Does anyone else find the American obsession with marketing propaganda shallow (and creepy)?

[Union Thug]

I can't stand it. I hate advertising, advertisers and marketing professionals. Marketing is the propaganda industry legitimized by its capitalist framework and I am personally offended by the lengths marketers will go to incite us into buying a lot of shit that we don't need. They use cognitive science, psychology, sociology, anthropology and go knows what else to manipulate both adults and children into believing that life is defined and given value by the shit that we possess.

So when I hear people gum-smacking away about the 'best' superbowl commercial, I can't help but lament over what a sick, materialistic society we have become. On the other hand, it explains a lot.

[LeftyMom]

1. The thing that scares me is those shows that are an hour of the best/funniest whatever commercials

Now if it were analyzing them, talking about why people respond to them, teaching people to question... oh hell, that'd never happen.

But people actually spend an hour watching foreign commercials, punctuated by the usual complement of domestic ones. :crazy:

[bridgit]

2. hubby has the transferable credits in commercial/ad art mentioned day-1...

his prof. told the class straight up, "Advertising art is the discipline whereby we convince people to purchase items, and products they do not need." = spooky :scared:

[Union Thug]

3. I think Juliet Shore's "Born to Buy" offers great insight into this..

I read the bulk of it on a plane last week, and although I knew much of what was going on, I was surprised at the extent to which they target kids, and the willingness of many adults to expose their kids to these parasites.

[bridgit]

4. that's it, there are of course products that we do need, but there can be little...

dispute that the vast, oceanic world of product placement and advertising is a sordid pass-time at best; you may have seen the studies where children were able to recognize Joe Camel over important, real life people...that was no mistake, that was rendering a tobacco mascot into a cartoon figurine for the next round of addicts disgusting

[Oeditpus Rex]

30. The prof left out something

Advertising convinces people to purchase items and products they don't need with money they don't have.

[bridgit]

33. ha! good one...

:rofl:

[Oeditpus Rex]

36. I can't take credit for it

It's from "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House," 1940.

So there's nothing new about the sentiment.

[vixengrl]

5. There's something very creepy and pervasive about it--

and it's one thing when it's Coke vs. Pepsi or whatever low-nutrient value chemical water they want people to swill down with their cheeseburgers, but it's another thing when you know those same techniques go into political campaigns, propaganda, selling "ideas" based on branding and not qualitative, rational debate. This sort of thing:

http://www.prwatch.org/books/tsigfy10.html

bugs me a lot. Because even people who aren't susceptible to the idea : Bud Lite will make me attractive and I will have much sex with bikini-babes and far more fun than I have while sober, can still be lulled by the noisemakers over other things.

Oh, wow, that was kind of GD...er, uh...here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo


(Crap...that twice this week I'm linking to Hicks...no, I'm not obsessed.)

[PVnRT]

6. I can tolerate most ads

Except for "guerilla marketing," which I think is asinine, and ads for prescription drugs, which need to be banned. Otherwise, it's a free mraket, and at least we have laws saying they can't outright lie anymore.

[Omphaloskepsis]

7. Turn off the fucking TV.

If the idiot box can make you buy shit. Maybe the box is the smart one.

[treestar]

40. I think the point was a little broader than that.

Besides, advertising is everywhere. Now even in elevators. They're talking about using parts of the sky, even!

[stuntcat]

8. This is why I stopped watching tv

The ads don't "make me buy" stuff, if anything they turn me off of whatever they're selling. Just a few minutes of ads make me ashamed that I'm sharing the world with people that stuff works on.. that IS why so much money's spent to get them onto my tv, because it PAYS off. it makes me sick and ashamed. I stopped watching the sold/bought-out network stuff, but after Newshour I do usually watch 30 minutes of Jon Stewart, and there I get to see just enough commercials to remind me why I don't watch tv anymore.

