Keys to Success in life

Dear Class of 2010,

 It is my honor to be invited to talk to you and share my life experiences with you. I want to thank the board members, chairman, and director for inviting me on this beautiful day. Today I have decided to talk with you my thoughts on honesty and ethics. [Thesis] Strong ethics and character are key to leadership, success and fulfillment in life. With this you could have everything, without it you have nothing. [Thesis]

Generation Y, you are the Winning Generation. It is the best time ever to be youngster because you have power in your finger tips and knowledge within a mouse click. This generation believes in giving and cares for the environment. You will not buy cloths produced using child labor. In a recent survey it was found that 61% of youth between 13 to 25 years feel personal responsibility of making difference in the world and 81% had volunteered in the past year (Jayson). While I salute these traits, there is a growing evidence of unethical behavior in the schools and colleges which I don’t understand. It is ironical that same generation that believes in the art of giving is also involved in cheating, malpractice and lying.  In the case conducted among 10,000 students between 1992 to 2002, it was found that cheating increased from 61 % to 74% and number of students admitted to have lied increased from 83 % to 93% in 2002 (2002 Report Card) . I have been there, as I recall my time at middle and high school I have done things which they would call cheating today. During exams the question was multiple choice and we used sign language for right answer. We were group of five so it was easy we were complementing each other so ultimately it was win-win situation. I wouldn’t even for second doubted that this is cheating until I got caught and the cute girl would not talk with me after that. She broke up with me. 

The cause and reasons for lying is often complex and difficult to comprehend. Some of the reasons are –family, their group, circumstance, course work, teachers and competition. Competition within themselves and others has forced kids to resort to unethical behavior.  From poor to rich kids every one cheat. For rich kids are primarily to live up to the expectation of the unrealistically high standard set by their parents. The kids are frustrated and resort to cheating. Indeed, parental expectations were consistently ranked among the top five reasons for lying and cheating in class (Schab).

Another growing reason I can readily identify with is peer group. You are ‘cool’ if you belonged to certain group in class or college. A recent study by UMass interviewing the parents of kids between age group of 11 to 16 showed that  the more social you are the better you are at lying (Amherst).  For the first time it makes you feel guilty, when you do it more often, it becomes normal. There is no feeling associated with it. In the end, one dialog in the famous movie Rainmaker still gives me chills “Every lawyer, at least once in every case, feels himself crossing a line that he doesn't really mean to cross... it just happens... And if you cross it enough times it disappears forever. And then you're nothin but another lawyer joke. Just another shark in the dirty water.” 

In a recent study conducted worldwide looking at moral index of people. They took a  leather purse put $50 equivalent and ‘lost’ 1,100 wallets it in  public places with name, address phone number of the owner. What they found was that interesting. At top of the list were the people in the countries from Norway and Denmark, 100 % of purses were returned. At bottom of the list was Hong Kong and Mexico, only 20% returned the purses. For US the return rate was 67 % (Character Matters).  Honesty is not a personality trait of an individual, but roots go deep to the value system in some nations  What does this nation personify? What do you see in media all the time? Pervasive negativity. If you watch FOX channels Dr House, movies such as Wall Street and video games- all say that it is right to cheat. This is far from truth. If you decide to go to work in any company, unlike what Gordon Gekko in Wall Street would want you to believe, greed is not good. All of you are familiar with the Enron and Water Gates scandal that are real examples of people motivated by greed.

In our day to day lives we  there has been lot of argument regarding white lies. Is it OK to lie if it does no good for you but makes the other person feel better? For e.g. I recall many times when I was six, I would run  up to  my father when he come back from work and ask how was his day was, his reply would always be ‘Awesome!’. It was not until I got older did I realize that sometimes that was not always true. So, in this situation, is it still called a lie? Should I get upset with my parents for lying? What about my colleague, when he asks me how his $3000  bike is, should I be honest and say I don’t like the color?  Tact and diplomacy would help in dealing with such situations. Ultimately, you got to listen to your consciousness to make a decision.

