Advertisements help in selling even a bad product

Advertisements help in selling even a bad product

Advertisements help in selling even a bad product.
Comment on unethical advertising to sell products.

I am only partially convinced with the statement that advertisements can help in selling a bad product. Sometimes, it may happen that the advertisement may be so creative and captivating that a customer may be tempted to buy a “not so good “product. But after the purchase and its use, the product will re-sell only if it is good and valuable for the customer.


Its word of mouth has more meaning than any form of advertisement, and if the word of mouth is not very good, the sales of the product cannot take up merely on the basis of a fancy advertisement. Hence, bad products may sell on the basis of strong advertisement only for a very small time. For the long term success, it is the product and its attributes that matter and not the advertisement alone. A good advertising campaign may boost the long term sales of a good product but in the era of “highly aware customer”, the reverse may not be true.


A classic example of the same is Maggi Noodles. Nestle has never felt the need to come out with very aggressive or innovative advertising campaigns for this product as far as the Indian market is concerned. This is due to the fact that it is a product which is well received with Indian customers since decades. Hence, a minimum level of advertising has been able to keep its sales always on the growth curve.


Another example which proves that even a good advertising campaign can’t change the destiny of a product which is not liked by the customer is “Crystal Pepsi”. This product was launched in the United Stated as a “breakfast Pepsi” and had an amazingly well crafted advertising campaign but the product failed so badly that it had to be pulled out of the market. This is because people prefer juice, tea or coffee for breakfast and promoting the concept of an aerated drink for breakfast did not go very well with the consumers.


In short, consumers want a logic why your product is good and why they should buy it and a sheer story telling will exaggerated facts and fancy slogans does not work in this era of high competition and highly aware customers.


At the same time, it is also true that an advertisement cannot be hundred percent true and to the point. In order to convince customers to spend money, some fancy facts need to be shown but the extent to which it is done is important. Advertising needs to have a lethal combination of creativity and strategy. An advertising which lacks a strategy is merely an art and not an advertisement.