In reading about advertising in chapter 21, I became very interested in the idea of Advertising as creating needs rather than fulfilling needs. As our country becomes more and more of a consumer society, the more this issue will happen. As Americans we feed off the new and improved, we strive to make more and more money so we can buy more and more things. Things that we do not even truly need, but we seem to think that we do. The ads that we see are purposely made so that we can connect with them, so that we can picture ourself as the person in the ad. And so, if the person in the ad absolutely needs this new product, well since we are just like that person, we must need that product as well. Advertisers also appeal to our hopes and dreams, showing the rich and famous people using certain products, telling us that if we want to be part of that class of people, we need to use those products as well. It is almost as if we are tricked into needing things, and tricked into thinking that we are making our own decision to want these things.
Also on the topic of traditional advertising and television, it is becoming harder and harder for advertisements to catch our attention. As mentioned in the text, with remote controls, people can just change the television channel to another station when commercials come on, making things very difficult for the stations trying to sell the ad space, and for the advertisers who are trying to sell a product. This has become worse over the years with the invention of Tivo and on-demand television, as well as television being watched on the internet. People may pay a little bit more, but they can completely skip over having to see any advertisements if they choose.
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I agree 100 percent. As i posted above about advertising i can appreciate your comment. You mention how tough it is for advertisers to appeal to viewers in our culture today. Advertising in general has always been interesting to me. There is so much that goes into the whole process.
ReplyDeleteI am actually taking an advertising class now and I do agree in many ways. There is an increasing amount of "noise" that more and more advertising creates. However, in class we have talked about how it is only a matter of time until advertisers learn how to use new media effectively. It is likely that these options to skip over advertisements will disappear. For example, advertisements now pop up on Hulu and other sites that we cannot skip. Also, advertising will become increasingly personal to the point where deals or advertisements will be sent to your phone as you pass near a retailer or other business. Also, our professor has talked about the idea that television advertisements will become so individualized that they may actually speak to you directly by name. As crazy as this sounds it will likely become a reality. The more and more connected we become, the more privacy we lose and the more power we give to advertisers. Advertisers will catch up to technology, I wouldn't worry too much about that.
ReplyDeleteevery new medium is, at least potentially, a new advertising medium, but it's the tailor-made messages and appeals that cause the most concern.
ReplyDeleteAdvertising is truly changing. After watching a ton of YouTube videos in a row the other day, I was forced to watch 30 second ads before the video I wanted to watch. I had never seen it before in a YouTube clip, though it makes so much sense. With many clips having more than a million viewers, why wouldn't advertisers utilize this method of getting their point across? I'm not sure what effect these ads will have upon YouTube, as some of the intrigue of the site is the instant gratification that it offers. 30 seconds seemed like a lot to me and I eventually stopped watching clips because of how long it took. But it is interesting how companies are taking advantage of YouTube
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of what a speaker at a communication seminar I attended was saying regarding advertising as entertainment. The speaker worked on a campaign with AXE and MTV that produced the series "GameKillers," a collection of stereotyped characters who represent certain annoying personalities who teens and 20-somethings often encounter throughout the course of their social life (Wikipedia).
ReplyDeleteThe show became widely popular and was syndicated on Comedy Central and went on to receive hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube. The outcome for AXE? AXE didn't have to pay for advertising every time the show aired, but rather their brand was incorporated into the premiss of the show and gave a plug to AXE Dry deodorant in every episode.
Advertising is getting preposterous. The whole Hot Bod or Heat cologne commercials are completely untrue. If a men is wearing this cologne, the chances of two girls coming up to him in a club/bar, ripping his shirt off, and grinding up on him, are VERY slim, but yet they show it almost every commercial break on MTV. Especially during Jersey Shore, but hey I don't think that's quite so out there down in Seaside, NJ.
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