Advertising 101

Advertising is everywhere. Television, radio, and newspapers aren't free, and they aren't primarily funded by their audience; the costs and profits are funded by advertising revenue. Advertisers, in turn, are funded by you, me, us. Some studies show that products that advertise on television cost 40% more than comparable products that don't advertise. The ads, in turn, are carefully designed to change the behavior of the audience. And they do; if advertising didn't work, no one would advertise.

Advertising is the primary corrupting force on the news. Not only are reporters coerced into softening negative reports on paying customers, not only are some stories pulled due to boycott threats by advertisers, not only do advertisers make explicit demands about content, but actual responsible, in-depth news is frowned upon by advertisers because it "spoils the buying mood" of the audience.

Almost always, news censorship is self-imposed and understood. Most reporters and editors and anchors don't need to be reminded of who pays the bills; they efficiently and constantly keep themselves within what they know (or sense) are the appropriate boundaries of tone and content. Censorship is thus redefined as editorial judgment; if it doesn't fit the overall needs of big business (and, increasingly, the expectations of viewers and readers), it simply isn't news. Hence, a woman's love affair with her puppy is news, while Boeing's use of prison labor in China is not.

How can we defuse the power of advertising? MediaWatch frequently covers ways to combat corporate influence on news coverage itself; but we also need to learn to minimize corporate influence on us as individuals and consumers. We need to doubt the ads.

The human brain can be persuaded in one of two modes: a superficial mode, and a deeper, systematic mode. The superficial mode is dazzled by appeals to the emotions, and simple mnemoic devices (like rhyming jingles). Systematic processing deals more with logical arguments and belief in the truth or falsity of those arguments. Most advertisers assume that while watching television, scanning newspapers and magazines, listening to the radio, or glimsping billboards on the drive home, that your attention will not be fully upon the ad; therefore they gear their "arguments" for the superficial mind.

Most advertisers will avoid logical arguments like the plague. Is there a logical reason why you should buy one brand of jeans versus another? Or buy a product that solves a need you didn't know you had? Or use a product that will eventually kill you?

An amazing amount of advertising doesn't hold up under scrutiny. (A current favorite: the series of radio commercials for a real estate broker that scoffs at people selecting realtors without having much information--and then encourages use of their company, as though relying on radio commercials for info is any better.) Advertisers appeal to your emotions, and undercut your logic. Most advertising is classical conditioning. You see beautiful women in bikinis and see the logo for some brand of beer, and, if you're a man, your positive feelings for attractive women rub off on your feelings for the beer. If you're a woman, your desire to be a beautiful woman in a bikini changes your feelings for that brand.

Once you're aware that commercials make no sense, you have lessened their power over you. Many commercials pretend to use logic, but make hasty jumps: "you care about your family, and want what's best for them. That's why you should buy Whizzo Butter." More than likely, this ad will show a busy mother on the go, coupled with cute kids and a sensitive husband in a nice surburban kitchen. Your feelings for the butter will be ones of family, and wholesomeness.

But let's break it down. This sort of commercial implies that Whizzo Butter is the best, and befits your family, but they have given no evidence. Aside from the probability of a higher retail price (due to the ads), what makes this butter so damn special?

Interestingly, if there's anything special about the butter at all, it's probably due to the advertising itself. Advertising can manufacture meaning. Because of the images you've already seen, if your family buys into the Whizzo Butter = family togetherness idea of the advertisers, perhaps your family will feel better that they possess and use Whizzo Butter.

The other emotional benefit of Whizzo: let's say that you do care about your family and want the best for them. But you probably spend most of your time on this topic worrying about, say, their health, the house, or how you can possibly afford to send the kids to college. Those are hard, complicated tasks. Buying Whizzo makes you feel better, that you're doing something right, that at least in life's small, more controllable ways, you're a success. None of this, you'll note, has a damn thing to do with the quality or usefulness of Whizzo, or any other dairy product.

Another fun technique to increase your awareness of commercials is to sabotage them. TV commercials are meant to be an audio-visual medium. Hit the Mute button on your TV when commercials begin. You'll likely be struck by how surreal these montages are, and how difficult it often is to discern what's being advertised. Note the rapid pace of images, the staging, camera, and lighting techniques of the ads. (In particular, car and truck ads, which are striking in their treatment of vehicles as sexual objects.)

With sound, some type of music and narration, there's some sense of continuity. Without sound, all of that is gone. Try it the other way. Close your eyes. The montage which contains most of the emotional impact is now gone, leaving you with extremely lame arguments (like the Whizzo Butter example) or an endless string of suspicious legal disclaimers.

TV is only the most common example; one of the best ways to avoid the influence of its ads is simply to turn it off. Advertisers are on to this trick; in recent years they've become far more aggressive in intruding into every aspect of our daily lives with not just media, but point of purchase displays, promotional items, product placements, and captive audiences (e.g., advertising in schools and workplaces). And they've gotten more outrageous (and surreal) in an effort to break through the clutter and cynicism a generation of aggressive advertising has spawned.

Many of our society's most creative minds have been channelled into the ad industry. But--unlike art, or community media like radio or cable access--advertising is one-way communication. It is intended to persuade, not listen; and it it intended to persuade even when you think you're not listening.

Support media (like cable access, or community radio, or, for that matter, Eat The State!) that value your voice; but also be aware that you're being pitched to constantly regardless. Be a tough sell.