 A survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources interviewing  1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees showed top managers rated Integrity (33%), Interpersonal skills (28%) and Initiative (15%) as top three qualities they look in candidate (Comment). Your boss will not go through pain of hiring a person with mixed character and no one in organization wants to do business with a person who is manipulative and filled with duplicity. I like the way Warren Buffet puts it “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you”.

Recall the men and women you deeply admire, you will find that most of the time they were people of integrity and honesty. We are proud of 28 year old First Lt. Ehren Watada, a HPU graduate, the first person to openly refuse to fight Iraq war during Bush administration, even if it meant termination and jail. (Anonymous).

As my friend Gregory Jenkins nicely puts it “The most compelling reason to be honest at all times is for self-respect. Self-respect affects the way I impact my family, culture, and society as a whole. If I am not honest to others I am not honest to myself. If I am not honest to myself then I am a dishonest part of society and the world.”

Finally, I part with you with  the words of World War II General and President of United States, General Eisenhower

“In order to be a leader, a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.”

Works Cited

Amherst, University Of Massachusetts. “UMass Researcher Finds Link Between Lying And Popularity.” 14 December 1999. Science Daily. Webpage. 19 October 2010 [http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/1999/12/991214072623.htm].

Buffett, Warren. “Quotes on INTEGRITY”LeadershipNow.com. n.d. Webpage. 20 October 2010. [http://www.leadershipnow.com/integrityquotes.html].

Comment.“STUDY: Execs cite integrity as most important trait for future leaders: communications skills rank second ”College Sports Information Directors Of America.5 October 2010. Webpage. 20 October 2010. [http://www.cosida.com/news.aspx?id=2913].

Eisenhower, Dwight D. “Leadership Quotations”InspirationalSpark.com n.d.Webpage. 20 October 2010.[http://www.inspirationalspark.com/leadership-quotations.html].

Jayson, Sharon.” Generation Y gets involved.” USA Today. 24 October 2006.Webpage. 19 October 2010. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-23-gen-next-cover_x.htm].

Jenkins, Gregory. Online posting. “KAP ENG-215: Discussion and Private Messages.” 26 October 2010. Laulima. 30 October 2010. [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/].

Lickona, Thomas. “Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgement, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues” Original edition. New York: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, 2004,14-15.

Rainmaker.Dir. Coppola, Francis. Perf.Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, Jon Voight. Paramount Pictures, 1997. DVD.

“Record Number of Applicants Are Reported by the Top Colleges," New York Times, 18 February 1996.

Schab, Fred.  "Schooling Without Learning: Thirty Years of Cheating in High School," Adolescence 26, no.104 (Winter 1991: 840).

“Soldier Ready To Face Jail For Refusing. Deployment. Lieutenant Says ‘We Were all Deceived’ ”. 7 June 2006. KITV.COM. 20 October 2010. [http://www.kitv.com/news/9338465/detail.html].

Wall Street. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf. Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Martin Sheen, Sean Young.  20th  Century Fox. 1987. DVD.

Log of Completed Activities

_L_Oct 13W- Intro to Paper #3. Read the Guidelines for Paper #3. (Confirmation reply required.)
_X_Oct 18M- Complete readings for paper #3 for paper #3. (Confirmation reply required.)
_X_Oct 22F- Laulima Discussion #1
_X_Oct 26t- Laulima Discussion #2
_X_Nov 1M- RD3 due [50 pts] Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.)
_X_Nov 5F- RD3 evaluations due [50 pts] Review the guidelines. (No confirmation required.)
_X_Nov 8M- FD3 due [125 pts] Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.)

