) Confuses the Buyers
(D) Flexible Tool
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (A), (B) and (C) only
• B. (A), (B) and (D) only
• C. (A), (B), (C) and (D)
• D. (A), (C) and (D) only

Hint:

Standard Criticisms of Advertising:
1. Adds to cost, 2. Undermines social values, 3. Confuses buyers, 4. Encourages sale of inferior goods.
Advertising is inflexible; personal selling is flexible.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept:
Advertising is an impersonal, paid form of communication used by an identified sponsor to promote ideas, goods, or services.
Despite its promotional reach, advertising faces social and economic criticisms regarding its overall value to consumers.

Step 1: Identifying Valid Criticisms of Advertising:
$\bullet$ Undermines Social Values (A): Critics argue that advertising promotes materialism by inducing people to purchase items they do not genuinely need.
$\bullet$ Encourages Sale of Inferior Products (B): Persuasive advertising may sometimes induce buyers to purchase low-quality goods.
$\bullet$ Confuses the Buyers (C): Multiple competing claims for similar products can create consumer confusion regarding product performance and quality.
$\bullet$ Additional standard criticisms include adding to product costs and using themes considered in bad taste.

Step 2: Analyzing Item (D):
“Flexible Tool” is not a criticism of advertising.
In fact, advertising is criticized for its inflexibility because message content cannot be adjusted to individual recipients.
Flexibility is a recognized strength of Personal Selling, not advertising.

Step 3: Selection of Correct Statements:
Statements (A), (B), and (C) are standard criticisms of advertising, whereas statement (D) is not.
This establishes (A), (B), and (C) only as the correct set.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Therefore, the correct choice is option (A).