Quote:
Originally posted by ARTelevision
My real point is there's a very big self-righteous factor in the standard positions folks take on issues like this. It makes people feel good to take a position which makes them sound all strong and solid about their own ability to resist advertising.
This type of self-righteous, feel-good stand will never do a thing to improve our culture or our population. It is rampant today, because people who are themselves brainwashed are taking their last sad stand against ever admitting the fact that they have lost the battle...
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To an extent I agree but would I go so far as to say we are brainwashed and controlled by mass marketing. Maybe,maybe not.If I need something,I'll buy it.I don't need constant advertising to tell me what to buy.
To be fair though,the barrage of advertising does influence people to think if they want or need something.Take a look at grocery store flyers.One may have enough soup in their cupboards but see a good deal and buy more.They might even look for more deals when they necessarily wouldn't have.Is advertising working in this instant? Sure it is.Will people remember the store doing the advertising? You bet they will.
But the defining line is if people decide to buy something or not in which they are being made aware of. Everyone is susceptable to mass media marketing and are bombarded with the daily barrage of everything available to man.We can't escape that. But just because of this bombardment, it doesn't mean we are completely brainwashed.
We can run off a thousand company names we are all aware of,but do we all collectively subscribe to them? Some people do,some people don't. Again in fairness,if the day does come in which we purchase something because we remember the advertising of a certain company,then the advertising has worked. Often times it is not the want or need for something,but the neccecity of our purchase.
I'm not defending mass marketing,but it is the people who think they want and need whatever the product being advertised is. Is this marketing very clever to the point where in most cases it seems as though people can't live without the product being advertised? Sadly,but yes. But the onus is still on the consumer to say yes or no to whatever is influencing them. The ultimate decision rests with them.
Sidenote--One possible solution is to legislate supposed fair advertising practices.I think some measures are already in place but the fold is being stretched greatly.There is a difference(flagrant at times) between showing hit,happy people and families being portrayed as the norm eating in some shit restaurant and the local businessman advertising his computer specials or furniture deals of the week to the consumer.Sure the later may put hip,happy people in their commercials too, but I don't think it is as grossly misrepresentative as the former.