In the comment box below write...
3 (three) ideas or facts that you heard in The Ad and the Ego
2 (two) ideas or opinions that you have in response to The Ad and the Ego
1 (one) ideas or opinion you have in response to a peer's comment about The Ad and the Ego
This is due by class time on Tuesday (1/29), which is when we will discuss the comments.
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30 comments:
3) a. Advertising never encourages people to accept themselves, instead they provoke the audience to focus on their flaws.
b. Advertisements appeal to the unconscious level of the mind.
c. Ads combined all together, are a reflection of society.
2) a. Ads are dictating to the audience that they are not good enough. That they can always be improved, that they should strive to be more than they already are. These type of ads create a sense of need in the general public. This need to be better than ones self through material goods is what creates consumers. People think that buying the things that they see on ads will make them better. Of course, not directly, people don’t truly believe that when they spray on “tag body spray” that 50 cheerleaders will attack him. The decision to use the product is made not by the commercial but by the ideas and emotions behind the ad. Adds create a kind of insecurity about ones self, which can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle, of this belief that products will help cure these insecurities. These advertisements are creating a sick society of overwhelmingly manipulated consumers.
b. The fact that advertisements appeal to the unconscious state of mind is a bit scary. Flipping past an ad in a magazine, or driving past a billboard ad, or zoning out in front of the television, ads influence our lives without us even knowing it. Its as if no one is truly thinking for themselves, the advertisements are secretively planting their seeds of impression in the minds of the public. When someone makes a decision to consume, they think it was their genuine idea, however it is the idea of the seed that the ad dropped into your head.
3.) 1. To better target consumers, advertisers like to make them think that they're not affected by advertisements, like lulling them into a false sense of security. 2. Advertisements are the biggest influence in our lives. 3. The object of advertisers is not to produce products, but to produce consumers through various methods including making the viewers feel inadequate without this miracle "solution".
2.) 1.)I don't quite agree with the statement that ads are the biggest influence in our lives. It would be ignorant to say that ads have no effect on our lives, but to assume it has the biggest influence is a bit of an over statement considering all the various factors of life that shape our character and behavior. It would be difficult for one to argue that ads have more of an influence on our lives than our nature, like the genetics we've inhereted or our enviornment and upbringing that both contribute to our lifestyle. Of course you can suggest that advertisements in this day in age is a part of our enviornment, but it doesn't compare to that of the influence we comform to by our upbringing.
2. I thought the relation the movie made to the objectification of women and the reaction of the male gender was interesting and agree marginally with its
statements. Advertisements do use the ideal looking women (according to chauvinistic conventions) to promote a product. In this process, you're only focusing on her body, making women seem like objects. In the movie a woman mentioned that the first step to violating someone is to think of them as less than human, and in these adverstisements women are presented as objects. These commercials also make men feel inadequate if they don't have this ideal women.I feel both of these factors do contribute to the objectification and ill-treatement of women in our culture. By no means do I suggest that these commercials are the direct cause of abuse and objectification of women, or that every man that views these advertisements will become a women-abuser or objectify women, because to make that statement about men would be as insulting as these commercials are to women. I merely find the connection they discussed enlightening and relatable to our culture.
1.) I agree with Kat's opinion on how ads try to make people feel insecure in order to sell their product and the absurdity of implying that this product will solve all the problems of life. I also liked her example of the tag body spray commercials, because it exemplifies the false promises insinuated to men that this is all they need to get women, as well as the objectification of women in advertisement.
3)a. "Happiness can be bought." I found this comment disturbing because I know there are people in this world that believe that. Right when I heard this quote from the movie, I thought of a quote I have home in one of my books. "Happiness comes from within, if you choose to be happy, no one and nothing can ever take that happiness from you." Not even advertising!!!
b)"Subtext of advertising is, you're not ok the way you are, you need something else." This cought my attention because the fear of never being enough scares me to death, and I know that fear lies in everyone else around me too. Maybe only minor, but it's still there.
c)"Images have a force of persuasion that is undeniable."
This is very true. It's one thing to hear about something, be influenced by it indirectly, and then another thing to actually see something with your eyes, and then have both the wanting and no the actually image of it in your head.
2.a) In my pscyhology class I read anpaper about how shopping at a super market and how the organization of where the foods and drinks are, the paints and sticker colors, the lighting, and even the music is planned out to influence a customer at a specific time where they'll buy more. It's kind of insulting reading this because you instantly feel "fooled". However, I've got to say I'm quite impressed with the intrigue and thought process behind decisions that we customers don't ever ponder.
b)I found when watching the movie that was showing advertisement and how it affects us, the actual advertising itself in some situations was working on me. It's just a natural vunerability that we possess I think. During one of the commercials for having clearer skin, I automatically compared myself to the girl on the tv. Wished mine looked just as clear and as perfect. We always want, want, want. BECAUSE of adveritsing.