Keys to success in life

Arvind Mohanram

1 November 2010

RD3

Dear Class of 2010,

 It is my honor to be invited to talk to you and share my life experiences with you. I want to thank the board members, chairman, and director for inviting me on this beautiful day. Today I have decided to talk with you my thoughts on honesty and ethics. [Thesis] High ethics are high character are key to leadership, success and fulfillment in life. With this you could have everything, without it you have nothing. [Thesis]

Generation Y, you are the Winning Generation. It is the best time ever to be youngster because you have power in your finger tips and knowledge within a mouse click. This generation believes in giving and cares for the environment. Social consciousness is high. You will not buy cloths produced using child labor. You like to ‘save the juice when not in use’, recycle and reuse.  In a recent survey it was found that 61% of youth between 13 to 25 years feel personal responsibility of making difference in the world and 81% had volunteered in the past year (Jayson). While I salute these traits, there is a growing evidence of unethical behavior in the schools and colleges which I don’t get it. It is ironical that same generation that believes in the art of giving is also involved in cheating, malpractice and lying.  In the case conducted among 10,000 students between 1992 to 2002, it was found that cheating increased from 61 % to 74% and number of students admitted to have lied increased from 83 % to 93% in 2002 (2002 Report Card) . I have been there, as I recall my time at middle and high school I have done things which they would call cheating today. During exams the question was multiple choice and we used sign language for right answer. We were group of five so it was easy we were complementing each other so ultimately it was win-win situation. I wouldn’t even for second doubted that this is cheating until I got caught and the cute girl would not talk with me after that. I had to break up with her. 

The cause and reasons for lying is often complex and difficult to comprehend. Some of the many reasons that can be traced back to the environment that kids are – the family, the group, the circumstance, course work, teachers and competition. Competition within themselves and others has forced kids to resort to unethical behavior.  Jon S Katzman the president of Prince Jon S. Katzman, president of Princeton Review, says that "ten years ago students were stressed because they wanted to be the winner. Now they are stressed because they don't want to be the loser” (New York Times)

From poor to rich kids every one cheat. For rich kids are primarily to live up to the expectation of the unrealistically high standard set by their parents.. The kids are frustrated and resort to cheating. Indeed parental expectations were consistently ranked among the top five reasons for lying and cheating in class (Schab). Another growing reason I can readily identify with is peer group. You are ‘cool’ if you belonged to certain group in class or college. A recent study by UMass interviewing the parents of kids between age group of 11 to 16 showed that t the more social you are the better you are at lying. (Amherst). Even worse, studies have shown that lying shows loyalty to ‘primary group’. There is support when the kids cheat to assure them it is OK.

Another reason the kids are not directly responsible are the curriculum set by the schools and colleges. The demanding work load and too much emphasis on ‘right’ answer kill the creativity of the individual. When they realize there is no room for more option or their words, they are not involved in the process of learning and hence resort to cheating.  For the first time it makes you feel guilty, when you do it more often, it becomes normal. There is no feeling associated with it. In the end one dialog in the famous movie Rainmaker still gives me chills “Every lawyer, at least once in every case, feels himself crossing a line that he doesn't really mean to cross... it just happens... And if you cross it enough times it disappears forever. And then you're nothin but another lawyer joke. Just another shark in the dirty water.” 

 In a recent study conducted world wide looking at moral index of people. What they did was take a nice leather purse put in $50 equivalent and ‘lost’1,100 wallets it in a public place with name, address phone number of the owner. What they found was that interesting. At top of the list were the people in the countries from Norway and Denmark, 100% of purses were returned. At bottom of the list was Hong Kong and Mexico, only 20% returned the purse to the owner. For US the return rate was 67 %( Character Matters). Honesty is not a personality trait of a individual, but roots go deep to the value system that these nations personify.  What does this nation personify? What do you see in television, media all the time? Pervasive negativity.  Why does CNN show Tiger Woods cheating 24 by 7 when it first made news? Because, bad news sells, good news does not. How about TV serials promoting unethical behavior such as FOX channels Dr House, movies such as Wall Street and video games- all say that it is OK to cheat. This is far from truth. If you decide to go to work in any company, unlike what Gordon Gekko in Wall Street would want you to believe, Greed is not good .All of you are familiar with the Enron and Water Gates scandal that are real examples of people motivated by greed.

