Advertising Opinions

When the topic of advertising is brought up in a conversation, there is often many mixed emotions and opinions. Some people feel that advertising is good for the economy and helps promote businesses and products successfully. On the other hand, some people feel that advertising has a negative impact on society and that it does more harm than good. In this post, I am going to explore these opinions further and provide examples of why people may or may not support advertising.

According to Credos, an independently governed advertising think tank, “Growth in the advertising industry is at risk because consumers and ‘opinion formers’ lack understanding of its economic and social benefits.” [1] While this may be true, these so called “opinion formers” also lack the ability to develop an argument against the benefits of advertising. Benefits (such as lower prices for customers and higher sales for businesses) are easy to identify, but some people have a hard time realizing the connection between these benefits and broader economic and social benefits. “The public, once they recognize the contribution advertising makes - economically, culturally and socially - are more accepting of advertising," says Karen French, the director of Credos. [1] As discussed in previous posts, advertising is a very important concept and there are various benefits that accompany it.

There are many instances of advertising being used to aid consumers and businesses in ways that are not perceived as “negative.” Online advertising has skyrocketed over the last decade and there is no indication that it is going to slow down anytime soon. One example of this is Facebook. “Companies are working harder than ever before to acquire fans [on Facebook] and doing so significantly improves the effectiveness of an advertising campaign.” [2] Facebook advertisements are successfully reaching consumers and helping companies grow and there are statistics to prove it. Brand advertising campaigns and increases in the fan base on Facebook grew by 1900% over 12 months. [2] If all businesses were to use Facebook, they would be able to boost their brand recognition almost instantly. This could be especially beneficial for small, family owned businesses that don’t have enough funds to develop extravagant television and print advertisements.

Advertising has also been used to help people find their dream home. Some home sellers choose to list their homes as for sale on online websites, but some newspapers are developing specific sections for sellers to advertise their homes to a wider audience. The Bath Chronicle has developed a section in its paper called Find a Property and it has had tremendously positive results. “Carter Jonas, who opened its new office in Wood Street at the beginning of May, discovered this for themselves when, after just one week of advertising in the Find a Property paper, a house they had been representing for a year instantly sold.” [3] This goes to show that advertising can be used for more than just the promotion of a business.

Although it is apparent that advertising has many benefits, some people believe that advertising does more harm than good. An opinion newspaper article written by Jim Mullen titled Reading This Will Make You Thin and Happy discusses subliminal advertising and the effect that is has on consumers. Here is an excerpt from his article that helps display his point:

“You see an ad for a company that delivers pizza. The ad talks about how good the pizza tastes, how inexpensive it is, how happy you and your family will be that you didn't have to cook dinner, time you can now spend watching more TV and even more pizza commercials.

The subliminal part is that no one in the commercial who is eating fattening, cheesy pizza with garlic-butter bread chasers and a free bottle of sugary soda is an ounce overweight. It's a miracle! The subliminal message is that you can eat this high-calorie food all day long and look like the models and actors in the ad. If you asked the models if they ever eat pizza, they would probably all say "never" or "once a year" or "I run a marathon once a week." After all, unlike you and me, they have to stay thin and good-looking to be in commercials.” [4]

Mullen gives many more examples that are nothing but honest. Beer commercials always show good looking people having a good time at the bar, but they never show anyone with a beer belly or anyone getting sick. Fast food commercials always show skinny people with glowing, healthy skin eating perfect and delicious burgers and fries, but when you visit a fast food restaurant, the crowd and food tend to look very different. Mullen concludes his article by saying, “There's nothing wrong or immoral or secret about what the advertisers are doing. It's perfectly acceptable to show your product in the best possible light, to emphasize its good points. That's advertising's job. But we should be smart enough to know there's a hook in the middle of every lure.” [4]

A Canadian Economist named Stephen Leacock once said, “Advertising: The science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." [5] Advertising surrounds us wherever we go. The average American sees over 3,000 advertising messages a day without even realizing it! “Today because of advertisements and the trends they set, we are judged on what we wear, what music we listen to, what brand of shampoo we use, and not who we really are.” [5] If we want to be cool, we believe that have to spend money to buy the latest trends and fashions, which aren’t usually cheap. This belief impacts the youth of our world today the hardest. Kids and teens today watch TV and use the Internet more than ever and they are being subjected to subliminal advertising all the time. These ads are making our youth believe that they truly need the products.