1. I read Kat's comments and then Alisha's comment about Kat's. I do also agree with them that one of advertising's main goals is to make the customer feel like they're not enough, like they are "without", and like the statement directly from the video said "that we need something else."
3) a)Advertising is only good if the viewer is learning subconsciously
b) Advertising purposefully makes others feel bad about their life
c) An ad can persuade even when you have no intentions of necessity
2)a) I did not really like this movie or movies like this, because it makes me feel like I am being used. In all seriousness, we are being used, but to hear someone tell you it and point out everything you have been doing wrong your whole life is a little demeaning. I enjoyed the movie in the sense that it was entertaining, but I always feel uncomfortable to know that I fall into the category of a consumer who doesn't really know what they are getting into. It is scary that so many people that work for advertising agencies can know so much about people and how they will respond just by one simple flash or blurb. The human psyche is something that always interests me, but I hate to hear about all these things I do without wanting to. The subconscious things that happen to me all day everyday.
b) Advertisements are essentially telling the audience that they are worth so much more than the boring life that they live. However, by buying their product they become the person they have always "subconsciously" wanted to become. This is unnerving because how many people change their perfectly normal and happy life because they see an ad on television? There is no guarantee that their life will be better, and who's to say that with this new product they will be more prone to being unhappy. Once you start you cannot stop trying to improve your life to the point where you are trying to be someone in an ideal utopia. It's absurd.
3) When I read Kat's statement about the Tag body spray I laughed cause those commercials are my favorite and they totally crack me up every time I see them. I agree with what she said about the emotions behind the ad. No, not every guy thinks that he will be swarmed by the cheer leading team (however there are some that think they are this lucky). Really, most people buy things because they see an emotion on television or in print different than what they feel. I like that Kat pointed out that it is emotion driving these consumers rather than a certain "look."
1) a. advertisers know that what we want are things you can't buy - like family, social skills and love, so they inject meaning into objects so that you associate them with those things we want, and then buy them in hopes they might improve our lives
b. a lot of people are aware that the afore mentioned is not possible - for instance that a car won't find you the man of your dreams - but we do have this ridiculous faith in technology - that it is capaable of performing miracles. this trust in "technology" to perform magic sometimes drives sales
c. the most powerful images are intense, and made with creativity and effort, so that on a subconcsious level we are aware that somedboy REALLY thinks we should have this, and it captures our interest, which is the first step in selling a product
2) a. personally i was struck by the section on propaganda, and the way the Bush Sr. administration sold the Persian Gulf War. Since i was far too young to be aware of it while it was going on, i don't know a lot about it. (sorry i'm not kyle...) so needless to say i was shocked and quite concerned that President Bush's speech could be so well accepted with such horrifying actions being taken. however i am aso aware that his wrods were NOT in direct correlation with specific actions of the war -- they were portrayed as thus by the film, in a baised affort to expose advertising, yet engaging in the practice themselves. quite the hypocrites.
b. personally, i wont try and tell you that ads dont affect me. they do, i know it. sometimes actually, i really like to watch just the commercials. sometimes, (especially during One Tree Hill on theCW where they play the same commercials every break) i try and figure out what audience they are trying to target, and what the chances are of me considering the product. sometimes i just like to appreciate the cleverness or originality of the commercial. i mean when you were 8, how bad did you want some of that glow-in-the-dark nickelodean "OOZE" stuff? and looking back, it sounds so stupid. advertising is a busines of precision, and it's really quite remarkable what they can make us feel
3) I read Ali O's comments about seeing things on tv, and then automatically comparing ourselves to them. she's so right, especially about the clear skin, and i can think of plenty of others...i mean what does every girl feel like when the victoria's secret commerical comes on? probably not that great. or even like clothing lines - sometimes i'm even jealous that those stupid girls in Old Navy clothes are having soooo much fun throwing around fake snow in thier little stripey scarves, it actually makes me really mad(although i dont think thats what they were intending for me to feel). and Ali's also so so sooo right that we always want more, becuase we are trained to want more (very much in the fashion of how the people in Brave New World are trained to know thier place, and the limit of thier social mobility/personal desires). ali's comments also really sparked some self-analysis for me about the psych thing and how we shop for food - that sounds pretty crazy too! i might just have to take psych next year...
3.
a. Happiness can be bought.
b. Advertising is like breathing.
c. Many people try to tune out advertising, but really don't know they are affected by them.
2.
Happiness can be bought was a statement that made me think about the fact that advertising does leave such an affect on people but I do not believe in. More people in the world buy things because they are affected by advertisment than the number of people who don't.
