In today's digital age, advertising is ubiquitous, shaping our perceptions and influencing our desires. And this isn't always for the best. When weaponized, advertisers can manipulate our attention, our impulses and consequently our purchasing behaviour.

But it shouldn't have to be all doom and gloom when it comes to advertising, because I believe it still has massive potential to educate, spread positive messages and lead us towards living better lives when harnessed correctly. Exploring this theme, I refer to a study titled "Advertising as a Major Source of Human Dissatisfaction: Cross-National Evidence on One Million Europeans".

The study shed light on the potential negative impact of large-scale advertising on societal well-being, by exploring the relationship between national advertising expenditure and life satisfaction levels. From 1980 to 2011, the study uses data from approximately 1 million randomly sampled European citizens across 27 nations and employs regression analysis to examine the relationship between advertising expenditure and well-being. The findings were a substantial negative association between advertising and life satisfaction with an approximate coefficient of -0.097, implying that a hypothetical doubling of advertising expenditure would result in a 3% drop in life satisfaction. Some of the possible reasoning for this was that additional advertising could potentially raise the prevalence of infeasible desires and excessive consumption aspirations within citizens.

So why, as someone who provides advertising services, would I want to be sharing this with you? (seems a bit counterintuitive)

Because the unfortunate reality is that as the digital world only continues to rapidly evolve, advertisers are going to continue to fight for people's attention to drive their sales and profit margins. Relating this to the study, if advertising expenditure is only going to increase, in accordance with their findings it could be suggested that life satisfaction may be negatively impacted.

But it doesn't have to be the case.

This is simply a hypothesis, but the same reasoning can be applied. Not all advertisers act maliciously, but they are going to engage you nonetheless. So what should be considered more important, is not whether they will engage your attention, but what it is they are bringing to your attention.

If it's trivial and quick-fix products that leave you with short-term satisfaction, but lack long-term change, then this is probably something that will continue to have a negative impact. For example, those get-rich now pyramid schemes, a new guaranteed weight loss fad diet program, trendy disposable fashion accessories etc.

Instead, advertisers who are able to fulfil the major need for responsible and purpose-driven advertising which promote meaningful experiences could counteract some of these negative trends.

Specifically in the field of mental health services, I believe this to be something very powerful and relevant for two major reasons.

1) By advertising these services, you encourage greater interaction between the professionals and their clients, which is a relationship that holds the potential to be truly transformational for those receiving the services.

2) In the act of advertising (understood as bringing attention to a product or service) you are also raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing, which can help reduce stigma and encourage further help-seeking behaviour.

Thus, when directed to the right outlets, I believe that advertising specifically in the field of mental health could not only counteract the negative trends that were discussed in the study, but they could lead to more positive associations with life satisfaction.

Because rather than fostering unending desires and dissatisfaction, these advertising efforts would focus on providing valuable information, promoting mental well-being, and offering support to those in need. If executed with integrity and empathy, advertising can serve as a means to connect individuals with the resources and assistance which help improve their well-being and fulfil their potential.

Therefore, while the study raises concerns about the potential negative effects of advertising on societal well-being, it also opens up the importance of responsible and purpose-driven advertising practices. Advertising should not be something to shy away from. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, advertisers have the opportunity to harness their power for more than just sales, but as a means to educate, spread positive messages and empower individuals to live their best lives.

For now, I hope this may shift your perception away from advertising being seen as weapon of manipulation, and instead a tool with a greater purpose when used correctly.

If you operate within the mental health industry and want to be a part of this shift, do get in touch with us at Scopus Digital.

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Reference:

Michel, C., Sovinsky, M., Proto, E., Oswald, A.J. (2019). Advertising as a Major Source of Human Dissatisfaction: Cross-National Evidence on One Million Europeans. In: Rojas, M. (eds) The Economics of Happiness. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15835-4_10