Influence of the Media in Advertisements/Commercials
“Advertising is the art of arresting the human intelligence just long enough to get money from it.”
— Chuck Blore, a partner in the advertising firm Chuck Blore & Don Ruchman, Inc., quoted by Ben H. Bagdikian, The Media Monopoly, Sixth Edition,(Beacon Press, 2000), p.185.
— Chuck Blore, a partner in the advertising firm Chuck Blore & Don Ruchman, Inc., quoted by Ben H. Bagdikian, The Media Monopoly, Sixth Edition,(Beacon Press, 2000), p.185.
As we live in this capitalistic society, commercials and advertisements are the main source of communications from businesses to the consumers. It fuels the economy. Commercials and Advertisements influence consumers to not only buy their products but to control their minds into believing luxuries are necessities. Industries spend millions and even billions of dollars to advertise their products to influence our choices to choose their products and ideas. [1] Advertisements and commercials also create images for the American people into believing a false perception of high expectations of certain things. Certain things like how women are objectified, men should be dominate over women, expectations of relationships, and so on. They tell the consumer how you can really be happy with buying their product and believing what it can do for the consumer. For example, the commercials of Axe Body Spray always have some type of man that does not get any attention from the women. After the man sprays the body spray, the women fall all
over him. This does not only sexually objectify the women but also puts pressure into men to buy this product and to be “masculine” by getting all the women. Also Axe has put correlation with the body spray for sexual desires of men. This type of commercial does not just sell the product itself but it sells false perceptions of the product for men to actually buy the product.
In the documentary of Supersize Me (2004), Morgan Spurlock experiments on children on knowing some icons in the past and characters from corporations in modern times. This experiment shows how advertisements and commercials really influence children to their products.[1] Children and young teenagers are starting to become the main target in advertisements and commercials. Advertisements influence children into believe luxuries are necessities. They want the children to believe that a certain toy will make them happy. They want the children to believe that food is only good if it is made out of characters from cartoons. They want the children to believe that they should be playing games and watching the latest television shows so they can be a part of the typical “childhood”.
Children and young teenagers are starting to become the main target in advertisements and commercials. Advertisements influence children into believe luxuries are necessities. They want the children to believe that a certain toy will make them happy. They want the children to believe that food is only good if it is made out of characters from cartoons. They want the children to believe that they should be playing games and watching the latest televisionshows so they can be a part of the typical “childhood”.
In the documentary Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Children, it explains how children are being controlled by the market forces into believing products are necessities. These products include but are not limited to junk food, violent video games, and educational programs that have been researched and proved to not do anything like they promised to have done.[3] The film also focuses on how industries have uses psychological and anthropological techniques on transforming American children into one of the most profitable consumers. Commercials have influenced children so much on what they should have, forcing children to make their parents buy these products.[4] Research has been done on what is now called “the Nag Factor”. This “Nag Factor” is the “tendency of children, who are bombarded with marketers’ messages, to unrelentingly request advertised items.” John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted this study and found that the packaging, characters and commercials were the main forces compelling children to nag. This proves that the way of advertising to children has great influence over children. [5]
Even in the past advertisements have had influence over boys and
girls. In the book “Pink Think”, there are many old advertisements shown that promote masculinity and femininity. Just like the Axe Body Spray, the
advertisements promote dominance of men over women and strict boundaries of gender roles. These advertisements sell their product to ensure the gender roles. “Calling All Girls or Seventeen offered… pages and pages of ads for shampoos, lipsticks, powders, and other make-up that graced the girls’ mags, not to mention all the editorial copy devoted to how to use these products”.[6] Girls were exposed to advertisements that promoted femininity and had to follow these rules in order to fit into society at that time. They had to buy those products in order to be classified as feminine. “Boy’s Life focused on sports, hobbies, nature, and of course, scouting skills. Advertisers included Goodyear, Ford, and Gillette-all angling for early brand allegiance”. [7] Boys are exposed to masculine brands that are enforced as an adult. Boys were exposed to these advertisers at a young age so that they could make a “promise” with them and buy their products as they grew older to be considered masculine.
girls. In the book “Pink Think”, there are many old advertisements shown that promote masculinity and femininity. Just like the Axe Body Spray, the
advertisements promote dominance of men over women and strict boundaries of gender roles. These advertisements sell their product to ensure the gender roles. “Calling All Girls or Seventeen offered… pages and pages of ads for shampoos, lipsticks, powders, and other make-up that graced the girls’ mags, not to mention all the editorial copy devoted to how to use these products”.[6] Girls were exposed to advertisements that promoted femininity and had to follow these rules in order to fit into society at that time. They had to buy those products in order to be classified as feminine. “Boy’s Life focused on sports, hobbies, nature, and of course, scouting skills. Advertisers included Goodyear, Ford, and Gillette-all angling for early brand allegiance”. [7] Boys are exposed to masculine brands that are enforced as an adult. Boys were exposed to these advertisers at a young age so that they could make a “promise” with them and buy their products as they grew older to be considered masculine.
Advertisements and commercials put much influence on people no matter what their age is. The capitalistic society brainwashes people into believing luxuries are necessities as well as promoting things that are detrimental to individuals. It is all about making money for these corporations.
[1] “Media and Advertising” Global Issues, March 4, 2012, http://www.globalissues.org/article/160/media-and-advertising
[2] Supersize Me, directed by Morgan Spurlock (2004; Appleton, WI: Kathbur Pictures, 2004), DVD.
[3] Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Children, Directed by Adriana Barbaro and Jeremy Earp (2008; USA: Media Education Foundation, 2008), DVD.
[4] Ibid
[5]“”The Nag Factor’: How Children Convince Their Moms To Buy Junk Food” Huffington Post, August 16, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/nag-factor-junk-food_n_928253.html
[6] Lynn Peril, Pink Think: Becoming A Woman In Many Uneasy Lessons (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2002), 140.
[7] Ibid
[2] Supersize Me, directed by Morgan Spurlock (2004; Appleton, WI: Kathbur Pictures, 2004), DVD.
[3] Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Children, Directed by Adriana Barbaro and Jeremy Earp (2008; USA: Media Education Foundation, 2008), DVD.
[4] Ibid
[5]“”The Nag Factor’: How Children Convince Their Moms To Buy Junk Food” Huffington Post, August 16, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/nag-factor-junk-food_n_928253.html
[6] Lynn Peril, Pink Think: Becoming A Woman In Many Uneasy Lessons (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2002), 140.
[7] Ibid
| Joel Martinez |