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Ads
Whether it be via the internet, television, radio or ‘the paper’, etc, everyday we are exposed to adverts, advertising is crucial to organizations, as it is a means to attract consumers. From the viewpoint of economics, advertising is questionably a great misuse of resources, talent, and money. A critical approach must therefore attempt to determine the result of advertising on the economy, politics, culture, and everyday life and to propose solutions for its detrimental effects.
Corporations dominate the most ever-present form of public communication, which is advertising, for their own private and selfish profit. Advertising competition between corporate products intensifies and those smaller corporations which cannot afford the huge marketing budgets cannot compete in the corporate marketplace. "Free enterprise" is set aside for those who can afford to contend, while small businesses suffer growing drawbacks and public immorality grows even worse.
In an oversaturated and highly aggressive marketplace, corporations are spending large amounts on consumer research to target their market such as, packaging and display, as well as promotions to move the product i.e.: coupons, in-store sample and display promos, and expensive mailings which often include free samples. This has become common knowledge in the advertising world and whatever the exact figures, it is clear that corporations are currently expending tremendous amounts of capital on advertising.
In the costly advertising and promoting marketplace, only the major players can compete, this leads to economic concentration and monopoly control of the economy by giant corporations who can afford the advertising and promotion efforts, this is a result of conglomerate mergers and take-overs, the trends for capital to become concentrated and centralized affects the mass communications industry and the prospects for democracy.
It has been hypothesized by many that the media taken as a whole, pass on frameworks of understanding which consist of the interests of the prevailing classes in society. The audiences exposed to the media sometimes discuss and challenge these frameworks, but unfortunately lack immediate access to different meaning systems that would enable them to snub the definitions presented by the media in favor of constantly contrasting meaning systems. That advertising creates false needs is not the main criticism, but the idea that it moulds real needs and desires into indistinguishable social relationships such as the commodity type. The molding process involves both an interruption of interest in other humans "the distraction industry" and a concentrating of attention towards things "commodity fetishism". (Haug 1986, p. 151f.).
As media capital becomes concentrated, so do the interests that shape media content. The mass media make money mostly by selling time, space and audiences to advertisers, and only a less significant amount from consumers. What this means practically is that the interests of advertisers will be prioritized over those of consumers when it comes to issues of media material. Advertiser’s sole concern is that the mass media attract consumers and communicate content that is open to consumption. As a result the television networks and other advertising controlled media lean towards producing programs that appeal to advertisers and not as much audiences. A significant point here is not only the ordinary "entertainment" that is offered to audiences, but also what is systematically not communicated, namely, thought-provoking social and political issues. Essentially the mass media are arranged so that consumers are more or less forced to see or hear advertisements. Many ads are endlessly repeated because consumers are not interested and do not pay ample attention to certain ads. That the media are structured to facilitate invasion and reappearance reveals the distorted relationship between customers and advertisers and the ways that the interests of advertisers shapes the form and content of print and transmitted material. This is known as intrusion and repetition and it exposes the power of advertisers as opposed to consumers. As most people who are exposed to the media (audiences) are irritatingly aware, the commercially dependant media are structured so that advertisements interrupt non-advertising media content. Commercial broadcasting is broken up every few minutes for commercial messages to be passed, while newspapers and magazines engage in "stripping" which breaks up stories over a number of pages and introduces ads in a distracting way into the text.
The power of advertising
In discussing the pros and cons of the statement questions also need to be raised concerning how advertising effects and subtly shapes individuals personality makeup while distorting social affairs. A number of assessments of advertising's development have acknowledged the historical trend in advertising content, away from rational product information towards emotional images and symbols. Modern advertising increasingly communicates emotional metaphors designed to induce feelings from consumers that are then linked with products. Such “emotional associative communication” leads to a decline in “social rationality” as advertisers “tap” consumer's passion and form "product identities." “It is argued that consumers will pay more for products instilled with the symbolic fulfillments provided by advertising.” (Golding, P. & Murdock, G.1991, pp. 15-32).
"The appearance always promises more, much more, than it can ever deliver. In this way the illusion deceives"
(Haug 1986, p. 50).
A topic that would be important to touch is Wolfgang Fritz Haug’s theory of “commodity aesthetics”, (Haug, W.F & Baudrilard, J.D, “Continental Perspectives”, ‘Critique of Commodity Aesthetics: Appearance, Sexuality and Advertising in Capitalist Society’’. Frankfurt, GSW press, 1986.). Commodity aesthetics involves the false assurance of “happiness engineered by advertisers through the consumption of images which appeal to human needs and sensuality.” Haug also criticizes the "distraction industry," as being a means of domination that exploits people's needs and influences the audience into tolerating, what is known as “consumer capitalism.” (Haug 1986, pp. 121-22). However there are those that choose to dismiss arguments regarding the power of advertising; purely because there is no sure evidence that advertising works instantaneously to directly encourage consumers to buy a particular product due to actions induced from exposure to advertising. Certain cars, fashions, and other merchandise imply comparative status in the ladder of consumption. Thus certain objects are more desired, and as a result provide certain social satisfaction.
Whatever the case, advertisers acknowledge that by making consumer audiences think critically it does not promote the pleasant environment necessary for their convincing advertisements to “sink in”. However it cannot be argued that the media doesn’t provide suitable, attractive entertainment without the direct involvement of advertisers. Yet the control on non-advertising media content allows little to guarantee a varied, and thought-provoking media culture. The interests of advertisers are considered before that of the consumers is consequently apparent in the overall structure of the mass media where the objectives of advertising cast a shadow on consumer interests. Another important point to consider is the element of prestige and hierarchy in the game of consumption. This analysis presents a powerful discussion to mainstream economics by arguing that the consumer needs and wants which products satisfy are socially created to attach individuals to definite forms of consumption. Haug also states how people “fall prey to manipulation by illusory commodity aesthetics.’ His “semiological idealism” allocates “primary social force and worth to signs, codes, simulations, etc.” and consequently deletes “material association via the production of signs,” his ideology states that “political economy and the imperatives of capitalism are not prominent fundamental social forces. “
CONCLUSION
Though the statement holds a considerable amount of weight, we have to acknowledge that advertising is largely responsible for a critical connection between economics, society, politics, and culture that is at the center of important social issues. The power of advertising is therefore complex: it is a communicator in a “new symbolic environment” which ‘moulds’ consumption, as well as the form and content of media, politics, perception and behavior. “Consumer capitalism” is unthinkable without its advertising and marketing tools, and advertising really can only be comprehended within the framework of modern free enterprise. Only a “multi-faceted social theory” which merges historical, political, cultural, psychological, economic, and ideological analysis can be capable of providing an important theory of advertising which identifies its social effects from a critical viewpoint that can specify exactly how advertising harms the foundations of social, political, and cultural life.
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REFERENCING
∙ Golding, P. Murdock, G.”Culture, communications, and Political Economy” in J. Curran and M. Gurevitc (eds), Mass Media ad Society, Edward Arnold, London, 1991, pp. 15-32
∙ Haug, W.F & Baudrilard, J.D, “Continental Perspectives”, ‘Critique of Commodity Aesthetics: Appearance, Sexuality and Advertising in Capitalist Society’’. Frankfurt, GSW press, 1986.pp.23-57
∙ Tiffen, R. “Lapdog, Watchdog, Wolf: the medias role in scandals”, Scandal: Media politics ad corruption in Australia. Sydney: UNSW Press, 1999, pp.206-239