Advertising is like breathing made me look around and think that people have different drinks,hats and coats that have advertisment on them. Advertising is all around and you don't notice it, which is like breathing which you also don't notice unless you think about it.
I am a person who tunes out advertising and doesn't think it affects you but today when we were watching the movie I had looked down at my shirt and realized that it was a nike advertisement.
1.
I had read ali's comment and we both had commented on the quote that happiness can be bought and it made me realize that alot of people do believe that and it is very aggrivating.
Emily Philpott
3) a. Ads purposely make people feel bad about their image
b. We are effected by ads even when we try to tune them out or ignore them.
c. our hapiness can be easily bought when we fall to the advertisers
2)a.In todays society we often here how people's self comfidence is affected by the media and the celebrities they on tv. But i never really noticed how advertisements purposely try to make us not feel beautiful just so we will by their product. Even though we may know that we are fine the way we are, we believe that the product will make us better so we buy it because advertisers tell us too.
b. I liked how the movei mentioned that advertisments affect us at a subconscience level and that even when we think we are ignoring them we are still affected. Whenever i am looking through a magazine i will always skip over the advertisement pages but even though i am ignoring them i still notice they are ther and in mst cases what they are for. We are constantly being shown the same advertisement over and over again so in most cases just seeing certain colors or a symbol triggers us to think of a certain product.
1. I agree with what licia says about advertisements contirbuting to our cultures ill-treatment of women. Majority of advertisements make the actresses seem like they are the product and make you think that you will look like them as a result.
3.)a. " Products can fill our needs"
b. " Advertising is aimed to have people see the worst parts of themselves, and their inner conflict".
c." Advertising shows the dream life".
2.)a. I agree with the fact of how ad's can be sued from a military standpoint. These ad's can both encourage people to join the military or try to explain the good points of why the war is going on. Everybody has seen the classic Uncle Sam " We want you" poster, the military useing stategy like this to try to lore potential militrants. Also media can be used as a way to explain why we are doing what we are at war at the time. For example saying that we need their oil and that is the reason why we are at war with the country.
b. Another point that I agree with is that these ad's are aimed to make us feel self-conscious about ourselves. None of these ad's are real self-esteem builder's. They want us to feel insecure so that we buy their product and try to fix our inperfections.
3.)I agree with wahat Hannah said about these products making us to be what we want to become. the ad's are designed to make us feel like we need that thing.
3) a. The aim of ads is to create a consumer environment where people are constantly exposed to ads but believe they are unaffected. "Like water to a fish."
b. Ads connect a lifestyle to a product to subconciously link the two.
c. Every person is subjects to about 1500 ads every day.
2) a. I think the film made a really good point that ads create the need for things that aren't truly neccesary. I know this is true from personal experience because if I'm feeling uncomfortable, either physically or emotionally, instead of looking inside myself for a solution, I mmediately begin to brainstorm what "thing" would alleviate my discomfort.
b. I think this film is really important and that everyone should be exposed to this inmormation because without it being pointed out to you, adversing can be very manipulative and can easily affect you unless you really know how it operates.
1)I'm glad that Sarah pointed out the quote about ads "injecting happiness" into things that people find meaningful. By understanding this, you understand the true nature of advertising because advertising is manipulative and works on the subconcious. This clue may help people dissociate products with true meaningful experiences.
3)1. Most people do not pay attention to advertisments, and becuase of this many people beleive that they are unaffected by them even though they are being affected on a subconsious level.
2.Advertising started in the 50's when the need for consumers was greater than the need for production.
3. Advertisments try to make people want items that they beleive will allow them to live their dream life.
2)1. The fact that advertisments play on what they beleive makes us happy is in a way uncomfortable. Even though it is a really smart way to advertise it leaves you with a feeling that you are being taken advantage of and that you are being tricked into buying something that you don't need.
2. I find that the movie is correct with saying that adverstisments have some of the biggest affects on our lives. Anything a person buys has been influenced by ads. People see ads for cloths on tv and think that if they buy them they will be able to lead a great life. Ads also are able to due this with cars, houses, and even girlfriends and boyfriends. They severly influence how each person lives their lives everyday.
1) Sarah was right in saying that the propaganda section of the movie was shocking. The way President Bush acted was pretty bad. She also points out that the film makers were also somewhat using propaganda in order to get us to buy into what they were saying. She was also right in saying that everyone is affected by advertising even if you are 8 years old. (Ya, i had the nickelodean ooze too.)
3 ideas of facts from the film
- Advertising teaches us happiness.
- Ads are everywhere, like the air you breath, you don't notice it.
- Advertising sells things to "better" you, you never hear, "you're ok, nothings wrong with you."