There are certain invisible laws like gravity that is key principles in life; one of them is high ethics and high character. Wherever you go, whatever you do your employer will value honesty above anything else. A survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources interviewing  1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees showed top managers rated Integrity (33%), Interpersonal skills (28%) and Initiative (15%) as top three qualities they look in candidate (Comment). Please note there, intelligence did not feature in any of their requirements. Because you will be tested all the time with problems and challenges you face. Problems are signs of life. As Steven Covey says everyone can manage when the sun is shining, your true inner core is shown only during crisis or under stress. Your boss will not go through pain of hiring a person with mixed character and no one in organization wants to do business with a person who is manipulative and filled with duplicity. I like the way Warren Buffet puts it “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you”.

Recall the men and women you deeply admire, you will find that most of the time they were people of integrity and honesty. We are proud of 28 year old First Lt. Ehren Watada, a HPU graduate, the first person to openly refuse to fight Iraq war during Bush administration, even if it meant termination and jail. (Anonymous). Another example is golfer Brian Davis who displayed impeccable character when he accidentally committed brushed a reed on his backswing that even cameras could not detect He lost the first place in the tournament because he confessed his mistake (Dixon).  As Emerson said, “Guard your integrity as a sacred thing. Nothing is at last sacred by the integrity of your own mind.” (Emerson). It is difficult to keep your word, it is choosing between microwave thinking and delaying gratification. But I promise you long term fulfillment and greatness if you keep integrity and high character to guide you through your decision making process.

As my friend Gregory Jenkins nicely puts it “The most compelling reason to be honest at all times is for self-respect. Self-respect affects the way I impact my family, culture, and society as a whole. If I am not honest to others I am not honest to myself. If I am not honest to myself then I am a dishonest part of society and the world.”

Finally I part with you in the words of World War II General and President of United States, General Eisenhower

“In order to be a leader, a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.”

Works Cited

Amherst, University Of Massachusetts . “UMass Researcher Finds Link Between Lying And Popularity.” 14 December 1999. Science Daily. Webpage. 19 October 2010 [http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/1999/12/991214072623.htm].

Buffett, Warren. “Quotes on INTEGRITY”LeadershipNow.com. n.d. Webpage. 20 October 2010. [http://www.leadershipnow.com/integrityquotes.html].

Comment.“STUDY: Execs cite integrity as most important trait for future leaders: communications skills rank second ”College Sports Information Directors Of America.5 October 2010. Webpage. 20 October 2010. [http://www.cosida.com/news.aspx?id=2913].

Dixon, Peter. “Brian Davis's honesty costs him $1 million win” The Sunday Times. 19 April 2010. Webpage. 20 October 2010 [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/golf/article7101963.ece].

Emerson, Raph W. “Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes”Brainy Quote n.d.Webpage. 20 October 2010. [http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/ralphwaldo108805.html].

Eisenhower, Dwight D. “Leadership Quotations”InspirationalSpark.com n.d.Webpage. 20 October 2010.[http://www.inspirationalspark.com/leadership-quotations.html]

Jayson, Sharon.” Generation Y gets involved.” USA Today. 24 October 2006.Webpage. 19 October 2010. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-23-gen-next-cover_x.htm].

Lickona, Thomas. “Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgement, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues” Original edition. New York:Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, 2004,14-15.

Rainmaker.Dir. Coppola, Francis. Perf.Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, Jon Voight. Paramount Pictures, 1997. DVD

“Record Number of Applicants Are Reported by the Top Colleges," New York

Times, 18 February 1996.

Schab, Fred.  "Schooling Without Learning: Thirty Years of Cheating in High School," Adolescence 26, no.104 (Winter 1991): 840).

