Advertising Everywhere
I've been on the bus for about 20 minutes before I notice it. I guess I don't pay much attention to the ads on the bus, but this one catches my eye. I think it was because it took me a little while to figure out exactly what it was advertising. It's a picture of a couple, probably early-to-mid 40s, in a sorta cuddly, relaxed happy pose on the couch. The woman is attractive. Big smile. Lots of teetch. But the guy...well, he has a tiger head. The text of the ad is just three words. "Welcome back Tiger." I don't know why the guy has a tiger head. I don't know what the hell it's supposed to be selling. Then I see the tiny little Pfizer logo in the bottom corner, and I realise it's an ad for Viagra. My next thought is, does their market research indicate that men who use public transportation are good candidates for erectile dysfunction???
But this post isn't about Viagra. It's about the fact that the ad was in the bus. There were also ads on the outside of the bus. Some of our city buses are custom painted, entirely covered by whatever their sponsors want. My kids recognize the buses by the ads. There's the dinosaur bus. The beer bus. The donut bus. If Pfizer shells out a little more cash, will we have the tiger bus?
And it's not just the buses. There are more ads in more places than ever before. In more places that used to be ad-free public spaces. They're still public spaces, but instead of paying for them with our tax dollars, advertisers kick in some money as well. But somehow their contribution didn't make my share any less. I'm paying more tax, not less.
I admit it. I have a love/hate relationship with advertising. On the one hand, I read books like The Manipulators by Jeffrey Robinson, and I know they're messing with my head. Studying me, building up my profile, pigeonholing me. Creating demand where none existed. Convincing me that who I am is partly determined by what I buy. I read Culture, Inc. by Herbert Schiller and I agree that "the corporate arm has reached into every corner of daily life, and from the shopping mall to the art gallery, big business influence has brought about important changes to American cultural life." I know being constantly bombarded with advertising messages isn't good for us. I liked it better when buses didn't have ads. When everything didn't have a corporate sponsor.
But at the same time, I'm absolutely fascinated by advertising. I'm not an advertising or marketing guy, but my background is in communication and social science, including psychology and sociology. Looking at it from a detached, professional point of view, some of it's just unreal.
I'm fascinated by what I call 'spending zones' -- any area like a shopping mall, totally devoted to attracting consumers in large numbers and taking their money. Whether it's an individual shop, a mall, or an entire section of a city, it reminds me of those "gravity well" coin donation things where you put the coin in and watch as it moves around and around the hyperbolic funnel, faster and faster until it finally, inevitably, drops down the hole. I see the same thing happen with shoppers, going around and around on their predestined path, drawn inevitably to the center of the retail gravity well -- the cash register. It's fascinating. Mesmerizing. Hypnotic.
Now the bus -- possibly soon to be the tiger bus -- is part of the spending zone, too.
Disclaimer: While the thoughts and opinions expressed in this post were my own, I was paid to write this post.
But this post isn't about Viagra. It's about the fact that the ad was in the bus. There were also ads on the outside of the bus. Some of our city buses are custom painted, entirely covered by whatever their sponsors want. My kids recognize the buses by the ads. There's the dinosaur bus. The beer bus. The donut bus. If Pfizer shells out a little more cash, will we have the tiger bus?
And it's not just the buses. There are more ads in more places than ever before. In more places that used to be ad-free public spaces. They're still public spaces, but instead of paying for them with our tax dollars, advertisers kick in some money as well. But somehow their contribution didn't make my share any less. I'm paying more tax, not less.
I admit it. I have a love/hate relationship with advertising. On the one hand, I read books like The Manipulators by Jeffrey Robinson, and I know they're messing with my head. Studying me, building up my profile, pigeonholing me. Creating demand where none existed. Convincing me that who I am is partly determined by what I buy. I read Culture, Inc. by Herbert Schiller and I agree that "the corporate arm has reached into every corner of daily life, and from the shopping mall to the art gallery, big business influence has brought about important changes to American cultural life." I know being constantly bombarded with advertising messages isn't good for us. I liked it better when buses didn't have ads. When everything didn't have a corporate sponsor.
But at the same time, I'm absolutely fascinated by advertising. I'm not an advertising or marketing guy, but my background is in communication and social science, including psychology and sociology. Looking at it from a detached, professional point of view, some of it's just unreal.
I'm fascinated by what I call 'spending zones' -- any area like a shopping mall, totally devoted to attracting consumers in large numbers and taking their money. Whether it's an individual shop, a mall, or an entire section of a city, it reminds me of those "gravity well" coin donation things where you put the coin in and watch as it moves around and around the hyperbolic funnel, faster and faster until it finally, inevitably, drops down the hole. I see the same thing happen with shoppers, going around and around on their predestined path, drawn inevitably to the center of the retail gravity well -- the cash register. It's fascinating. Mesmerizing. Hypnotic.
Now the bus -- possibly soon to be the tiger bus -- is part of the spending zone, too.
Disclaimer: While the thoughts and opinions expressed in this post were my own, I was paid to write this post.
<< Home