Why does the hot soup in TV ads always look tasty? In advertisements cereal floats in milk and the color of honey is always golden. You think they are using Photoshop? Actually, the masters in the industry use a whole range of tricks in order to grab our attention. Mailboxes are filled with ads and discount coupons and our favorite “brand” has become “SALE.” This is because we live in a consumerist society.

The purpose of advertising is simple - to sell more at a higher price. But are ads deceiving? We asked Radoslav Bimbalov, owner of an advertising agency.

"I may sound like a lawyer, but ads never lie. They just focus only on those truths you would like to hear. Very rarely an advertisement is a complete lie. Rather some truths are skipped and others are paid attention to.”

Social media have already become part of the mainstream methods and are used to show trends in the advertising market. In the advertising business the so-called viral campaigns have become very trendy. “A video shot in an attractive way could get to be spread very quickly on the Internet," says Radoslav Bimbalov. This is the advantage of digital media and advertisers know it. Some of them do not spend a penny on TV ads anymore. In Bulgaria, however, the biggest market is for TV ads. Why is that so? Kiril Stoyanov, creative director at one of the world agencies with a large share of the market in our country, answered this question.

Chicken or the egg, text or image? Which is more important in advertising?
"These are major pillars in our business and I don't think one is more important that the other,” says Radoslav Bimbalov.

The crisis did not miss the advertising industry. It even affected the psychology of the consumer, who has become very careful about the way they spend their money. Until recently it was believed that advertising is a luxury for the rich companies. But now a number of small manufacturers pay for advertisement, Mr. Bimbalov says.

So, has Bulgarian business matured?

"Rather faced the truth - says Kiril Stoyanov. - In a competitive market, in order to get noticed, you have to show your presence. It is not enough to produce a quality product."

Is it possible to live without advertising?

"It is absolutely impossible,” Radoslav Bimbalov says. “This is the way each product communicates with the end user. Selling any product or service without communication today is virtually impossible."

The point is not to forget why adverts tell us only good things about products - the answer is because one will find about the shortcomings on their own.

English version: Alexander Markov