Advertiser Influence Our Individuality There are about seven billion people in the world. Individuality distinguishes everyone from other people. However, with the development of commerce, advertisement for products which becomes much widespread are influencing people’s individuality. Some advertised products which are designed for normal consumers decrease people’s individuality. Meanwhile, some other products that have been advertised to those at a very high social level make them more of individuality. Most products advertise to ordinary consumers decrease the individuality because the merchants can always lead people to purchase their goods, but people do not actually choose the product by themselves. We live in a free country and it seems …show more content…
In Solomon’s words, “American dream encourages the desire to ‘arrive,’ to vault above the mass, it also fosters a desire to be popular, to ‘belong’.” (169) Advertiser whose “ads are aimed at a broader market” (169) are utilizing such kind of human mentality. For instance, Nike is a famous clothes brand to almost everybody. In its advertisement, there are always people in different genders, races and ages wearing Nike’s products running on streets, on riversides or in parks. Through its advertisement, Nike is trying to convey consumers that everyone is using Nike’s products, and you should be one of them. People want to fit in as part of most people, so they buy Nike’s products. Nike’s advertised products make people belong to it. If I were going to buy a new pair of shorts for running, I would consider of buying a pair of Nike shorts because it seems that so many people wear Nike shorts and I want to keep the same with them. People buy those advertised products to increase their senses of belonging, but they are losing their individuality at the same time. Despite many advertised products could decrease the individuality, some of them indeed make people more of …show more content…
Lots of people at a high level in society use the products they own to represent their social status. As what Solomon says in his article, “advertisers have been quick to exploit the status signals that belong to body language as well.” (169) Advertising gives them a good chance to show their material success, and the advertised products make them more of individuality. For example, Michael Jordan owns a Ferrari 512 which is a super sports car with an unaffordable price. Ferrari’s advertising tells the world how excellent and expensive the car is, so that his car could shows his wealth and success in his career and also his energetic and positive personalities. Being advertised, Jordan’s Ferrari is not just a vehicle but a symbol of his identity. There is no doubt that this advertised car makes Jordan much more of
Advertisements are one of many things that Americans cannot get away from. Every American sees an average of 3,000 advertisements a day; whether it’s on the television, radio, while surfing the internet, or while driving around town. Advertisements try to get consumers to buy their products by getting their attention. Most advertisements don’t have anything to do with the product itself. Every company has a different way of getting the public’s attention, but every advertisement has the same goal - to sell the product. Every advertisement tries to appeal to the audience by using ethos, pathos, and logos, while also focusing on who their audience is and the purpose of the ad. An example of this is a Charmin commercial where there is a bear who gets excited when he gets to use the toilet paper because it is so soft.
Consumers become more interested in what brand they buy, and that what they want does not reflect their needs. While there are different products having the same features, people are still giving attention to the brands’ name. When people go shopping at the mall, they do care how the stores present their commodities, which brands use to target their consumers, especially women, and teenagers because they spend more time at the mall, so they are more likely to spend money on useless features’ commodities. Shopping at home, the salesperson explains the features of the product so that another will offer to buy it. Also, at home is the easiest way to buy useless
Advertisement is a notable part of our society, it's not only in the uppermost urban neighborhoods but it’s everywhere we turn and look. It is what defines our generation as civilization and no matter what we do we cannot hide from it. In Naomi Klein No Logo she explains “Ads had to inform consumers about the existence of some new invention, then convince them that their lives would be better if they used, for example, cars instead of wagons, telephones instead of mail and electric light instead of oil lamps”(5). And that’s what Gatorade has accomplished by releasing commercials associating with some type of sport. It almost seems like that the corporation of Gatorade is controlling and deciding what we should drink and when we should drink it. If one sees a Gatorade commercial, it’s mostly dealing with a sport or an activity. It portrays to the audience that the men with fancy suits and big bonus checks are correct for their sim...
Mega brands like Nike have been described as mediums for of globalization and technology for years. Nike being a flexible brand, elevated to the next level. The end results for Nike was innovating ad campaigns, superstars like basketball legend Michael Jordan, expansion of mega stores such as Nike Town, and Nike World campus. The Nike swoosh is meanwhile believed to be the most recognizable brand icon or corporate logo, conveying "Nike" without the need of words. The swoosh was designed by a university student attending a class taught by Nike CEO Phil Knight. (Amran et al., 2014).
