Advertising has played an influential role in popular culture. Ads are very pervasive because they are everywhere around us. People might as well be walking advertisements because of all the logos on them. Ads cause us to believe we need a product when we really don’t. They make us believe that our lives will be much difficult without the advertised item.
I spend a significant amount of time outside while I am on the road. There are billboards advertising MGM and Oakland University. There are also universities, companies, and political advertisements on bumper stickers. Driving down Michigan Avenue reveals an array of advertisements such as Mr. Pita’s, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and more.
In the UMD cafeteria there are ads and logos for Subway, Java City, Dell laptops, and U of M sweatshirts. At work the logos just seem to increase. Not only does the TV triple the amount of advertising around me, but my coworkers come in wearing brands such as Abercrombie, Converse, and American Eagle. There are also posters on the walls that represent the company and why a typical student should join their program. Also, my bedroom is filled with all sorts of visual advertisements. My wardrobe represents logos from brands like Nike and Sweet Angel. There are brand names on my lotion and crème collections.
Advertising affects us in ways we often don’t realize. They appear in music videos and TV shows. Vitamin Water can be seen in almost every other scene on the CW’s hit show Gossip Girl. Nike advertised its new clothing and shoe line in Rihanna’s alternate video version of S.O.S. When a person is satisfied with a product’s previous use, they are more likely to purchase from the same company the next time they go shopping. Brands and logos that appear daily around us will only affect us if there is a new quality to it. This is how advertising becomes influential in our lives and affects the way we think before we purchase.
No comments:
Post a Comment