2 opinions in response to the film
- I completely agree with this film. Advertising, though sometimes harmless, has a huge almost dangerous effect on our lives. It subconsciously takes control of how you perceive the world around you. One statement from the film, "ads are everywhere, like the air you breath, you don't notice it," explains it all. When you are constantly subjected to images they stick within your mind. Whether its a Dunkin' Donuts logo or a face cream that makes you look younger, they stay with you and change how you think. Of course there will be people who find that hard to believe and deny they follow the mainstream ads, but those people are usually wearing a sweatshirt with a huge logo displayed in the front. In a way, advertising is like being exposed to unhealthy chemicals.
-Another shocking but true statement made in the film was, "Advertising sells things to 'better' you, you never hear, 'you're ok, nothings wrong with you.'" I agree with this. People have an idea of wanting the best of everything. The best cars, face wash, perfume, hair cut, clothes, food, etc. It's hard to know whether ads made people think they need the "best high quality product" or if people wanted the best for themselves to begin with. Most products are only pushing for perfection. This can cause stress and frustrasion for many and create unnessacary problems. When you can't achieve this perfection society is looking for, you feel like you've lost. In a twisted way, advertising can make people honestly dislike who they are.
response to peer's comment
-I read Sarah's comment about how different ad's really try to sell to a certain age group, and it is so true. As a kid you are exposed to a ton of commercials by watching television. I'm not a fan of toy cars, but the 'Hotwheels' commercials made me want a huge racetrack with monsters busting out spitting lava to stop the cars. Some commercials are so unrealistic, you only want that product to experience what the others in the commercial felt. Even as you grow older, you can't find a resistance to advertising.
BRIAN HAND
a. Advertising is all about injecting value into products whose use isn't enough for people to buy it.
b. Advertisers recognize that we are meaning-making creatures and attach the meaning we strive for to their products.
c. Justifying violence comes from turning humans into objects, which is what ads do.
1. I really liked that guy who said "no one knows who discovered water, but it probably wasn't the fish." And then the guy who said we need to get the fish to think about the water. This made me realize how little I think about the water everyday. The quote at the beginning of the film stated something like: a democratic civilization needs to make the images available for critical reception and not be hypnosis. I think about that and realize that by using that logic, our society isn't in good shape. There was some other guy who said that we interpret images differently than words. While we are able to realize and critique words, we often take images for fact. Advertisers know this, and advertise this way.
2. Ok, this has little to do with the film but it was something i thought of when i saw it. Tyler Durden states "It's only after you've lost everything...that you're free to do anything." That made me realize that how our possessions can imprison who we really are, and that it is very dangerous to define ourselves by the things we own. Indulging in our possessions, like the IKEA catalog in the book, don't add any substance to life but only add a false appearance. Tyler is the driving force behind freeing the narrator of his consumerist behavior by destroying civilization using soap, and in doing so puts him on a path to finding his inner self.
1. Alicia stated "It would be difficult for one to argue that ads have more of an influence on our lives than our nature." i think it would be easy to argue this so i think i will. We have already established that the fish do not think about water. Likewise, ads have become ubiquitous and that we subconsciously process thousands of ads that we don't realize. The upbringing in which we are up-brought is itself shaped by advertisements. Our sense of beauty and success is defined by the media and therefore all that we strive for is shaped by ads and not the result of our instinctive nature. Advertisers are smart and they greatest success they could ever have is convincing us we are buying the products on our own free will, not by the influence of their ads. Ignorance is a powerful force, and one which advertisers use to their own advantage.
3 a) Advertisements create the desire for a high standard of living.
b) Ads tell consumers that "you're not okay" and that "salvation lies in goods."
C) People think they aren't influenced by commercials because they're 'tuned out' but in fact it is easier to be influenced by ads because the mind isnt't thinking and therefore cannot come up with arguments to the blasphemy being sold.
2 a) I think the "You're not okay" message from advertisers is RIGHT ON. I was impressed with its accuracy.
b) I also thought the movie did a really good job at not advertantly advertising for current products. it's hard to show examples of advertising without accidently selling the product at the same time.
1) I agreed with Alicia's (unis) response about the idea that ads are not the most influential thing in our lives. Its easy to get lost in thinking that after watching a movie like Ad and the Ego but definitely, there are greater factors, for example family. There is a possibility that advertising could continiue to influence people to a point where family life is greatly affected, which is what will probably happen (and i'm sure it does happen arlready). Essentially, if society continues on in this manner, and peple continue to lose their sense of self and become sucked down into material obsession, families will become jsut another form of advertising.
1) a. Advertising is a system of education.
b. Advertising has become so much a part of our environment, we don't even notice them.
c. People are endlessly comparing themselves to what they see in advertising.
