Consumer Sovereignty
Consumer sovereignty is the determination by consumers, of the types and
quantities of goods and services produced by the economy. But in today’s society, does
this “sovereignty” actually exist? In agreeing with John Kenneth Galbraith, I think not! I
say this simply because in today’s world, advertising plays such a large role in the
everyday lives of consumers.
The concept of advertising is simple: It’s central function is to create desires.
And in creating these desires, the sovereignty that consumers once had the luxury of
enjoying is taken away. I say , “taken away”, because only when advertising occurs,
does the want for a certain product exist, therefore creating a want that the consumer
feels obligated to pursue. This is a direct example of just how consumer sovereignty is
lost through advertising.
An advertisers’ primary objective is to influence the consumers decision. And in
today’s world, it is not difficult to see just hew advertisers do so. Using commercials,
radio ads, billboards, etc., the advertisers’ are virtually everywhere you look. Whether it
be on the side of a bus, in a newspaper, or even in a movie, many of today’s products are
marketed so heavily that the consumer is left with no other choice than to be influenced.
An example of just how we cannot turn without facing some sort of advertising is with
movie tie-in’s. With the enormous success of advertisements linked with children’s
movies, such as in “The Lion King”, which promoted products stretching from dolls to
clothing, movies aimed at adults are now getting into the act. Just when you thought that
movie-related products had reached its apex, new products such as “The Bridges of
Madison County” perfume, and the “James Bond” BMW, are entering the market.
Not only does the way that companies advertise have a huge effect on the overall
success of the advertising campaign, but just exactly how they do it plays a large role as
well. There are many techniques that advertisers use to try to reach their target market.
One being the use of celebrities, such as a sports and movie stars. Using such people that
are in the public eye, make people want to purchase that particular product which they
endorse. This is just one of the many powerful tools that advertisers use to influence the
A person is subjected to numerous advertisements throughout their everyday lives via television, applications, radios and the internet. Due to the massive numbers of advertisements seen by the public, advertisement designers pose manipulative tactics known as propaganda techniques. As seen in the article “Propaganda Techniques in Today’s Advertising,” the author Ann McClintock states and lists the seven tactics of propaganda used and seen unknowingly in common advertising. McClintock shares “One study reports that each of us, during an average day, is exposed to over five hundred advertising claims of various types” (McClintock 205). This factor causes advertisements to incorporate propaganda into their selling of products. Two advertisements which are composed for opposite audiences do not only contrast but are similar in the form in which they are portrayed to the audience.
“The average American is exposed to some 500 ads daily from television, newspapers, magazines, radio, billboards, direct mail, and so on” (Fowles 2). In the lives of Americans, it is roughly impossible to avoid advertising. Advertisements are meant to capture the attention of a particular group of individuals; based on their age, desires, and motives. For example, the product Glucerna presented in a 2015 AARP magazine appeals to audiences dealing with diabetes. This 2015 AARP Glucerna advertisement attracts its audience through a variety of techniques which include satisfying the need to feel safe, aesthetic sensations, and glittering generalities.
Advertisements have an enormous effect on the collective conscious of consumers today. Advertisers, through advertisements, have the ability to manufacture a world that may seem real to the consumer. In these manufactured realities, advertisers entice consumers to buy products specifically marketed to them.
These are all commonplace characteristics of most advertisements which manipulate and persuade the public through print, radio, and television campaigns most of us encounter daily that all attempt to persuade us to buy a product just a few popular examples include Nike, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Old Navy, JC-Penny, Etc...
Advertising is a $125 billion industry that attracts the attention of the public. Advertising is used as a tool of persuasion in television, magazines, radio, billboards, and in-store displays. The incredible amount of money, artistic ability, and intellectual energy spent on advertisements helps us understand the great power of the media and the advertiser's ability to control their viewers.
advertisement are mostly used for their good looks to sell products. They are shown in
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.
3. Write an essay explaining the notion of “consumer sovereignty” and explain where, in our current US healthcare system, you might find consumer sovereignty. (3 points)
In a world now seemingly revolved around technology, companies can reach their audience with an ad almost in any daily task. Whether it be during a Candy Crush game,
Whether [the people influenced by the advertisement] like it or not, products play a role in
Advertising is an essential part of our society, as is the role of the media.
Advertisements are pieces of art or literary work that are meant to make the viewer or reader associate to the activity or product represented on the advertisement. According to Kurtz and Dave (2010), in so doing, they aim at either increasing the demand of the product, to inform the consumer of the existence, or to differentiate that product from other existing one in the market. Therefore, the advertiser’s aim should at all times try as much as possible to stay relevant and to the point.
Nowadays, advertisements are everywhere embedded in our daily life. They are powerful resources that inform people the latest news about a particular product or brand in many different ways. Most of the people are being able to get more information and detail of a product from media, radio stations, newspapers and internet. Even though advertising is a big informative source, it also can be considered as a marketing tool to control the mind and desires of the consumers to manipulate and persuade them to buy things they do not need.
- Unsafe products can be banned ( product faulty and can not be sold again) or recalled (all stock taken back repaired and then put on the shelves)
Marketing is a key factor in every company; to market successfully one must know what motivates a consumer to buy a product, in order to gain a new consumer, or win one from the competition. Consumer motivations are the factors that influence a target demographics’ decision making. They are used to identify why a customer chooses Product A rather than Product B. A known way to influence customer motivations is via targeted advertisements. A targeted advertisement is aimed at a specific demographic for a specific product at a specific place or time. An example would be if Product A’ s commercial were to be run during a football game that is being watched in Vermont. This would target a male audience that likes sports, in addition to the teams involved in the game. A commercial for baby toys may not be as efficient in this case as would a commercial for beer.