Analyzing Hidden Ad Agendas Marketing Research Assignment

Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Analyzing Hidden Ad Agendas
Ads affect the purchasing behavior of buyers, as the most visible brands are known by more people. Through creating awareness advertisers and marketers reach out to potential buyers and appeal to their emotions. As people have memories of products they choose certain brands based on the perception depicted through advertisements. When consumers have memories about certain products they associate with the product brands, and advertising strengthens the memories. Buyers purchase products if they like them and have a positive attitude towards them. Materialism and consumption are common elements when marketing to today’s consumers, and influence decision making when there are diverse brands competing to increase their market share.
Celebrity endorsement is effective so long as the celebrity fits the profile when promoting the product. Celebrities are likely to sway opinions and when known celebrities are associated with products and this is, especially when there are positive views about the products and the celebrities. In any case, as opinion leaders with a large following and influence, their fans are likely to emulate them. Celebrity endorsement is most effective among the young people who follow the celebrities on different social media platforms. Reading the fine print when viewing celebrity social media posts is necessary to identify the ads and determine whether the celebrities are paid endorsers (Stoffers 3).
Even as celebrities include # ad to indicate paid endorsement, there needs to be more disclosure. In some instances celebrities include #ad when there are queries about their endorsement, and the firms associated with products pay thousands per post. The hidden ads are not easy to detect when the celebrities do not indicate them. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is still in the process of identifying rules governing social media ads with the aim of protecting consumers against deceptive advertising. The main challenges are ensuring there is full disclosure and differentiating product endorsement from self promotion.
Product placement and advertising influence my buying decisions since communication is meant to convince me as a buyer to act based on the information I am exposed to. Young people increasingly view more online videos than television and selecting what they prefer (Stoffers 3). I also look at the product reviews online to make purchasing decisions and compare pricing for similar products and services offered by different firms. Consumers are more informed than ever before, and ads do not have much sway like before where the ads were longer and more effective in target markets. Internet users also choose ad block programs to limit ads in online videos, and such consumers are mostly likely to purchase products when there are good recommendations for friends...