Americans have long since depended on a falsified ideology of idealized life referred to as the American dream. The construct of this dream has become more elusive with the emergence of popular cultural advertisements that sell items promoting a highly gendered goal of achieving perfection. In “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising,” Jack Solomon states that ads are creating a “symbolic association between their products and what is most coveted by the consumer” to draw on the consumer’s desire to outwardly express high social standing (544). The American dream has sold the idea of equality between genders, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds, but advertisements have manipulated this concept entirely through representations
SHORT CASE SUMMARY Nike, Inc. (503-671-6453, www.nike.com) is the worlds #1 athletic shoe and apparel seller. Nike currently employs 20,700 employees, with total sales of $8.78 billion. Nike and the athletic shoe industry have evolved into one of the most competitive market in recent years. But, analysts believe that athletic shoe sales will slow down over the next few years. The slowdown will come with the change in consumer trends. For instance, the younger market is beginning to buy more casual shoes and work boots. Another reason for the slowdown is that people are buying more medium priced athletic shoes and not going for the high price brand name shoes. As a result, this is bringing Nike a lot more competition to surpass. In order for Nike to remain on top of the athletic shoe industry they must establish an exceptional global strategy. If Nike penetrates the global market successfully than this will give the company an overall competitive advantage. Nike doesn't only sell athletic shoes, but a wide variety of sporting goods and clothing. They also design, develop, and market high quality active sports apparel, equipment, and accessory products. Their huge lines of products are designed for just about every sport in existence. Their products are made for men, women, and children of all ages. Nike has 20,000 retail accounts throughout the U. S. using independent distributors and also has contracts with 110 other countries. The company also has agreements with Internet companies and subsidiaries. Nike, Inc. has many retail outlets around the world, including their famous outlet "NIKETOWN" located in major cities. "NIKETOWN" gives customers the experience to become more educated on the company's goals and objectives for their products. The store educates its customer while at same time entertaining them too. This store gives customers a chance to become more brand loyal to Nike, Inc. Over the years Nike has gained an enormous amount of consumer awareness that they have eliminated the company name from all other products. The "swoosh" logo is automatically associated with the company name by just about anyone in the world. The meaning for Nike has lived up to the company's expectations. Nike means "the goddess of victory," which is exactly what the company has had since its creation. HISTORY A competitive runner, Ph...
It is believed that there is a tension between social classes in America. Typically, people of lower classes choose to imitate those of higher social status. As a result, advertisers have a tendency to take advantage of this tension in order to profit from people of the lower and middle classes. In “The American Upper Class,” G. William Domhoff says that “exhibiting high social status… is a way of exercising power” (Domhoff p.34),” which is something important to all social classes. According to Judi Puritz Cook, author of “Consumer Culture…Sales Discourse,” advertisements in print as well as in visual media seem to create “the promise of status mobility through consumption (Cook p.373).” In the article, Puritz explains how television programs on channels such as the Home Shopping Network are examples of how the media exploits the anxiety caused by social standing.
Nike has a responsibility for the working conditions of their employees who produce Nike products. In cases of multinational companies, the question of whose ethics and standards to follow is in dispute. Best judgement and reasoning and a combination of the countries’ standards combine to decide on appropriate treatment. In Nike’s case, as part of their strategy, they moved work overseas to save on labor costs. However, the employees still work in Nike factories making Nike products, and Nike has responsibility to protect their working conditions and workers’ rights. They should guarantee workers are being paid fairly according to the minimum wage, ensure their overseas factories comply with child labor laws, and certify the working conditions
Prior to studying modern American culture I was aware of my desires to buy things. Growing up as a kid you are influenced strongly by advertisements on television, as well as by your peers. You start to believe that in order to be well-liked in our society you must own expensive things. Our economy is dependent on commercial advertising. Some people in our society believe that the methods that some companies use to sell more of their product are immoral, however most people in our culture are willing to let absurd or ambiguous statements pass. The Federal Trade Commission is required to order business organizations to stop using deceptive advertising, yet I still see commercials on television that tell me if I buy their body spray women will attempt to rip off all my clothing to sleep with me. As Americans we are so use to the idea that every business will exploit the truth to sell more products. We become numb to the eff...