“Advertisers only focus on the positive side. Advertising companies need to create trends that people will follow; this is the basis of advertising in today’s world. If companies make people believe that their product will make them happier, sales will go up, and this is the real truth to our society of over-consumerism.” [5] Advertisements can be positive if they are used correctly and for the right reasons. Some ads raise awareness on things like drug use, contraception, medication, and diseases, but we still need to be aware of the negative role that advertising plays every day.

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[1] "ADVERTISING: Social and Economic Benefits Key to Ad Growth." Marketing Week, December 2, 2010, 5.

[2] "Advertising Goes Truly Social." PR Newswire Europe, July 19, 2011. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/advertising-goes-truly-social-125794718.html (accessed November 23, 2011).

[3] "The Power of Advertising Helps People Find Their Dream Home." Bath Chronicle, 1 edition, sec. Find a Property, May 19, 2011.

[4] Mullen, Jim. "Reading This Will Make You Thin and Happy!." The Capital, , sec. D1, November 3, 2011. http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=343362 (accessed November 28, 2011).

[5] "We Are Being Brainwashed By Advertisements." News Shopper, , sec. Your Say Schools, November 11, 2011.

Significant Advertising Examples

The Importance of Advertising

What is advertising? Technically speaking, advertising is a favorable representation of a product or service that makes consumers (and the public in general) aware of its existence. Many believe that advertising is a way to persuade people to invest in goods and services that are unnecessary, harmful, and a waste of money. In some cases, this may be true, but in reality, advertising is much more than that.

Advertising plays an essential role in the success of any business. It increases sales, creates product and brand awareness, and helps form a connection between a company and its customers. Many top companies would not be where they are today without the power of advertising on their side. Companies aren’t the only ones that benefit from advertising. Most media forms (like television, radio, and newspapers) would not exist if it weren’t for the revenue generated by companies advertising through them. Companies pay a lot of money to have their commercials run on the radio and their print ads featured in daily newspapers.

Advertising also helps create a regular demand for products. A good example is Starbucks. Although Starbucks doesn’t put out many advertisements, it is always finding ways to attract customers. Starbucks emphasizes ice-cold coffee during the hot spring and summer months. No one wants a hot drink when it’s 95 degrees outside! As summer turns into fall and the weather starts to cool down, Starbucks begins to promote warmer drinks. Hot chocolate and creamy pumpkin lattes start to become the more popular choices.

Apple iPod advertisements. [1]

When new products emerge, many consumers are reluctant to try them, which is one of the reasons that new products have a tendency to fail. Effective advertising helps consumers overcome their resistance to such products, which helps give the company a push in the right direction. Advertising also helps create a good image and reputation for the company and its products. It gives companies the opportunity to build a likeable brand and identity. Advertisements need to sell a product and its company together as a team. If a company has a positive image and reputation, it will have a better chance of surviving any competition or depression in the market. A likeable company with likeable products will draw in consumers and will make it easier to build a relationship with them. Apple does this exceptionally well.  Consumers don’t just love the iPod, the iPad and the iPhone. They love anything and everything Apple related.

A main reason that advertising is important to society today is that it creates jobs. This may not be crystal clear to those who haven’t really given it much thought. Advertising creates a demand for products, both old and new.  This demand will lead to mass consumption. Mass consumption will lead to mass production. Mass production requires the labor of many people, therefore resulting in an increase in jobs. This chain reaction doesn’t just happen once. It occurs every time a new company, brand, product, or service is introduced to consumers.

Honda Insight print advertisement. [2]
Click to enlarge.

Factory jobs, distribution jobs, sales jobs, management jobs, and marketing jobs aren’t the only jobs that are created by advertising. Advertisements persuade people to buy things that will need maintenance down the road. Let’s take cars for example. Countless jobs are created every year because people need to drive. Gas stations, mechanic shops, tire companies, and rest stops all rely on cars for business. Advertising informs people about the products that they may (or may not) buy.  Why does anyone buy a Honda or a Toyota? Is it because they look nice? Is it because they drive fast? No. People buy Hondas and Toyotas because they are advertised on television, on the radio, in newspapers, and in magazines as a car with great gas mileage, a sleek design, and great customer service.