2) a. Overall I think that the movie was intriguing. Never before had I really thought about the affects advertising has on my life. When an ad comes up on the television screen, or on a sign i'm driving by, I tend to block it out. Ads have become such a major part of the world that I hardly ever pay attention to them. But the movie was extremely true when it says that ads subconciously affect us. Whether or not we actually pay attention to them, the ad sticks with us. They can influence us to go after that product. For example, the sight of the orange and red Dunkin Donuts cup can cause us to suddenly crave a coffee. It's scary to think the control these things have over us.
b. The idea portrayed in the movie that ads teach us our values seems demeaning in its own way. All of the values we have been taught throughout our lives can be changed by the pictures we see in our every day lives. Especially for people at a young age, they are more easily affected by advertisements. If they see an ad that tells them that acting a certain way will make them a better person, they seem to lose their former values to adopt these new ones.
Response to a Peer:
I think that Michael made a great point when he mentioned that advertisements try to make us feel that their products will make us happier. It is as if the advertisers have developed a way to trick us into buying their products and we never realize it.
3. a.Money can buy happiness.
b.Advertisements help people find the flaws within themselves
c. Even when you arent looking for advertisments they are all around you.
2. I believe that ads are a way to get across messages to people about a certain product but also there are some ads that give off subliminale messages to the world around them. Messages that aren never said straight forward that make a person think "oh that was just a commercial" really give off a message that sticks with you. Another thing about ads is that they are everywhere that you are. Even if you arent looking for one or your at the office there are ads all around you. It's almost impossible to escape the advertising world.
1.I agree with alicia on the fact that ad are very chauvinistic. They show what most people desire to be rather than what they are. They never show that average woman they only show the woman that has beauty and flowing hair.
Alison Randazza
3) a. Advertisements are noticed on the subconscious or unconscious level.
b. Advertising always tells you: "you're not okay, you need something."
c. Images have a force of persuasion that is undeniable.
2) a. Advertisements are noticed on the subconscious or unconscious level. I never thought before the movie, that ignoring the ads was worse than actually watching and paying attention to them.
b. Advertising always tells you: "you're not okay, you need something." This is so undeniably true, since most of the commercials on TV, in magazines, etc all introduce a new product that is to make a person better than they are. The advertising is basically telling the population that looks at it or reads it that you are not perfect and never will be unless you buy this product. And after watching the movie I really started to notice how ads are really everywhere and I've never really accounted for any of them--I just ignored them.
1) I loved Kat's comment about the Tag body spray and definitely agree with what she said--that there is more than just an "image" in the ad but emotions as well.
3.a.The average American sees 1,500 ads a day.
b.Ads sell vision, views, values, and sexuality.
c.Ads can be effective on people even if they deny that they have any effect on them.
2.a.I was alarmed when the movie said that people can be effective on people even if they deny that they have any effect on them. I had applied this concept to other people but not myself. I started to think about how I feel about certain products and why I feel that way. I thought about why I think that Starbucks is better than Dunkin' Doughnuts. Mostly, I feel that the answer is that I feel that Starbucks is more sophisticated than Dunkin' Doughnuts. And the reason I feel that way is how Starbucks markets itself.
b. I often ponder why our generation is so extremely insecure. I definetly have blamed the media more than once and celebrities. But I don't think that I have given commercials enought attention. It's alarming how ads create a need for their product by making us feel aweful about ourselfs. I don't think that ad agencies really think about it, but all those ads and messages add up.
1. I agree with Brian Hand, ads really could be the biggest influences in our lives-especially for teens. He's right, our parents were and are influenced by ads-but more importantly so have our friends. Who do we look to when making deciscions about buying things? Our friends!
3) 1-Symbolism is key, people are always searching for meaning, attach meaning to product. 2-People are most influenced by an ad when they are tuned out and not paying full attention. 3-injecting value into objects in advertisment gets people to buy them, makes them think that they can buy happiness.
2)1-I think that it is very clever that ads attach meaning and value to them in order to get people to purchase them. People are always looking of ways they can improve their life in any big or small way. Advertising that products can bring happiness hooks the consumer. This is beneficial on the producers part. 2- Although I do not agree with this, ads make us compare ourselves to the people we see in them. They show beautiful women who are tall and skinny. This causes the average woman to feel she has to look the same. I do not agree with this concept of advertisment but it gets people to buy the product.
1) I agree with Ali about when she said how we all are just naturally vunerable to the ads we see on tv. Its hard to not compare ourselves to the people and life styles we see.
3.
a)Ads show perfection, making people trying to strive for what they can't get.
b)You can by happiness.
c)Most of the ads don't register on a conscience level.