Phil Knight started his shoe company by selling shoes from the back of his car. As he became more successful in 1972 he branded the name Nike. In the 1980’s Nike Corporation quickly grew and established itself as a world leader in manufacturing and distributing athletic footwear and sports' attire. The Nike manufacturing model has followed is to outsource its manufacturing to developing nations in the Asia Pacific, Africa, South and Latin Americas; where labor is inexpensive. It quickly became known for its iconic “swoosh” and “Just do it” advertisements and products. Its highly successful advertising campaigns and brand developed its strong market share and consumer base. But, the road has not always been easy for Nike; in the late 1990’s they went through some challenging times when their brand become synonymous with slave wages and child labor abuses. During this period, Nike learned that it paramount that the company understands its stakeholders’ opinions and ensures their values are congruent with their stakeholders. Nike learned that their stakeholders were concerned with more than buying low cost products; their customers were also concerned with ethical and fair treatment of their workers. Because Nike was unwilling to face the ethical treatment of its employees, the company lost its loyal customers and damaged its reputation. Nike has bounced back since the late 1990’s and revived its reputation by focusing on its internal shortfalls and attacking its issues head on. Nike nearly collapsed from its missteps in the late 1990’s. They have learned from their mistakes and taken steps to quickly identify ethical issues before they become a crisis through ethics audits. This paper is based on the case study of Nike: From Sweatsh...
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.
INTRODUCTION NorthPoint Large-Cap Fund, from the NorthPoint Group, invests mostly in Fortune 500 companies with an emphasis on value investing. Generally it invests in old-economy stocks and it has been doing really well in the past year of 2000 (return of 20.7% even as the S&P 500 fell 10.1%). Kimi Ford, a portfolio manager at NorthPoint Group, is considering buying some shares for the fund, a week before she began her research Nike Inc. decided to host an analysts’ meeting to show their 2001 fiscal results. However, this meeting had another purpose other than just providing information about their fiscal results, the meeting was also to communicate a new strategy to revitalize the company by developing more athletic-shoe products at a mid-price range.
Retailers are constantly breathing behind consumer’s necks to persuade the individual that their brand is the best. In a result, these retailers are hoping the shopper will give in, buy the product(s), tell another friend about the brand, and push them to buy/show off the name. It is an ongoing and viscous cycle for individuals to keep their self-image updated with society. Moreover, the pressure to be accepted by others is influenced by buying a name brand item to avoid a negative response from peers. Jim Guest, author of Consumers and Consumerism in America Today, explains “In the current economic climate, consumers are constantly pressured to buy expensive, often unnecessary products and serves, and to live beyond their means” (148). A major reason for the overconsumption of brands are due to the popularity of brand ambassadors. As consumerism continues to grow, companies are becoming smarter and smarter; they will hire celebrities to endorse their brands and create an image of superiority for others to follow. To name a few examples, LeBron James, a professional basketball player, is endorsed by Nike; Carl’s Jr., a famous fast food chain, displays ads with beautiful models in bikinis eating their burgers; Kim Kardashian, a famous celebrity and fashion mogul, has endorsed Skechers sneakers. These are a few big named celebrities that
The current market for footwear particularly sneakers is booming, fueled by millennial demand and the organization 's strategic business approach. The international sneaker market has also grown by approximately 40% since 2014 to an estimated $55 billion. In 2015 the athletic footwear industry in the United States grew by 8% generating about $17.2 billion in sales. Out of that number, Nike sales are approximately 3% with the average selling price increasing by 5% which translates to $61.15 (Hill, 2009). The millennials alone are driving the market as they spent approximately $21 billion on footwear in 2014. In Japan alone, the organization has boosted the market by about $2.6 billion. Furthermore, the footwear industry is expected to be one
Nike was created around the late 50’s early 60’s(Page 3 Frisch, Aaron. The Story of Nike). The creator got the idea to make them because of a school project. It was about a business that they would run as they came out of highschool. His name was Phil Knight. It originated in Hillsboro Oregon. And this was the start of something great.