Advertising is an essential part of the world we live in now, we are constantly told what we need and how to improve our lives through the numerous ways publicizing can talk to us through images and type.The prime reason for Advertisements is to create demand among us, the consumers. Many of us believe what we read and see along and the street and were always trying to look better than everyone around us as we envy anyone who looks or achieves better than us. "Envy is common in a world in which politics has moved towards democracy but then stopped half way, where status is open to everyone but enjoyed by only a few."
"envy" is frequently used in a positive, even assertive way, as if to say, "This is something really good. Don't you wish you had it?"
I have read into alot of critical writings on advertising and publicity, all of which have different views on what should be allowed This is ranging from the envy which i discussed above to the attempt to sell a personality which i will get to later in the essay. "Advertising plays on your fear of not being desirable, it suggests that you are not wanted by anybody but to own the product its offering would increase your chances and make you more 'glamorous' as which you would dream." This is a statement from John Berger showing that he can see how advertisement makes you feel inferior and tries to entice you into purchasing what they offer. I believe the same way as videos and advertisements never show a realistic view of what you can achieve, the skin of the models are always flawless and the fashions change so much that without being rich you would struggle to keep up with the latest trend.
The biggest debate about what will happen on the social aspect of living and also how we live our lives can be placed into one question "does the mass media have a significant amount of power over its audience, or does the audience have more power than the media ?" There have been many compelling arguments and two which have been the most celebrated for there battles against each other would be Theodor Adorno and John Fiske these theorists represent there views against each other in such a compelling way that they have split the views of the public in half instructing you to consider both sides subconsciously. Adorno felt "the power of the mass media over the population was enormous and very damaging" where Fiske best known for his publication 'Understanding Popular Culture' said "Its the audience, not the media which has the most power"
Advertisement shows life through the promise of a better and happier way of living however most of the time this cannot be purchased "Even attitude and a style of living can be advertised even though it cannot be purchased." This being another quote from John Berger from his television series "Ways of Seeing". The ways in which he speaks about what he thinks and believes are very much the same as mine and i think this is what makes him such a good source. John Berger has strong knowledge of the modern culture and understands the ins and outs of what this world is controlling and telling us as the public to do. There were large amounts of envy and the publicity trying to control us back in the old days due to the oil paintings which where created, these would be created with the persons best assets in mind, people were painted to try and show what we couldn't afford. These would normally consist of them riding horses in large green pastures, wearing there most expensive garments and holding a gun, for the women it would be perfect skin and really floral floating dresses with a corset to hug the waist and give them the most curvy body which women aspired for. "paintings are created in the old days and people try to replicate them and echo there own self figure into what they see as perfect and idealistic." the above quote is again from John Berger as he speaks alot about what i think and believe, the next quote again is from the same section of the documentary which i watched and clarifies what ive been talking about. "publicity and oil paintings share the same references and celebrate the same qualities in things and share many of the same ideas all of which relate to you are what you have. there purpose and effects are very different. The oil paintings are created to show what they person owns and makes the owner appear in the best light with the best objects to which they own."
This is from the Viral advert which was created for Dove, its a controversial advert which shows the effect of what women are trying to achieve yet showing it would be impossible to even achieve that cause the end part of the advert is modified using photoshop to achieve the perfect outcome that they are wanting to achieve. The quote used at the end confirms this by saying "no wonder our perception of beauty is distorted"
This is another successful way to deliver the message to the public as it shows a clear message untainted and its rather shocking aswell. This truth impact can also raise your trust within a company therefor your achieving more than one objective with this style of advertisement. There are numerous other ways to which you could do this such as banner ads, pop up ads, text messaging advertisements, viral and online video ads.
Robin Wright - '118, 188' 'the future's bright the future's orange' This is a very simple advertising design which can be used to draw the attention of the public in, the simple orange square was used before the text was added to get some anticipation asking about it and then when the text was added to the advertisement it all became clear and it stuck in peoples heads. This was similar to the way that the mentos and the diet coke viral advertisement worked, the way in which they created the massive chain to create a decorative design makes it stay in your mind and this was a viral ad which worked perfectly because after doing so the sales of both products rocketed.
This image is a prime example of how the mind can be deceived into what you expect from advertisement. The gentlemen is laid next to the lady, both whom are dressed in expensive clothing and floating on a tranquil lake."Even attitude and a style of life can be advertised even though it cannot be purchased." This implies that they are both peaceful and have spare time on there hands. The advertisement is displaying a small bottom of the perfume "Babe" in the top left area. All of this linking together supposedly displays the life that you could achieve if you were to purchase that perfume. Another perfume advertisement displays a similar style to the above image, however this one plays more for the men. Where the above image shows the women in an elegant dress looking beautiful this plays on a mans mind and shows him surrounded by two women, one wearing a maid costume which links to the sexual side of a mans brain and then the half naked jockey women to the right. All of this is situated in a high value room which again implies that to wear this perfume could get you this lifestyle. We know that to buy this aftershave will not get you everything the image implies, but subconsciously this still makes you have a certain envy for something that you do not currently own.
In conclusion to what i have researched and found out about Advertising and the media, the styles which they have used have developed over the years to alter and change how we see the objects which are offered to us on a day to day basis. It has become such a natural thing to us now that we dont recognized whats happening in front of our eyes, the subconscious picks them up more unless you are educated in what to look for. During this essay i have shown points of how the media uses advertisement in anyway but direct to control a persons sense of gender and identity. The tactics they have used and put in place to trick your subconscious to worry about style, attractiveness and wealth is what our current lifestyles have become a custom to. "glamour is supposed to be deeper than looks, glamour works through the eye and the mirror." This then makes you fall into the traps we all know that to appear richer you have to spend money which in turn makes you more poor. As John Berger said "advertising is a language of words and images which calls out to us where ever we go"
Bibliography
John Berger... Ways of Seeing... You tube (4 parts)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmgGT3th_oI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q0JvXiZw7o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbebPdXv70w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAJovNjXMTs&feature=related
John Berger... Ways of Seeing... Penguin Book... ISBN 978-0-141-03579-6
Quote under image Envy ... http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow/Hate/Envy.html
Paragraph under Envy poster ... Media, Gender and Identity by David Gauntlett
Rubber Ring Image ... Social Communication in Advertising... Leiss Kline Jhally
Figure 8.1
Bathroom image (man and two women) ... Social Communication in Advertising... Leiss Kline Jhally
Figure 11.11
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