2.
a)While I like to think that I am above advertising, I know that it is out there and when the new ipod comes out that I want one. While the idea that ads make people feel bad about themselves that is up to the person to be confident enough with themselves that they don't listen to the ad.
b)While some may think that getting rid of ads altogether is the best solution, just thinking of where the world would be today without ads seems to be scary, while also at the other end some of the commercials are pretty scary by themselves.
1.
I read Sarah J's comment about bow she was shock to hear the President's speech about the Gulf War, and like her I was shocked that at the time the people of the united stated weren't in an uproar over the fact that the President saying they were at war because oil. Also I like how she said that over the years you become more aware of how stupid commercials actually are.
3) a. One-fourth of the human race(population of the united states) uses up three-fourths of the world's natural resources.
b. To attract consumers, advertisements will make the viewer think he/she needs that product in order to achieve desires that person may have.
c. People are exposed to 1500 advertisements daily, but not all of them are catch one's interest.
2) a. I think the movie did a good job explaining how images are the most effective way of getting one's attention. Using images to correspond with the product the advertisement is trying to sell could make-or-break a product. Like we talked about in class with the Nike commercials, and it's slogan "Just do it" and how one commercial had each athlete in a position right before they were about to act. This will capture viewers into thinking Nike is the thing they need to go out there and achieve what they want.
b. I believe ads have become so influential in our lives that we start to become dependent on them. For example, Mr. Cook was talking about how at the end of a hard day, there is nothing more satisfying than an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts. This shows that even though technically the iced coffee doesn't actually soothe Mr. Cook's body and mind, he likes to think it does.....( not making fun of you Mr. Cook) Dunkin Donuts advertising and their familiarality with coffee and "starting people's days" is effective in every sense of advertising.
1. I agree with what Alicia is saying about actors in ads are being seen as objects instead of humans. However, I do agree that this is the only way to reach the attention of viewers because nobody wants to look at people who are unattractive. The one thing I do not agree with though..(even though Alicia didn't say this, many people do) is that in order to look beautiful or achieve greatness is to buy the product. What I am trying to say is, I don't think people actually think that, for example, smoking will make you look cooler and more attractive, or that Gatorade will allow you to perform at a high level than anyone else. I just think the people or events associated with the product is what makes the viewers buy the product.
3. a.) Advertising is a powerful form of education.
b.) Happiness can be bought and fulfill our deepest needs.
c.) People are extremely influenced by ads even when they think they are not.
2. a.) I think it is scary that ads affect us more in an unconscious state of mind. I am one of those people who thought they were zoning commercials and other advertisements out. Although, now that it has been pointed out to me, when I step back and look at myself, I am extremely influenced by ads. It almost angers me that advertisers know they are influencing us at a subliminal level.
b.) I do not like how ads are constantly making us believe we are not good enough and that to have the “dream” life we all desire, we need to buy their products. These types of ads lead to people having low self-confidence, which usually leads to an unhealthy way of life (i.e. eating disorders). The thing about these ads I dislike the most is that I usually catch myself wanting the “dream” life they depict. The worst are the car commercials. I am always wishing it was me behind the wheel of the car.
1.) I think it is hilarious that Sarah mentioned the nickelodeon “ooze” stuff. Although I never wanted the “ooze”, there were always other ads for toys on nickelodeon I always wanted. When you think about it, advertisers are very clever when it comes to advertising to certain age groups.
3) a. Ads don't just sell products but values.
b. Everyone is affected by ads.
c. Advertising shows there are ways to temporarily solve complex problems.
2) The ways in which advertisments control our lives makes me angry. It also makes me question why no on does anything, and why do we allow it to happen?
I think this movie will spark an understanding of the evil corporations have on this country. I mean really, if we can be tricked into buying a pair of jeans there is no say on what else we can be tricked into doing. Revolt!
1) The quote Brian has "Its only after youve lost everything...that you're free to do anything." This shows how the advertisments work: They bring out our problems and then propose ways to solve them, i.e. buy their products.
3)a.the ads try to relate the product to things that are important to us
b. the ads try to make people find discontent in their lives and self critisize ourselves
c. some ads make you think happiness can be bought
2)a.the statment made about how some ads make you think that happiness can be bought is true. I think thatmost of the advertizing in the media is about products that can boost your self esteem or help your social life in some way.
b.another thing i agre with is when advertizing relates the product to things that important to us, like friends, family and success. Most of these ads dont really focus on the product but more of on the important things in life. they try to make you belive that if you buy their product you will be happy.
1) i read alio's and brian a's comments on that happiness can be bought. I totally agree with them and how soo many people really think they can but happiness. I never really noticed until we saw the film but now the more i think about the more commercials i see about the products making your life so much better
KATHRYN HEASSLER
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(a) As one of the people in the film said, "the word begins to give way to the image."
(b) Advertising is "the production of dicontent in humans."