Sorry if this sounds so preachy but consumer commercialism makes me more sick and afraid all the time :( What we have and how we look is NOT what's important right now. *falls off soupbox*

[Ramsey]

22. Exactly

I haven't watched commercial TV in years. Or listened to commercial radio. I cannot abide the advertisements sucking away my precious time. That's what bugs me more than anything, and most of them are mind-numbingly inane anyway. If I really want to watch a show that has ads, I record it and skip over the ads. I just refuse to let ads waste one single minute of my life.

The commercialism in this country is truly sickening, so I just try to avoid it. That's not easy to do. We are bombarded by advertising in almost every public venue- billboards, public spaces, the internet. I hate it the most when I am a captive audience like in the doctor's office and they have some obnoxious cable channel blaring in the waiting room (often Fox News!), literally forcing me to at least listen, even if I don't watch. I've started taking my Walkman everywhere so I can drown out this kind of imposed exposure.

I have rarely enjoyed an ad, but so many ads are so stupid or offensive they make me NOT want to buy the product. I was at one point boycotting so many products because I hated their ads that I was running out of things I could purchase!

[twilight_sailing]

38. Get TIVO

I haven't seen a commercial in years. ;)

[Orsino]

9. Well, I don't object to lauding the creative ones...

...such as used to feature in the Super Bowl. If we're going to pay attention to any commercials, let it be the spectacular ones that reach beyond the mere mindless flogging of product.

It's the insidious use of marketing phraseology and slogans in everyday life that really creeps me out.

[democracyindanger]

10. "They use cognitive science, psychology, sociology...

...anthropology..."

Those are only used to justify budgets. Sorry, but sometimes an ice cube that looks like it has a naked lady in it is just an ice cube that looks like it has a naked lady in it.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. So, The People Who Make The Commercials Shouldn't Have Jobs?

Come on. That seems hyperbolic. The whole industry is indicative of societal sickness.

There are creative people, technical people, administrative people, all who make a living and take care of their families from that work. And, that's a bad thing?

Wow.
The Professor

[grace0418]

21. Seriously, advertising and graphic design are two of the only ways an artist can

actually make a reliable living in this country. I'm not in advertising now but I was. And the things I design at my job aren't high art by any stretch of the imagination but they allow me to make a living using my talents.

[liberal hypnotist]

12. Awake Hypnosis

Advertising today is trance inducing to those who are unaware of the tricks. NLP (neuro-linguistic- programming) is a major part of most advertising. How do you think Bush got sold to 49%. I watch ads to understand the trickery. I seldom buy anything major that is not used or sever ly discounted.

[Boojatta]

17. "I seldom buy anything major that is not used or severely discounted."

As for the "severely discounted" part, it does make good sense to minimize spending if you can still get good quality. As for the "used" part, it wouldn't be possible for everybody to buy used except when they buy land (which is always used and never in truly mint condition nowadays).

[LynzM]

13. Yes. Absolutely.

And it LEAPS out at me when I'm ... :smoke: Like, blaringly screamingly obvious, in places it wouldn't otherwise be. What makes me more frustrated, though, is that it works so well, and that so much of our society is so obsessed with keeping up. *sigh*

[jobycom]

14. It's what funds society, employs labor, and creates our living standard

At their best, commercials inform people of products that might enhance their life, or even make it possible. They link the supply of the entrepernuer to the demand of the consumer. This creates capital for the owner, creates investment opportunities for the middle class, and creates jobs up and down the line. This creates more wealth, improving the economy from top to bottom.

At worst, they fool people into bad purchases, wasting money and time.

Name something that is good and never bad.

As for the quality of commercials, I think it's good to praise commercials that are entertaining and informative, while blasting commercials that are insulting, misleading, or pure emotional appeal.

We have to pay for television somehow. Either the government funds it, or the private sector pays for it, through commercials. Either way, it comes out of your pocket. With a commercial system, at least you get to decide who gets your money, and you get the product as a bonus.

And there is the "opt out" function on you television. The on/off button. :)

That's my rational side. Normally my emotional side agrees with you 100% though!