“Soldier Ready To Face Jail For Refusing. Deployment. Lieutenant Says’We Were all Deceived’ ”. 7 June 2006. KITV.COM. 20 October 2010. [http://www.kitv.com/news/9338465/detail.html].

Wall Street. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf. Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Martin Sheen, Sean Young.  20^th  Century Fox. 1987. DVD

Positive influence of advertisement in our society

Arvind Mohanram

10 October, 2010

FD2

Advertising confronts us all the time in whatever we do and wherever we are – even in outer space. They seem to be like ‘invisible’ zombies following us wherever we go and affecting us constantly. We appear to be influenced by advertisement. Ads are informative. They are the best barometer to judge the nature of the society and keep us up to date with the changing trends. [Thesis] Commercials provide general awareness and valuable information about the goods and services available to the consumer. Ads are powerful means of communication during crisis and aid in solving social issues. They are the quickest means of communication between the government and the common people. Commercials are influential tools if used properly, have been proven to have a positive impact on our society [Thesis].  

The ‘Million’ ad created by Droga 5 is a proven example of positive impact of advertisement on the society. The ad I saw yesterday, shows how the New York City department of education decided to raise awareness of importance of school to the children to give away free cellphones to the school kids in New York. The school kids earn points towards free minutes, text messaging, movie tickets, music download and discount at partner stores based on their academic performance at school. This includes being regular, participation in class, completing assignments, tests and grades. Kids seem to love using their cellphone to do homework and interviews with the parents and school principals showing marked increase in the performance of kids in attendance, improving grades and increased class participation. The ad says that the concept the ‘Million motivation campaign’ was an instant success and was widely acclaimed as a revolutionary idea. This statement falls under the logical fallacy, Sweeping Generalization. Although the system appeared to work in one city, it remains unclear if will work or be implemented throughout the country. Calling it ‘revolutionary’ or ‘instant’ success is misleading.

However, it is interesting to see the cell phone becomes an education tool with web access at school through this commercial. So powerful was the impact that Droga 5, the ad agency that developed this campaign was awarded the Titanium Lion at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in 2008. This is one of the best proven examples of commercial in motivating the youth and changing the lives of kids across the country. Thus, commercials do not have a negative impact on our lives, they have the ability to contribute to the betterment of the society.

Apart from raising awareness the commercials become important during crises, holocaust and times of calamity as the recent Haiti earthquake. Without advertising there would have been a huge disconnect between those willing to give and those in need. Over 2 billion dollars were raised by various charitable organizations due to advertising and media campaigns. The media popularized the charitable nonprofit organizations in our local area and grocery stores such as Safeway where people were asked to give away the change of their purchase towards Haiti relief. This made it easier for anyone interested to contribute; even a small amount for a good cause. 

In India, every year, the government advertises in radio, TV and newspaper to get their children Polio vaccination if they are between zero to five years. The success rate (defined as number of children vaccinated) has been over 80 % (anonymous). Again, without commercials, this would not have been possible. Thus, advertising played a crucial role in the success of Pulse Polio campaign.   

Another outstanding advertisement that calls for ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ comes from manufacturer of beauty soap, Dove. The ad I saw on YouTube last week, is a parody and called ‘Evolution’. It shows a contemporary women walking in the studios and sitting in front of giant lights for makeup. The ad shows only her face and the millions of changes that take place in fast forward – how makeup changes the face to become attractive. In the next shot Photoshop is used on the photo of the face, editing her blemishes, lifting her chin, making her face more symmetrical - giving the final touch to a gorgeous and extremely attractive face. This final face of the women ends up on the giant billboard of the streets people walk by. The commercial ends with the words ‘No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted’. There is a link to the website that calls people to be part of Dove movement to improve self-esteem and promotes beauty as source of confidence – not anxiety. This ad shows anybody on the street can be a super model with professional help - you don’t have to look attractive. While there are tons of commercials that we watch every day that promote skin deep beauty using celebrities and super models, this one stands out in promoting character traits such as self-esteem. This is a great example of a brand that educates its audience of the myth of ‘beauty’ and importance given everywhere around the world. This ad although informative, tries to identify with the audience by showing a person on the street in the makeup room, so the logical fallacy here is Plain Folk Fallacy. Another logical fallacy is Ad Misericordiam Argument because it is appealing to the emotions of the people to look beyond skin deep beauty prevalent in our culture.

