Advertising, as a medium of communication, has the following merits:(…

Advertising, as a medium of communication, has the following merits:

(A) It undermines social values and promotes materialism.

(B) Advertising does not distinguish between superior and inferior products.

(D) Advertising creates confidence amongst prospective buyers as they feel more comfortable and assured about the product quality.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → (C) and (D) only

(A) It undermines social values and promotes materialism. — Incorrect. This is an objection. Critics say advertising makes people want things they do not need and weakens social values.

(B) Advertising does not distinguish between superior and inferior products. — Incorrect. This is an objection too. Every product claims to be the best, so the buyer cannot tell a good product from a poor one through its advertisements.

(C) Advertising has developed into one of the most forceful medium of communication. — Correct. This is the merit of expressiveness. With art, colour, sound and movement, an ordinary product can be shown in a very attractive way.

(D) Advertising creates confidence amongst prospective buyers as they feel more comfortable and assured about the product quality. — Correct. This is the merit of enhancing customer satisfaction and confidence. A buyer is more at ease buying a product he has heard of again and again.

NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Merits of advertising Advertising, as a medium of communication, has the following merits:”

“Enhancing Customer Satisfaction and Confidence: Advertising creates confidence amongst prospective buyers as they feel more comfortable and assured about the product quality and hence feel more satisfied.”

“…With the developments in art, computer designs, and graphics, advertising has developed into one of the most forceful medium of communication. …”

“Undermines Social Values: Another important criticism of advertising is that it undermines social values and promotes materialism. …”

“Encourages Sale of Inferior Products: Advertising does not distinguish between superior and inferior products and persuade people to purchase even the inferior products.”