You might like this. I feel like this frequently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo

[S n o w b a l l]

15. You all are on the verge of psychosis if you truly believe

that advertising people use mind control tricks to sell products. I work for one and believe me the only thing we do is work for our clients to put their product in the best possible light with the best possible placement to reach their target audience. My coworkers would get a good laugh at your post though.

Advertising is necessary in any business if it is to succeed. Do you want people to have jobs or not? Make up your fucking minds.

[idgiehkt]

18. LOL

good post.

What is annoying to me are the articles about advertising, like the Superbowl commercials and 'what worked and what didn't' or whatever. I know that freelance writers have to work, but so many times they make up 'trends' or 'fads' or 'syndromes' that don't exist just to sell articles. And people reading them think 'hmmm' the latest, I'm 'up to date', lol. Like that cosmo article I quoted yesterday on post-wedding blues, that was just some freelance writer trying to eat, but the article made it seem like a prevalent psychosis or something, lol.

[bridgit]

19. if you do then you know the primary motivators are vanity, and peer pressure...

oh, and pretty busy colors :spray: have you seen the new Vista POP in stores, very nice :thumbsup:

[ProfessorGAC]

25. Still. The Commercials Don't Make Anybody Buy Anything

There have been sociological studies done on this. Geez, i remember one we read about when i was in college and that was a million years ago.

The upshot of these studies has been, for a long time, that commercials never make anybody buy a thing they weren't considering anyway. Commericals always try to steer brand decision. They don't make me a buy a car. They convince me to buy a Ford when i've already decided to buy a car.

They make us think Red Lobster or Chili's or Olive Garden (yes, i did that on purpose) when we've decided to go out to eat. But, i know for sure that we have never gotten off the couch put on our coats and ran to the restaurant because a commercial came on TV! LOL! Who would do that?

And if a pizza commercial made us decide "PIZZA", we would call the local place and the ad runner wouldn't make a dime! So much for that marketing plan!

I see lots of beer commercials. I have never bought a beer because of one, and i wouldn't buy Miller Lite at gunpoint!

So, i think they are less persuasive than many indicate and can only influence the final brand decision at best.
The Professor

[bridgit]

32. no, of course not, that would seem a mis-read; i don't see people...

loping up off their couches like zombies and ranging off somewhere to buy something they think they might need

Miller Lite? me neither at either gun or knife point...but some do i guess

sadder still by their profit/loss statements of late that Detroit never really figured it out in time; but they had an SUV commercial some time back that fits this template to which i refer, you may recall...and i paraphrase,

'SUV driving serenely through a clearly up-scale suburban landscape, happy children playing respectably near to lawns being sprinkled by sprinklers in slow motion, voice over saying to prospective customer while this mythological SUV traverses this idyllic scene through shafts of sunlight between leafy green and spreading tree cover as happy neighbors wave to one another,

"You know that everyone is created equal, you know that it's not all about keeping up with the Jones', you know that it's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game...but what you're really thinking is (with the following delivered from within the grown-up snide of the child within): I'mmm beetttter than yooou are."'

they may as well have included "nee-ner, nee-ner, nee-ner..."

whether you buy that car, or whether i buy that car is negligible, marginal to them as they are exercising large numbers; cause someone is clearly buying all these freaking Hummers and SUV's as there is some 45-55-60% of them on the streets; in the turn lanes, and waiting at stop lights...not to mention trying to shoot the gap like they think they're a race car,

and that is the level of vanity & peer pressure to which i refer, so that the extent to which or whether a person may have been considering the purchase of 'a car', they are now suggested the purchase of an SUV

i'm just glad that my life moves in as small, and as elegant a circle as it does, and that works for me

[stuntcat]

27. and fear

in the ten minutes of commercials I'll see tonight, two or three of them will try to "scare" me into needing something.
Maybe if more comercials were honest and respectful of consumers then I wouldn't feel this way, I'm just being honest though, no amoutn of put-downing can change my mind.
I understand that buyers are necessary to industry (I can't live without groceries and walking shoes) but a lot of what we think we need is a waste of our money and our minds.
sorry if my preaching upsets anyone but honestly I'm getting sicker every day at everyone wasting their attention on things that do not matter. The more comfy we are the easier we forget.