(c) As one man said, "it's harder to persuade them if they're thinking."
<2> (b) Advertising has become a way to not only attempt to get people to buy a certain product, but to make them feel so uncomfortable without it. Say, for instance, that a young teen (with fairly clear facial skin) is watching television and sees the advertisements for Proactiv. Proactiv uses celebrities to glamorize their product, and make the potential buyer feel even more pathetic so that they will be more desperate to buy the expensive solutions. Proactiv reaches out to the youth of America, and older people as well, and tells them that even if their skin is barely affected, that it is well worth the investment to buy the product, just because multiple celebrities claim to have relied on the product to boost their self confidence and their careers. What does that say about Americans if we believe that a product is exactly what we need if a celebrity says it? What does that say about our insecurities?
(c) Is the advertisement industry so twisted that they would try and make us buy something without really letting us think about the product, or matter, at hand. One man in the film said, "it's harder to persuade them if they're thinking." I believe that he is right; if a potential customer is actually thinking about the events of an advertisement, they will most likely realize that the ad is foolish and it attempts to manipulate people's thoughts and feelings towards something. If a young child is watching television and sees a commercial for a new "kid's movie", such as a new Batman or Superman movie, at the same time as their parent does, they will see two very different things. A parent sees a storyline with less-than-decent morals, a potentially violent and far-too-mature film for such a young child, and possible even themselves. A parent would much rather see their child at a movie that expresses wholesome family values and will teach their children something valuable. The child sees an idyllic, mythic, heroic character that they have idolized for some time. They have such adoration for those characters that they cannot see the dark nature of the film, or the fact that the movie is meant for only adults. What is worse: an ad that reaches out to the perceptions of people of different ages, or the fact that people buy into the ad?
<1> I love Paul's thought about Dunkin' Donuts. "For example, Mr. Cook was talking about how at the end of a hard day, there is nothing more satisfying than an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts. This shows that even though technically the iced coffee doesn't actually soothe Mr. Cook's body and mind, he likes to think it does...." Paul reminds us that there is a real distinction between what is actually occurring, and what the senses and our brain tell us, and how we are to react to something, even something as ordinary as a cup of coffee at the end of the day.
3. a.Ads purposely try to make people uncomfortable with themselves.
b.Ads turn people into objects
c.Ads make it seem like money can be used to buy popularity, family, and other social ideas.
2. a. I agree that ads do try to make people feel uncomfortable. If you looke closely the people on the ads are actually insulting themselves by sayign they need this product. You may actually feel you relate to these people when looking in the mirror and say to yourself "Wow I need some help. Maybe that cream I saw on TV last night would help." (for example.)
b. Ads do turn people into objects, especially when concerning women, but I guess I could agree with this. When I see a girl in a bikini the first thing i think isn't usually something like "I wonder what city she grew up in?" All we see is the person and what they're wearing, what they're doing and where they are. If all these combined together make a positive image, it sets an idea that says "this is what I want."
1. I agree with Ali's comment about how money can't buy happiness. She's right, happiness can't come from material goods, it comes from the people around you and what you yourself do to make you happy. Though I will say having things definitely increases happiness. I mean if you have a pool in you back yard you'd probably be happier than if you didn't. If you had no friends to swim with though, you wouldn't be so happy.
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A) It isn’t one commercial that shapes people’s understanding of the world, but all the ads together. If you hear something than you can challenge it, but if you just see it you are more likely to accept it as truth.
B) Ads give you anxiety in thinking that you lack something the product will be able to give you. These ads give you an inner sense of confusion.
C) People get the feelings that products will bring them happiness. However, that happiness will have short-term effects if they already felt empty inside.
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One part of the movie that I found particularly upsetting was the segment about the Gulf War. In this part of the movie they discussed how advertising rationalized this war for a lot of Americans. It became acceptable that so many people were dying because they were our competition for oil. By not wanting to harm the “American way of life” we ignore the death and destruction it leaves for other countries. It’s a terrible thought that ads can have such a large affect on us. Our environment is filled with ads and people therefore unconsciously accept them as truth. The movie made me more aware of how much I’m affected by ads.
The movie also points out the direct connection between the consumption of goods and the death of the planet. In one statistic they talked about how if every person in China had a car like they do in the U.S. the environmental effects would be devastating. The waste in rich nations is overwhelming and completely unnecessary. People don’t intentionally try to hurt the planet, but they don’t understand the problems with their life style. The fact that advertising reaches you on an unconscious level is very scary. To think that even the most rational people are in some way affected by ads is not good. Companies just want to sell their product and will try their best to make you feel like you need that product. People tend to not think of the consequences of their actions and therefore together do a lot of environmental damage unintentionally.
