https://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/documents/Vol08x16EffectsofAdvertisingonSociety.pdf

by Goldie Hayko

This text examines the emotional and psychological effects that advertising has on a person. It also briefly touches on the history of advertising, dating all the way back to the 3000s BC, and 1472 in English culture.

I’ve chosen to read this text to learn more about the effects of advertising, particularly because I didn’t really agree with Tim Wu’s argument in the text “Attention Merchants”

The study of advertisements and the effects they have on a person mentally have been studied since the late 1800’s. Some psychologists believe that people are “subliminally stimulated” which can causes people to think in a way that is almost controlled by the media, though people in the market business believe they are simply trying to attract customers. Goldie brings up the example of the author Richard Pollay’s metaphor of “brain surgery” when he talks about the influence that advertising has on the human mind, they influence people in the most intimate of spaces, our own homes. Advertisements are designed “to attract attention, change attitudes and command our behavior”. Advertisements send messages in a very easy to absorb way, and we take in concepts and ways of thinking without even knowing it.

“Commercials manipulate people’s strongest desires and greatest fears to convince them to buy the preferred products.” -Allen Kanner and Renee Soule. Goldie gathers various sources and materials to draw the following negative effects that advertising has.

• advertising often promotes products that are harmful to us, like alcohol and fast food, which essentially leads to an unhealthy lifestyle.
• Advertising upholds stereotypes regarding class, race and gender, leading to an inadequacy amongst people, and allowing prejudice to thrive
• “Advertising projects an unrealistic standard of the female body and thinness”, leading to woman, and particularly in young girls to feel like purchasing the advertised product in order to look identify more with the advertised model.

The author Dinyar Godrej regards the effects of advertising initially quite non existent, though long after viewing the advertisement “the effects will show up”

Advertising often targets a young audience, and because young people are easily influenced, they become more easily ingrained with a warm connection with a brand or company or “nostalgic childhood memories of a brand” -Schlosser

“Studies are now showing an effect in young men as well, with an increase in awareness of and concerns about their bodies and thus increase in body dissatisfaction” -Lavine, Sweeny, Wagner.

On an contrasting note, John E Calfee describes how advertising could have positive effects. In the 1970s, studies had been done to show that fiber could help prevent cancer, which led companies like Kellogg’s creating cereal’s that were rich with fiber, backing up their advertisements by saying that it would lead to a healthier lifestyle and prevent the risk of cancer. This greatly increased the consumers consumption of fiber rich foods.

After reading this text, I can say that I’ve learnt more about the long term effect of advertising, and it went more into depth with legitimate examples.