A recent finding by (Kotwal, Gupta and Devi)  studied the buying pattern of 100 adolescent teenage girls. 70 % of the interviewed girls responded that TV ads helped them to make better buying decision on the type of brand to choose and educate them with variety of choices available. Our classmate Nor Nordin corroborates this finding, she says “In a free market economy like the USA, the foundation of the economy is based on competition and freedom of choice…ultimately, the consumer benefits because they have the power to decide which product or services they want at the price they want to pay.” I completely agree with her statement that advertising gives us a power of choice. Thus, ads are helpful to improve the knowledge base and give us a variety of choices available in the market place

While the above two commercials are great examples of positive impacts of ads, the negative impact is obvious. Advertising create a subconscious desire through repetition. First the ads tell us what we want. Then it sows the seeds of need in our minds. This subliminal seeds germinates into a desire. The desire drives us to buy. This is powerful concept and to consider the fact that commercials have hypnotized us is scary. But this is true. How often do we realize that a product did not work to our satisfaction? The gullibility factor is more in children than adults. Some of the parents are much at anguish, unable to afford the Xbox or Nintendo, while the children are left unhappy. Thus, advertisements appear to cause a negative atmosphere and disturbance in the family. In addition, it has been found that kids that grow up watching TV have very short attention span when they become adults. The continuous bombardment of ads makes it difficult for children to focus for a long duration in class or doing homework and they tend to give up easily.

My friend Scott Cohen brings up yet another interesting point on negative impact on advertisement. He says that ads deplete the natural resources by creating waste in this statement “ .. are the waste they are producing in desperate attempt to deliver the information of production to the consumer. The wastes are for instance: Flyers; billboard; money spent on producing television and radio commercial; and junk mail. Those methods took chunks out of natural resource to get information to the consumer”. I support his argument and from the economic point of view it is clear that ads increase consumption, which in turn causes increase in demand and production. The production increase means more raw material consumption. Since the sources of all our raw materials are our environment, advertising adversely impacts the environment we live and breathe.

In conclusion, advertisements are crucial and necessary during time of crisis and calamity to spread awareness. Commercials do not have negative impact on our lives; they are the key for spreading the word on socially important issues such as education, smoking and drugs. They promote competitiveness in industry; give details regarding the availability of product, quality of the product; about how the product works; and what people think about it. Consequently, ads provide valuable information to make a decision. While the vast majority of beauty ads such as Cover Girl, L'Oréal highlighting the importance of physical attractiveness, there are other campaigns (e.g. Dove ‘Evolution’) that are honest and address the critical issue of pervasive skin deep culture. The ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ clearly wins over the Brittney Spears syndrome.

Works Cited

Cohen, Scott. “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!”. Online Posting.  24 Sep. 2010. Laulima Discussion. 03 Oct 2010 [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/].

Kotwal, Nidhi, Gupta Neelima, and Devi Arjee. "Impact of TV Advertisements on Buying Pattern of Adolescent Girls." J. Soc. Sci 16.1 (2008): 51-55.

Nordin, Nor. “No, Ads don't have a negative impact!” Online Posting.  22 Sep. 2010. Laulima Discussion. 03 Oct 2010 [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/].

”82 p.c. children administered polio drops in State.”. 7 Jan 2008. The Hindu. 3 Oct. 2010 [http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/07/stories/2008010767400300.htm].