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I agree with Brian’s quote that we are the fish that don’t think about our water. I know I can personally think of ways that I have accepted advertising to be truth. I also really like his quote about losing everything. He made a very good point that it is very dangerous to define ourselves by the things we own. This is true because we are empty inside if all we have are objects.
Three statements of The Ad and the Ego would be as followed:
1)It challenges the monopoly's disatisfaction.
2)Happiness can be bought.
3)Picture of the product tells what it does.
*Some advertisement is good when its actually dealing with things that the society should tolerate..and not things that really do not matter or shouldnt matter in society.Also people in society beleive what they want, when they want...and i truley think that they could block it out if they wanted.
-I strongly agree with Mercedes's respnce way down below... when younger veiwers see an ad on the T.V they take to it and soak it up. They see a comercial that tells them if they buy this product it will make them a better person ect. I think that there more open to things due to the lack of knowlege they haveon the pulling in effect that these comercials are experiementing with.
-Happiness can be bought.
-Advertising is a tool of socialization.
-The goal of advertisements is to make people feel uncomfortable in their own skin, leading to endless self-crisis.
-I've always considered myself to be well aware of how ridiculous and shallow most advertising techniques are, but it never really occurred to me that the techniques work. On me. I can't honestly say that I don't get a feeling of satisfaction when I see the same orange juice on tv that I have in my refrigerator, or that I don't feel especially glamorous when I use the same shampoo I saw in a commercial the day before. Watching the movie and seeing how advertising has progressed within the past few years made me nervous about where it will be in a few more, especially when I realized that I wasn't even aware of how much it governs my life.
-One of the most striking things about advertisements is how they objectify people, and how beauty is turned into power. Typically it's only the attractive people who are used in commercials, so along with selling a product, the superiority of beauty is stressed, which is completely wrong and unnecessary.
-Hannah's comment about feeling labeled by the movie as an unknowing consumer made me question the purpose of movies like this. On one hand, it's good to make people aware of the shallow goals of advertising and how much they affect everyone on a daily basis, but on the other hand it's depressing, unnerving, and feels like a helpless cause. Advertising is and will probably continue to be an enormous part of our society and it's unfortunate that it's gotten to this point, but the movie really didn't do anything besides make me feel pessimistic and helpless.
3) a. Advertising is designed to create an inner sense of conflict instead of an inner sense of peace.
b.The function of adverstising became the production of discontent within individuals, thus creating consumers.
c.Belief in technology and science and belief in the supernatural come together in adverstising because people believe material things have the power to provide them with happiness.
2)a. The film made the statement that the majority of individuals feel that they are expemt from the influences of advertising, and I firmly agree. After spending a lot of time analyzing human nature through literature, I can say, with confidence, that humans are really quite oblivious to their own nature. Keeping this is mind, it makes perfect sense that most humans are unaware of the way(s) in which they are influenced by advertising. Also, even those who are aware of the influential nature of adervitsements are not exempt from influence, they simply are conscious of it.
b. From what I understood, the main intention of the film was to relay the message that wether humans are aware of it or not, most of society is strongly and directly influenced by advertising. However, I feel that this is a bit of a generalization. I agree with the idea that all humans are influenced by advertisement, but I think that influence can take varuous forms, most of which were not discussed in the film. For example, I find that instead of having the desired effect, most advertisements have the opposite effect on me. When I watch television, which is a rather infrequent occurence, instead of watching commercials and thinking,'oh, I want that', 'Wow, that's super cool' or 'I will only experience true happiness if I buy that unnecessarily massive SUV' I'm usually completely turned off by the by advertisment. After watching a commercial I'm usually left wanting to make my own clothing rather than wanting to buy the clothing being advertised, and wishing that the automobile never existed and that bicycles were the main mode of transportation. Basically, advertisements influence me by depicting things that I dislike about the world and displaying lifestyles that I do not wish to lead.
1)I like Nick Barusso's idea; "Revolt!". I'm curious to see what would happen if even a faction of the populace decided to completely stop consuming all advertised goods in opposition of the manipulative ways of advertising. I know this economy would be greatly affected, but I wodner if the nature of advertising would be altered at all. But then again, is there a way to advertise something without manipulation of the targeted audience? Hmmmmm.
1. advertisments affect us on a subconscious level.
2. ads are always negative
3.ads make materialistic things a prerequisite for a "perfect" life
1.I think ads are necesary to a point, in life but are used far more than they should be.
2.i think some people truely are uneffected by ads, at least to a point. some people are able to realize the falsehoods of the statements in ads
i completely agree with mikes 2nd thought. although ads help influence this view, all people have been trained through society and the views of other people that looks are important. people have a phobia of sorts when it comes to acually meeting a person for who they are because its so much easier for us to just classify that person by how they look and act.
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