Media Marketing and Cultural Influence. Mindless Money Making or Capitalistic Necessity?

<P>I was thinking about the effects of media marketing on the Internet and I started to feel really old. I mean, after all, the Internet hasn't been around that long but it has truly exploded over the past 20 years, faster than anyone could have anticipated. Or maybe not. I know I date myself when I talk about a somewhat ancient form of media marketing that many take for granted, although you probably look at it every day. That's right, TELEVISION! <br /><P>Yes, it's a totally different approach to selling, but it shares some common goals as the Internet. Ultimately, making your potential customer feel like they can't LIVE without your product. I have been studying how to create effective copy and I started to notice something. I've been doing this affiliate marketing thing for a few months and I discovered how formulated all the ad copy seems. But maybe it's not that much different from television. I mean, most commercials last 30-45 seconds, right? But it's how they are presented that makes the difference. <br /><P>For both mediums the bottom line is making money. But the influence of advertising on our culture made me think. Are we what we buy? Does advertising do nothing but prompt us to mindless consumerism or are they a necessary element in a capitalistic society? <br /><P>I found an article at the library (remember those? Those places with real books?) called "You Are What You Buy" written by James Twitchell. Do you know this guy actually ditched a successful career simply to pursue the effects of advertising? It does goes deeper than this; his study is actually in regard to mass culture. Still who wants to talk to advertisers? Don't you think you would feel obligated to buy their product? Maybe that is the point. Consider television advertising. The whole approach is dramatically different than trying to make money on the Internet. <br /><P>When I think back over the course of my life, I can think of many instances when advertising had the desired effect and we HAD to have that product. I remember a commercial for washer soap that featured a fist coming out of the washer. You dropped two discs in the washer and the power to clean was added. This big fist came out, I remember vividly. It was large and had a wide leather wristband. One could almost believe there was a gladiator in the washing machine. I remember because I absolutely insisted that my mother buy that soap. I wanted to see that fist come out of the washer. I had seen the commercial and I was certain it would come to pass. My mother told me over and over again that it was fantasy but she couldn't convince me until she actually bought the soap and saw for myself. I was 4 or 5. That was the day disillusionment came into my world. <br /><P>My mother was obviously influenced by commercials. For Halloween (around that same age) she made me a costume based on the Jolly Green Giant, complete with green tights, green face makeup, and a bodice that was covered with green leaves. It was very cute and I was the hit of the neighborhood. I was about 2 1/2 feet tall. Giant indeed.... <br /><P>Another memory from my childhood was the Bunny Bread commercial. I think this was made locally, but I'm not sure. But I distinctly remember a bunny riding on a donkey across the screen, strumming a guitar and singing "That's what I said.......Bunny Bread." Weird, huh? I liked the tune so I remembered the commercial. <br /><P>For me, music was the hook for commercial products sold on television. I ate Rice Krispies after seeing the commercial wherein the male lead (very Italian) was singing, "NO more Rice Krispies...We've run out of Rice Krispies," in the opera style of the crying clown. I remember a woman coming through the kitchen door ("I bring You Rice Krispies") straight from a Wagner opera, with the double horns on her head, etc. He's crying because it's his mother-in-law and she has brought enough Rice Krispies to last three weeks ("That's How Long I'll Stay"). It was funny and every kid in my neighborhood got their first exposure to the fine art of opera through this advertisement. If you wonder what the woman looked like, there is a silly operatic commercial airing right now, with a woman dressed the same way: horns on a helmet, braids hanging out. Something about getting your cash settlement NOW instead of waiting... <br /><P>This effect of advertising confirms Twitchell's belief that advertising's job is not just about "BUY THIS!" Subtle humor certainly sells products. In the '60's it was responsible for selling everything from Benson Hedges cigarettes (a silly millimeter longer), to the Pillsbury dough boy. Phrases like "Please,,don't squeeze the Charmin," and the little mane who was at pains to talk to you about---diarrhea. "Time to Make the Doughnuts." Remember that guy? I wouldn't want him within a country mile of a bakery! <br /><P>Artistic advertising was a bizarre technique. I think of jean commercials and perfumes like "Obsession." They were so weird you had to watch them over and over again to see what it was you missed. I used to crack up at the commercial for the fragrance "Gloria Vanderbilt." I mean, no offense but the idea of my lady smelling like Gloria Vanderbilt is a real turn-off. And I always thought the only reason Jordache jeans sold well was because jord ash stuck out when you wore them. <br /><P>I really hate when lawyers and doctors advertise on television. It seems way to capitalistic to prey on people's injuries and deficiencies. They used to just go for the injured, but now they focus more on class action lawsuits. You know what I mean, "If you breathed air between the years 1980 and 2008 you may qualify for a settlement." I guess it does make a point- you can sell anything on television and advertisers know this. Just like Internet marketing- they want to make money! <br /><P>Today's commercials are presented differently. They jam so much info into 15 seconds it makes your head spin. The music is driving rock or funky hip-hop. The action goes from scene to scene in milliseconds. Light, color and explosion surround the product. The camera uses the cut-to-cut technique that is designed to bring you into the commercial. I suppose if you wanted to add a subliminal subconscious message this format is perfect. Everything moves so fast! <br /><P>So here's the point. Advertising has a significant place in our culture. It reflects our lifestyle. It reflects social trends. America has always been about bigger, better, faster, more, More, MORE! But now the technique of advertising has moved into all arenas of our lives and the global way that we communicate with each other, especially on the World Wide Web. Consider social networking- YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc. The best entries are visual. But I will always have a soft spot for television advertising....It's the cheesiest! <br /><P>Eric Fernelius is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author. He is a Certified Media Placement Specialist and entrepreneur for Global Cash Flow Network, a continuing education and business development company showing people how to build business success. <br /><P>http://tinyurl.com/4k6c9u<BR></P>Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines<BR>whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included. <br /><P><U><FONT color=#0066cc><a href="http://vietnampcs.com/">http://vietnampcs.com/</A><BR><a href="http://vietnampcs.com/category/dich-vu/dich-vu-diet-moi-chong-moi/">http://vietnampcs.com/category/dich-vu/dich-vu-diet-moi-chong-moi/</A><BR><a href="http://vietnampcs.com/category/dich-vu/diet-va-phong-tru-chuot/">http://vietnampcs.com/category/dich-vu/diet-va-phong-tru-chuot/</A><BR><a href="http://vietnampcs.com/category/dich-vu/dich-vu-diet-muoi-con-trung-hai/">http://vietnampcs.com/category/dich-vu/dich-vu-diet-muoi-con-trung-hai/</A><BR><a href="http://vietnampcs.com/category/dich-vu/khu-trung/">http://vietnampcs.com/category/dich-vu/khu-trung/</A></FONT></U><a href="http://goarticles.com/article/Media-Marketing-and-Cultural-Influence.-Mindless-Money-Making-or-Capitalistic-Necessity/1236407/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></A></P>

Media Marketing and Cultural Influence. Mindless Money Making or Capitalistic Necessity?

I was thinking about the effects of media marketing on the Internet and I started to feel really old. I mean, after all, the Internet hasn...

Đọc thêm »