Log of Completed Activities

_X_Sep 17F- Intro to Paper #2. Read the Guidelines for Paper #2. (Confirmation reply required.)
_X_Sep 20M- Complete readings for paper #2. (Confirmation reply required.)
_X__Sep 24F- Laulima Discussion: Ad Pros and Cons
_X_Sep 28t- Laulima Discussion: Logical Fallacies Exercise
_X__Oct 4M – RD2 due [50 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.)
_X__Oct 8F- RD2 evaluations due [50 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required.)
_X_Oct 12t- FD2 due [125 pts]. Review the guidelines. (Confirmation reply required

Positive influence of advertisement in our society

Arvind Mohanram

4 October, 2010

FD2

Advertising confronts us all the time in whatever we do and wherever we are – even in outer space. They seem to be like ‘invisible’ zombies following us wherever we go and affecting us constantly. We appear to be influenced by advertisement. Whether the impact is negative or positive is totally subjective. Ads are informative. They are the best barometer to judge the nature of the society and keep us up to date with the changing trends. More importantly, ads are powerful means of communication during crisis and aid in solving social issues. So, [Thesis] In general, ads or commercials ultimately have a negative impact on our lives, is incorrect. [Thesis]  

The ‘Million’ ad created by Droga 5 is a proven example of positive impact of advertisement on the society. The ad I saw yesterday, shows how the New York City department of education decided to raise awareness of importance of school to the children to give away free cellphones to the school kids in New York. The school kids earn points towards free minutes, text messaging, movie tickets, music download and discount at partner stores based on their academic performance at school. This includes being regular, participation in class, completing assignments, tests and grades. Kids seem to love using their cellphone to do homework and interviews with the parents and school principals showing  marked increase in the performance of kids in attendance, improving grades and increased class participation. Finally the ad says that the concept  the ‘Million motivation campaign’ was an instant success and was widely acclaimed as a revolutionary idea and sought after by schools in Texas, New Mexico and Chicago.

The Million campaign was named after the one million students currently in attendance in NYC public schools. It is interesting to see the cell phone becomes an education tool with web access at school. Outside school, it is a normal cell phone. By this program, a banned item at schools of New York turned into a learning tool that neither students nor teachers could live without. So powerful was the impact that Droga 5, the ad agency that developed this campaign was awarded the Titanium Lion at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in 2008. This is one of the best proven examples of commercial in motivating the youth and changing the lives of kids across the country. Thus, commercials do not have a negative impact on our lives, they have the ability to contribute to the betterment of the society.

Apart from raising awareness the commercials become important during crises, holocaust and times of calamity as the recent Haiti earthquake. Without advertising there would have been a huge disconnect between those willing to give and those in need. Over 2 billion dollars were raised by various charitable organizations due to advertising and media campaigns. The media popularized the charitable nonprofit organizations in our local area and grocery stores such as Safeway where people were asked to give away the change of their purchase towards Haiti relief. This made it easier for anyone interested to contribute; even a small amount for a good cause. 

In India, every year, the government advertises in radio, TV and newspaper to get their children Polio vaccination if they are between zero to five years. The success rate (defined as number of children vaccinated) has been over 80 % (anonymous). Again, without commercials, this would not have been possible. Thus, advertising played a crucial role in the success of Pulse Polio campaign.   

Another outstanding advertisement that calls for ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ comes from manufacturer of beauty soap, Dove. The ad I saw on YouTube last week, is a parody and called ‘Evolution’. It shows a contemporary women walking in the studios and sitting in front of giant lights for makeup. The ad shows only her face and the millions of changes that take place in fast forward – how makeup changes the face to become attractive. In the next shot Photoshop is used on the photo of the face, editing her blemishes, lifting her chin, making her face more symmetrical - giving the final touch to a gorgeous and extremely attractive face. This final face of the women ends up on the giant billboard of the streets people walk by. The commercial ends with the words ‘No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted’. There is a link to the website that calls people to be part of Dove movement to improve self-esteem and promotes beauty as source of confidence – not anxiety. This ad shows anybody on the street can be a super model with professional help - you do’nt have to look attractive. While there are tons of commercials that we watch every day that promote skin deep beauty using celebrities and super models, this one stands out in promoting character traits such as self-esteem. The company has put its own products at risk by taking social responsibility. This is a great example of a brand that educates its audience of the myth of ‘beauty’ and importance given everywhere around the world.

