Advertising, Consumer Cultures, and Desire.

The world we live in...how do people categorize the things they want against the things that they need. Enter: advertisement. The inundation of squawking voices on TV, blaring images on billboards, magazines, Xenon atoms (more to follow), clothes, cars, the internet, and the list goes on and on interminably (don't get me started). I sound a little bit bitter for the simple reason that I'm not a fan of over-stimulation. I like a more simplistic, less invasive lifestyle. The category between desires or wants and needs is, to the benefit of advertisers, becoming less and less of a priority to maintain. As members of the most prolific consumerist nation in the history of mankind, we are the rabbit in the crosshairs--we are the targets of billions of dollars of advertising research--research determined to reach even the most 'jaded consumers,' as our book calls us. The reality of advertising is that escaping it and ignoring it is becoming a battle for the most vigilant of minds. I do not mind some advertising, but I often want to take breaks from them. This is becoming harder and harder because advertisers understand that you can turn off the TV, or TIVO past a commercial, or change browser windows, or read a newspaper instead of a magazine. Subsequently, they have adapted to reach the remotest places. In this chapter, the swath of advertisements is well-framed, giving me a broad perspective of the foundation and evolution of advertisement in America.

Advertising a product means two different things: as the books states, "[advertisement] took place within a context of shifting values" which basically says that ads must reflect current culture to work. (Baudrillaire's idea of the flaneur comes into play here but I will expound that later). Secondly, advertisers make false, over-exaggerated promises which in turn create a simulated reality in and of itself.

Envy, Desire, and Belonging

How many people do you know that put on Axe body spray and expect this is return. Well obviously its a ridiculous claim but for some reason, as far back at "Lifebuoy Soap" people have persisted in buying products for completely irrational reasons. Advertisements have an unbelievable amount of control over the decisions a culture will make. We identify with advertisements. The iPod is recognizable by millions of people with out having to really process the advertisement. They focus on familiarity and visual stimulation and the result of both of these elements is success. Success, not only monetarily, but for simple reason that a consumer will now talk about the ad, think about the ad, and eventually relate to the ad. We desire the product advertised because it is always being pushed into our minds. Making promises of success, wealth, beauty, confidence, and the list never ends.

But what about those clever advertisements...
I mentioned earlier that IBM advertised on a molecular level. Take a look at this picture.
IBM manipulated the atoms of a xenon plate to spell IBM. Pretty cool I think. It is amazing how far and how clever an advertisement can be. Some advertising images grip the senses and the imagination and the curiousity others are in poor taste and resort to banal, primitive attraction. Advertisement can serve as "culture jams" being used by activists because of the preexisting familiarity of the advertisement. The activist promotes their cause by essentially piggy-backing on the visual communicative powers of an advertisement. Like this advertisement, the message is powerfully transmitted through a familiar medium. The double-take effectively pulls the consumer in.

Questions:

Are we living in a simulated reality, created by advertisers?

What is 'going to far' in advertising? and where do we draw the line?