Media is often referred to as mass media, this form of communication has been used by companies to promote their products. This allows innovative ideas and concepts to be shared with other people through forms of mass media such as newspapers, magazines and the television. As technology continues to advance, advertising techniques have advanced as well, by enticing, shaping and creating consumerism and needs where luxury is turned into a form of necessity. This essay will argue some of the issues and concerns of advertising techniques.
The role played by advertising in mass media: as consumer product & service information ancillary to programming
Advertising paying for programing
Advertising is often used to help pay the costs for free media such as television channels that are funded by advertisements which helps reduce the company’s financial cost. The role advertising plays in mass media is the promotion of products and ideas which influence our choices and decisions on what it is we consider important. Media companies are dependent on advertisements because of the revenue they receive. As a result, contemporary mass media is largely driven by the forces of the market.
The Audience as the product
Companies have to sell products to its consumers for profit, where the customers are the corporate advertisers who buy demographic information on that specific companies audience group (Noam Chomsky – What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream). Advertisers in turn use the information product from the media company’s audience to generate revenue for them because advertisers are the market (Chomsky). Therefore in mass media, corporations sell their audience to other corporations for profit.
How critical theory views the advertising rol...
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...ing what media does. Hence we have animated television programs as those developed several years ago, He-Man and She Ra, where the programs primarily were introduced to market massive lines of toys for the Christmas season. We are submitting innocent children to strategies of a mega-million dollar advertising industry and most parents are incapable of responding to sales campaigns of this magnitude. MTV is another example. Here we have entertainment programming which doubles as a continuous commercial for music CDs, clothing lines, talk shows involving music personalities, and a variety of other marketing ploys. (Richard Vincent). This is how the market imposes its desires on the media, where there is the power to influence consumers also affects the perspectives and ideologies portrayed in the mainstream when it comes to international political and economic issues.
This film dealt with advertising and the techniques used today as a way to sell products and services while raising the question as to whether there are more brands in need of a real purpose. Furthermore, it worked to explain some the difficulties found within advertising such as reaching the consumer as well as the evolution of marketing.
Goldman, R. & Papson, S. Advertising in the Age of Accelerated Meaning. In Schor, J.B. and Holt, D.B. (eds.). (2000). The Consumer Society Reader. (pp. 81-96). New York: The New Press.
Goldman opens our eyes here to the idea that advertising is something required for the free-market to function properly. One of the biggest things in the market affected by advertising is media which would not exist at a fair market price today if it were not for advertising. Goldman continues to justify this argument up by pointing out that, at its core, advertisement is just a way to provide information, nothing more and nothing less. It is there to make people aware of their options and show them what is available on the market. Goldman also points out that there are multiple arguments for and against advertising as a whole and what it is meant to accomplish, this in itself allows for one to conclude that advertising is exactly like any other product of the free m...
For instance, the online article “Television News: Are we Amusing Ourselves to Death?” by John W. Whitehead, John quoted, “Although the news items spoon-fed to you may have some value, they are primarily a commodity to gather an audience, which will in turn to be sold to advertisers. Most people, believing themselves to be in control of their media consumption, are not really bothered by this. But TV is a two-way attack: it not only delivers programming to your home, it also delivers you (the consumer) to a sponsor”. John’s report demonstrates how companies’ influence has negatively impacted television network by using commercial to gain attention from the viewers to keep consumers glued to the screen. Another form of corporate influence on news network is news network attempting to appease corporate sponsor by not resisting person with dynamism and domination. For example, the article “Democracy Now! Decolonising US News Media” by Kevin Howley, Kevin quoted, “Anxious to avoid antagonizing commercial interests or government news sources, journalists rarely challenge people in positions of power and authority for fear of losing access to “official sources.” Instead, working journalists play it safe by taking a less confrontational stance toward elites, pursuing instead the sensational, the titillating or the trivial news item. Thus, journalists create the illusion of conflict and controversy by covering relatively inconsequential “news items” like celebrity gossip, or the sexual misconduct of politicians, while studiously avoiding substantive public policy issues”. The quote written by Kevin represents how news reporters are forced to appease the sponsor by reporting on emotional news event over significant social issues in order to please the sponsor. As a result, audience only obtains information on minor news, preventing people
“In the twentieth century, advertising evolved into a form of persuasive social discourse intended primarily to influence how we perceive the buying and consumption of goods,” (Danesi 179).
Many companies spend over millions of dollars advertising every year, and these advertisements influence how an individual thinks and acts in a society. It becomes a significant aspect of our lives whether it has come to our acknowledgment or not. It influences us to the extent we believe the information presented in the media are “normal”. To be precise, advertisements create and define the social norms. These concepts are strongly built into my mind since a young age, especially the gender roles between men and women.