Advertising also benefits customers, although some may not believe it. Advertising makes shopping easier by reducing the amount of time and effort spent searching for the right product. If a consumer knows what they need and an advertisement shows them a product that will fulfill that need, then that consumer will have a smoother trip to the store. If advertising is done correctly and is effective, costs will most likely drop. As a result, consumers will get goods and services at lower prices. For example, when the iPod was first introduced, it was priced high. Once it became a popular item (through advertising), Apple was able to lower the price.

Advertising helps consumers, companies, and society more than people realize. Once all of the negative beliefs and views are pushed aside, people are able to realize that advertising actually does a lot of good. 

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[1] Caraballo, M. (Designer). (2011). The evolution of apple. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://agraphicworld2.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/ad_apple-ipod-advertisment1.jpg

[2] (2011). Automobile. (2011). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://usamania.wikispaces.com/file/view/Insight_print1_1280.jpg/211663972

The History of Advertising

Advertisements and the concept of advertising have been around for hundreds of years. Ancient Egyptians displayed sales messages and posters on pieces of papyrus, while Ancient Greeks and Romans used papyrus to convey lost and found advertisements. Many people in Asia, Africa, and South America used wall and rock paintings as a form of advertising, and it is a form that is still present to this day in some areas. Some ancient Indian rock paintings date back to 4000 BC. [1]

In the 17^th century it was common for advertisements to be strictly images because very few people could read and write. As time progressed and as people began to learn how to read, advertisements began to include words and phrases.[1] Such advertisements could be found in local newspapers that were published on a regular basis. In 1729, advertisements were included in the Pennsylvania Gazette, which was first published by Benjamin Franklin. Thirteen years later (in 1742), the General Magazine, also developed by Benjamin Franklin, included the first American magazine advertisements.[2]

Advertisement for Morton Salt in 1917
displaying the tagline,
"When It Rains, It Pours." [6]

Nearly a century later, the first advertising agency opened its doors in Philadelphia. This agency, which was established and run by Volney Palmer, sold space in newspapers. The companies wishing to advertise in these spaces had to purchase the space from Volney and personally develop their own ads. This changed a couple of decades later when N.W. Ayer and Son was founded. This agency planned, created, and executed advertising campaigns for its customers. [1] A well-known advertisement that N.W. Ayer and Son developed is, “When it rains, it pours” for Morton Salt in 1912. [3]

Radio stations were established in the early 1920s and at first the programs were sponsored by one single business. These programs later realized that they could sell short time slots and could promote multiple businesses throughout their broadcast. This same concept was applied to commercial television in the 1940s and 1950s. Although most television networks sold advertisement time to multiple sponsors, some continued to have single sponsor shows. [1] Cable television was introduced in the late 1980s and early 1990s and specialty channels started to emerge that focused strictly on advertising. Such channels include QVC and Home Shopping Network. The use of Internet marketing and advertising began in the 1990s.

The first television advertisement was broadcast in the United States on July 1, 1941, the same day that the FCC granted NBC and CBS the first commercial television licenses. [4] The advertisement aired before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. Bulova, a watch company, paid nine dollars for a commercial that lasted 10 seconds. The advertisement was an image of a Bulova watch placed over a map of the United States. A voiceover then said the company’s slogan, “America runs on Bulova time!” [4]

An article from the Philadelphia Inquirer discusses the lives of account executives of advertising agencies in the 1950s and 1960s. Chet Harrington, a man who started his advertising career at N.W. Ayer and Son, said, “We were more genteel than New York. We were cordial but competitive. It was a hardworking life, but a lot of fun.” [3] Another man, Gene Shay, said that it was a very competitive industry. During this time period, women were not hired on as account executives. If they were working for an advertising agency, women were copywriters, artists, or secretaries. Allan Kalish, cofounder of Kalish & Rice Inc., said that during those times “there was a kind of tension between the account executives in the suits, and the crazy people in creative.” It wasn’t until the 1970s that both sides began to truly work together to develop advertisements.

Advertising history has even influenced the production (and success) of a television show. One of the most popular shows on television today is Mad Men on AMC. This dramatic series is about an advertising agency in New York City. The main character of the show, Don Draper, is the creative director for the firm. The show focuses on his life inside and outside of work, as well as the changing moods and popular styles of America in the 1960s. This show has won many awards, including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series consecutively over the past four years. Many people involved in the advertising business during this time, including some of the men mentioned earlier, have said that the show is rather historically accurate. Here is a promotional video for the first season of Mad Men to give you an idea of the series and its storyline. 