[stuntcat]

28. (grr that went with the Vanity, peer pressure subject)

grr

[bridgit]

29. sure, the insurance & HMO industries are big on that factor, they slip it past...

but it is there; others as well "don't leave home without it" "what's in your wallet?" stuff like that, one really needs to cut through it all

[Boojatta]

16. Some Questions plus one dogmatic assertion by me.

I am personally offended by the lengths marketers will go to incite us into buying (...)

Would you be less offended if marketers were casual, sloppy, unsystematic, etc? In other words, are some goals acceptable to you but only if people don't make a serious effort to achieve those goals?

People devote money to varous things and they're not all "material stuff" kinds of things.

Are there certain kinds of insurance that are absolutely essential and are all other kinds of insurance absolutely unnecessary luxuries?

Do people need air-conditioning? Are sweatshops good on the grounds that the alternative is wasteful spending?

Do people acquire pets, travel during holidays, and eat meat simply because of advertisements for pet food, airlines, intercity bus lines, grocery stores, and chain restaurants? In other words, do advertisements actually cause people to buy a kind of product or service or might they sometimes merely persuade people who have already decided to spend that they should consider a particular brand?

What do you think of fund-raising efforts by non-profit organizations such as educational, cultural, and charitable organizations? Is it unnecessary? Should they all simply get listed in the yellow pages under "non-profit organizations that want funding"? Would potential financial contributors consult the yellow pages and research many alternatives before donating money?

[Boojatta]

37. Bump because I asked a large number of questions and

saw no attempt for even one of them to be answered.

[grace0418]

20. I understand what you are saying but I think what makes many of the Super Bowl ads

so entertaining is actually what makes them fail (in a marketing sense). Ads that I really enjoy for whatever reason are almost always the ads that I cannot remember for the life of me what they were selling. So the propaganda didn't work. I just enjoyed the spot itself. And I think I remember reading that is often the case for the most popular ads.

[raccoon]

23. The "two-by-four effect" is operating here.

'Because there is so much information in our environment, anyone with a message to send will eventually resort to the "two-by four effect." You may remember one of several old jokes where the punch line is that you had to hit someone on the head with a piece of lumber in order to get his attention. The two-by-four effect has long since taken over the advertising world. Shenk (author of DATASMOG) sees it flourishing in the loud, vicious, and sensationalist behavior of radio talk show hosts, television news, and politicians jockeying for support. The two-by-four desensitizes the listener, cuts off intelligent discussion, and prevents many bright, concerned, and insightful people from participating in public affairs. Of necessity, it is an ever-escalating phenomenon.'

http://cla.uconn.edu/reviews/datasmog.html

[Vidar]

24. My mute button is very well-used.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

26. I hate the products...especially "lite" beer; but the commercials are amusing

[Dastard Stepchild]

31. Nope...

I don't much care for it, but then I just make an effort to tune it all out. I mean, it is one of the best ways to let people know about your products. So, I give them that. Makes sense.
But I don't pay attention because I don't need to be reminded of all the things I really don't need that I can't afford to buy anyways.

[northzax]

34. you know what the most amusing thing about this post is?

your avatar is a classic marketing image, for which the artist has received zero royalties. talk about one image that has been used and twisted far beyond the original interpretation in the name of marketing!

ironic, ain't it?

[Initech]

35. All I have to say is thank god for TV shows on DVD.

I can watch the shows I love, without the commercials I hate.

Although I do have to admit that the Super Bowl is the only time of year I watch advertising, just as a constant reminder of how fucked up our society has become.

[treestar]

39. We're too surrounded by it - I didn't used to mind it but now it's just

everywhere.

But what I really hate is that politicians take on the same view of how to approach the voters - it's practically assumed that whoever has the most $$ has the best chance of getting elected.