Blog Advertising

Galina Rolf

                What is advertising media? Advertising is a word that describes the form of communication in which persuasion is used to convince a target population or populations to buy goods, products or services.  Advertising can be dated back to the middle ages but it is hard to believe that civilizations such as the Egyptians or the Romans as advanced as they were in other areas did not advertise.  I am primarily interested in advertising in the United States in the last two hundred years because advertising is so important and so prevalent in modern society that there is both a positive and a negative effect on modern society.  

Consumption of goods and services is good for a free market society.  If advertising assists in the creation of profits for companies it ultimately helps the economy.  Advertising has changed our economy and society in many positive ways.  First, prior to the twentieth century the producers or manufacturers drove the buying in the economy.   The use of advertising increased a demand for new products and allowed for the recovery of production costs quickly. Therefore the economy saw a shift from producer-driven buying to consumer-driven economy. Second, advertising helped promote technological advances. Just fifty years ago when new technology was introduced to the public many consumer felt it was prudent to wait to see if there were adjustments that needed to be made to the product.  The consumers now want the latest and newest technology has to offer. An example would be the Samsung Commercial which shows the two men touching phones to exchange play lists while there are hundreds waiting for the Apple 5 trying to get the “newest thing”.  Cars are not only being sold by gas mileage and mechanical soundness but by a radio with hands on and voice activated phone capabilities. The advertising guru’s have done a wonderful job convincing the population that they need the newest in technology.

Another type of advertising that affects American society including its government is political advertisements.  Prior to World War II the Federal Government bought blocks of advertising space to encourage the US’s entrance into World War II.  Political advertisements can affect who is leading our country and who is not.  I worry that the winner of elections will be the candidate that has the most money in advertisements.  The Political Ad can be slanted to meet the needs of the candidate paying for them.  You would hope that the Ad’s are true however many are an embellishment or twisting of the truth.  I think that there should be a bi-partisan committee that checks the reliability of the Ads.  If not our society is being influenced by the Ad’s that spin the best propaganda.

Another negative result of advertising is the advertising targeting teenagers and children.  We are fighting a health war in our country.  We have many children who are obese and not active.  These children are targeted by the manufacturers of sugary cereals and snacks.  They are targeted by the manufacturers of sedentary electronic games.  They are also targeted by fast food chains that serve fatty, unhealthy, foods.  In the documentary Supersize Me (Spurlock, 2004) children shown the pictures of the President, Jesus, and Ronald McDonald were overwhelmingly able to identify Ronald McDonald than a picture of Jesus or the President.

Teenagers and young adults have also been targeted by companies that manufacture products that pose a health risk.  Alcohol and cigarettes are two of the products that targeted specific groups even though the health risks are high.  In 1971 under pressure from Congress and the FCC the cigarette advertisements were banned on television.  The Marlboro man who portrayed cigarette smokers as a rough, handsome virile man was a thing of the pass.  Virginia Slims was a brand that targeted young independent women.  Finally Camel Joe, even though not on TV, was the spokes camel for the cigarettes camel. He wore contemporary clothes and was a cartoon character. After a loss in court against a cigarette manufacturer not only was the plaintiff awarded financial damages but part of the settlement prohibited cartoons to be cigarette mascots and marketing could not include free sample give aways or tobacco brand clothing. This settlement also prohibited outdoor billboard advertisement and transit advertisement.  Globally tobacco manufacturers have no such restrictions.

   Advertising has forms, from classified ads, business to business, political ads, TV. Radio, and the newest for of advertising, the internet.  The internet is effective and inexpensive.  The internet has the potential to collect information about target populations that some consider an invasion of privacy.  Social networking not only provides a new stage for advertising it provides critical information to companies which can be collected for free.  The internet allows companies to distribute coupon, run mini commercials and plaster their name in screen after screen.  Ad’s are in email, twitter, even academic research sites. I think that all will recognize that internet advertising is here to stay. Ads that guides by giving detailed information to specific items and products. Advertising in general had had a profound effect on our lives.  It influences even the laws that we pass and the politicians that we elect.  The FCC and congress do have limited controls over the advertising media.  The question we should ask ourselves is when is protection from abuses in advertising necessary and when is that protection a violation of our first amendment rights? When we discover the answer to this question we will solve many of the negative aspects of advertising media.