[5]

Advertising plays a large part in society today, as it has for hundreds of years. Although methods have changed and technology has been updated, the purpose of advertising has remained the same. It displays a company and its products for consumers in a way that store shelves cannot. It seeks out potential customers before they seek out the product. Without advertising, the world as we know it would be completely different.

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[1] Advertising. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 20, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising

[2] Unknown. (2005). Advertising history timeline. Retrieved from http://adage.com/century/timeline/

[3] Schaffer, M., & Timpane, J. (2010, August 8). How mad were philadelphia's own mad men?. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved from http://articles.philly.com/2010-08-08/news/24971625_1_smoking-agency-ad-executives

[4] Manning, C. (2007, July 1). Seen any commercials today? [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.productivitygoal.com/2007/07/see_any_commercials_today.html

[5] (2009). Mad men - promo season (saison) 1. (2009). [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfuMhXcLa-Q

[6] Vintage ads. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mortonsalt.com/heritage/vintage_ads.html

Welcome!

My name is Rachel and I would like to welcome you all to my blog! First let me begin by telling you a little bit about myself. I am a marketing major at the University of Utah and I am set to graduate in the spring of 2012. I am pursuing a minor in digital art technology, a true passion of mine ever since using Photoshop for the first time. I grew up here in Salt Lake City and I have lived here my entire life. I was raised Catholic and attended J.E. Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School and Judge Memorial High School before coming to the University of Utah. 

I am recently engaged and could not be more excited for my wedding, which is scheduled to take place next August! My fiancé is a law enforcement ranger up at Jordanelle State Park, so I am also very interested in criminal justice and how the mind of a criminal works.  We have a dog together that we saved from the humane society and she is our pride and joy! Her name is Red and she is a mutt. We think she is part German shepherd, Labrador retriever, and American pitbull. (Photos of my fiance, Tony, and our dog, Red, are pictured above.)

Some of you may be confused by the title of my blog, “advert eyes.” If read quickly, it sounds like the word “advertise,” which is exactly what my blog is about. Advertisements are meant to “advert your eyes” or draw in your attention.  I am studying both marketing and digital art technology and I am hoping to pursue a career in advertising after I graduate. I am specifically interested in sports advertising because I was raised with a deep love for sports and athletics. After taking two advertising courses at the University of Utah, I realized that advertising is the area of marketing in which I am most passionate about.

In this blog I hope to address the many different areas of advertising, both the good and the bad. I want to talk about why advertisements are produced the way they are. All companies emphasize certain emotions through their ads, but consumers may or may not notice. I also want to talk about subliminal advertising, a topic that I find fascinating, although it is often negatively perceived. I am hoping to break down specific advertisements that stand out to me, as well as share my opinions with you all. There is so much more to advertising than meets the eye (and the ear) and I hope that you all find it interesting to learn about!

The area of advertising that really interests me personally is the creative aspect. All advertisements, whether they are positive or negative, are made to send a message. Behind every advertising plan is a creative director that develops the “look” of the advertisement. Last spring, I was in a class called “Advertising Management” and I was the creative director for my team. The layout of the class was as follows: we developed a team of five or six students, chose a company to represent, were allocated a specific advertising budget, and pitched it in front of a bunch of professional advertisers at the end of the semester. My team chose to represent Pier 1, and in the end we were awarded second place. (Two examples of print ads I developed are shown above.)

While I was in the creative director position, I realized that I truly enjoyed the jobs that I was working on. I liked coming up with print ads for magazines and billboards, as well as developing commercials for television and the Internet. Although some tasks and deadlines were stressful, in the end I learned a lot about what it takes to do well in advertising. I worked with an amazing group of people and I was proud to walk away with a second place award. If I could take the class again, I definitely would!

Is there an advertisement or a commercial that you will never forget? What aspects of that commercial made it unforgettable? Was there an advertisement in a magazine that made you feel sympathetic? Was there a commercial on television that made you laugh? Was there a radio commercial that played a jingle that you can’t seem to get out of your head? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the advertisers have done their job! They made you feel something that you probably wouldn’t have felt originally. Advertisements are meant to evoke emotions in consumers that will result in action. Have you ever seen a commercial for a restaurant, and then felt hungry afterward? If so, then the advertisement was successful.