Our classmate Nor Nordin says that “In a free market economy like the USA, the foundation of the economy is based on competition and freedom of choice. Advertising is the catalyst that allows competition to occur at every level. The business that can offer the best product, at the best price, in the most convenient way to the consumer wins the sale. Ultimately, the consumer benefits because they have the power to decide which product or services they want at the price they want to pay.” I completely agree with her statement. A recent finding by (Kotwal, Gupta and Devi) echoes her statement which studied the buying pattern of 100 adolescent teenage girls. 70 % of the interviewed girls responded that TV ads helped them to make better buying decision on the type of brand to choose and educate them with variety of choices available. Thus, ads are helpful to improve the knowledge base on which decisions can be made for purchases.

While the above two commercials are great examples of positive impacts of ads, the negative impact is obvious. Advertising create a subconscious desire through repetition. First the ads tell us what we want. Then it sows the seeds of need in our minds. This subliminal seeds germinates into a desire. The desire drives us to buy. This is powerful concept and to consider the fact that commercials have hypnotized us is scary. But this is true. How often do we realize that a product did not work to our satisfaction? The gullibility factor is more in children than adults. Some of the parents are much at anguish, unable to afford the Xbox or Nintendo, while the children are left unhappy. Thus, advertisements appear to cause a negative atmosphere and disturbance in the family. In addition, it has been found that kids that grow up watching TV have very short attention span when they become adults. The continuous bombardment of ads makes it difficult for children to focus for a long duration in class or doing homework and they tend to give up easily.

My friend Scott Cohen brings up yet another interesting point on negative impact on advertisement. He says that ads deplete the natural resources by creating waste in this statement “ .. are the waste they are producing in desperate attempt to deliver the information of production to the consumer. The wastes are for instance: Flyers; billboard; money spent on producing television and radio commercial; and junk mail. Those methods took chunks out of natural resource to get information to the consumer”. I support his argument and from the economic point of view it is clear that ads increase consumption, which in turn causes increase in demand and production. The production increase means more raw material consumption. Since the sources of all our raw materials are our environment, advertising adversely impacts the environment we live and breathe.

In conclusion, advertisements are crucial and necessary during time of crisis and calamity to spread awareness. Commercials do not have negative impact on our lives; but are the key for spreading the word on socially important issues such as education, smoking and drugs. Commercials are powerful tools that, if used properly, have been proven to have a positive impact on our society. They promote competitiveness in industry, give details regarding the availability of product, quality of the product; about how the product works; about how it is made and what people think about it. Consequently, ads provide valuable information to make a decision. While the vast majority of beauty ads such as Cover Girl, L'Oréal highlighting the importance of physical attractiveness, there are other campaigns (e.g. Dove ‘Evolution’) that are honest and address the critical issue of pervasive skin deep culture. The ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ clearly wins over the Brittney Spears syndrome.

Works Cited

Cohen, Scott. “Yes, Ads Have Negative Impact!”. Online Posting.  24 Sep. 2010. Laulima Discussion. 03 Oct 2010 [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/].

Kotwal, Nidhi, Gupta Neelima, and Devi Arjee. "Impact of TV Advertisements on Buying Pattern of Adolescent Girls." J. Soc. Sci 16.1 (2008): 51-55.

Nordin, Nor. “No, Ads don't have a negative impact!” Online Posting.  22 Sep. 2010. Laulima Discussion. 03 Oct 2010 [https://laulima.hawaii.edu/].

”82 p.c. children administered polio drops in State.”. 7 Jan 2008. The Hindu. 3 Oct. 2010 [http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/07/stories/2008010767400300.htm].