Advertising is a controlling force in news media, therefore, to become a bourgeois tool, crucial in the long term goal of selling a political order that facilitates consumer culture (Berger, 55). It becomes a reciprocal relationship, with an extremely well developed advertising industry that enforces consumerism over public good, this emphasis on capital/capitalism increases the separation of socioeconomic class, thus those who view mainstream media are unwitting ‘victims’ of this culture (Berger,
Advertising is an essential part of our society, as is the role of the media.
It is hard to believe that people will spend out of their pockets in purchasing products they have never heard of. This is where advertisement giants come in. In this intimidating and capital- concentrated world advertising plays a vital role as it connects the consumers to the products existing in the market. Advertising is a concept where the manufacturers get the chance to publicize and exhibit their products by merely creating a feast of wide range of products for the consumers. People are now fully-aware of the kind of products in the market and then pin point on a product. It is highly satisfying for a person to get what he was looking for. Undoubtedly, advertising is a boon but has also become a bane if explored profoundly.
Advertisements are located everywhere. No one can go anywhere without seeing at least one advertisement. These ads, as they are called, are an essential part of every type of media. They are placed in television, radio, magazines, and can even be seen on billboards by the roadside. Advertisements allow media to be sold at a cheaper price, and sometimes even free, to the consumer. Advertisers pay media companies to place their ads into the media. Therefore, the media companies make their money off of ads, and the consumer can view this material for a significantly less price than the material would be without the ads. Advertisers’ main purpose is to influence the consumer to purchase their product. This particular ad, located in Sport magazine, attracts the outer-directed emulators. The people that typically fit into this category of consumers are people that buy items to fit in or to impress people. Sometimes ads can be misleading in ways that confuse the consumer to purchase the product for reasons other than the actual product was designed for. Advertisers influence consumers by alluding the consumer into buying this product over a generic product that could perform the same task, directing the advertisement towards a certain audience, and developing the ad where it is visually attractive.
Advertising is an information source to inform people about the products and prices of the company, which can help them to make informed choices. More recently, a huge amount of money has been spent on advertising throughout the world. Different types of advertisement such as television, radio, magazine, newspaper, the internet, billboards and posters can influence consumer’s behavior positively or negatively as there are different arguments and opinions. This essay will focus on the purpose of the advertisement for the company, the positive and negative effects of the advertisement on consumer behavior. According to Shimp (2007), there are five important factors which determine the purpose of an advertisement in terms of marketers’ communication with consumers.
Advertising has been an essential source for aiding in global consumption. Individuals in society work to be able to spend their money, and advertisement play a big role in where money is being spent. Ads are very diverse and often consist of an array of fields in which consumers are targeted. Ranging from food, health, clothing, sports, image, lifestyle, etc. Ads provide important means of influence on our society. Ads often play the role of persuade people to come buy products from a specific distributor. On average an individual is exposed to 3000 plus more ads daily, via TV, Internet, print, billboards, etc. In the past decade though ads have drastically changed due to the ever-growing digital era we are living in. Digital technology has assisted in the industry making changes to accommodate our tech-savvy society. Changes in the advertising industry have occurred due to the adoption of the Internet, social media, television, and mobile technology.
Television advertisement takes an important part of everyday human's life. Everyday millions of people in America and the world watches Television and advertisements. Television advertisements are very common these days. They appear in public where a lot of people can hear and watch. For example, commercials tend to appear on the radio, foot ball game where a lot of people are watching, and in on television. Advertisement is seen many times especially on television. Television is the most efficient way for business industries to use to take advantage of showing advertisement.
Similarly, numerous advertisements on mass media has also created adverse impacts on society. Critics substantiate this fact by giving argument that advertising of expensive products cause sense of depravity in the poor people. In addition, daily thousands of advertisements are destined to an individual through different mind process of a person.
...maintain that advertising exists primarily to create demand among consumers. People have certain types of wants and needs, and they are perfectly capable to discover it for themselves. People today just need food, clothing and shelter everything else is superfluous and additional stuff. Advertising are able to create demand that would not exist just by manipulating people’s min and emotions. Advertising is master in manipulate reality and fantasy, by creating “magic show.” It is true that advertising has been a powerful mechanism that distorts our whole society’s values and priorities. On the other hand, advertising educate people about several issues. In political terms, it moves mass of people and persuade them to vote for a candidate. And, of course, in terms of economy, contributes in the development through the consumption of the costumer.