062Y55A03 14/04 Advertising

So...our "discussion" on Tuesday actually turned into more of a lecture, didn't it? I think, however, that it is time people learned a little more about this subject because not only does it affect us, ourselves, but it also shapes society.

We all agree that companies and manufacturers must advertise their goods - but the way that they do it has become increasingly dishonest. More and more is being spent on advertising which, in turn, pushes up the prices of products. If companies didn't pay such ridiculous amounts of money to advertise they would be able to keep the prices much lower.

Advertising long ago stopped giving us information about the product and started being about selling us dreams instead. Dreams that no product we buy will ever make come true.

Most of us, when we are going to buy a phone, camera, computer, car - or even a house - have to do quite a lot of research first. Long, long ago...we used to go into a shop and ask a salesperson to explain things to us. We trusted them. And they knew about the products.

Now, however, with most sales assistants working on a commission basis, they will tell us anything about the product just to ensure they make a sale. Most of them know nothing more about the product itself than its price. One of the things that really enrages me[makes me angry] is that women, in particular, are looked upon as having no brains at all, and salespeople pounce on us simply because they believe that we are all stupid.

Most women now would never go and buy a car, computer, phone, camera etc. without taking a guy along. Salespeople assume that men know more than women and don't tell so much complete untruth when a man is around. Numerous documentaries, "hidden camera's", experiments, etc. have been done in every country in the world which bears this out[proves the truth of this] so that we women know we are going to get cheated if we go on our own. So, like children, we are forced to take along a "daddy" or "brother" .

Advertisers, of course, are aware of this, which is why so much advertising is aimed at men. It isn't only men who buy cars, computers etc. yet the advertising, we discover, usually features a pretty girl, or a very successful-looking business man in an expensive suit, beautifully styled hair and an important air[we use 'air' like this to mean 'atmosphere' or 'look'], We also know that it is not only expensively dressed, successful businessmen who buy these products.

But the guy who accompanies us probably, in this increasingly technological age, knows no more about the product than we do. He does, however, recognise the brand names. Most women look at advertisements for clothes or make up rather than for cars or computers, so don't pay much attention to brand names. But if a guy, every time he opens a magazine, or looks at a billboard [large adverts], sees his favourite female star, or a gorgeous girl, or a successful man advertising a certain brand, that name will stay in his mind. He will often laugh at our choice and tell us that "x" brand is so much better. What is probably the truth is that "x' brand advertises a lot better than the brand we chose.

It should not be necessary to spend so much time reading (often very boring) articles and comparing them to others, or researching lots of technical lists and strange words, or finding Trade Magazines (remember I told you about these and mentioned the most famous -Choice Magazine - which objectively tests all different kinds of products and compares them on everything from quality to price to customer service?) when we want a new phone. Thank god the Internet makes this task a little easier, though.

Long, long ago also...that was what advertisements were supposed to do: tell us about the product so we could make up our own minds.

If you look at the adverts shown here, www.bestrejectedadvertising.com/ban/C.html you will find it impossible to know what the product is actually advertising. One is an advertisement for an airline company. There is nothing which tells us whether the airline is cheaper, safer, luxurious - there is also no way of contacting the airline given except for a very small website address.

The entire advertisement consists of a pair of women's breasts. It is plain to see who the advert is directed at but, as a woman, does it make us want to fly with this airline? Of course not and, as the advertising companies are not stupid they know this. So, how does this then lead us to think of ourselves? As completely unimportant, of course. So, no matter how 'liberated' and 'free' we may tell ourselves we are, advertisements continue to tell us that we matter very little - except as sexual partners.

This article at www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/may/02/advertising regards an advertisement for a fast food outlet. The reason for posting this site is to show how people are constantly complaining about advertising. As is this one where an advertisement for a particular face cream has now been banned. This is not because the advertising is sexual but because the supposed "magic ingredient" - which is given a long name starting with 'p' - simply does not work. The advert also suggests that women have to go and get facial surgery as they get older.

Finally, here is an article and, at the end, some comments about television advertisements in America. But, just because these particular products are made and advertised in America, doesn't mean that the same sort of advertisements don't get shown in Australia, France and yes, even China.

When we add to these advertisements the kinds of movies that flood the market featuring those wretched "handsome guys" and "beautiful girls' its no wonder there are so many unhappy people in the world .We are surrounded by images of a make-believe world that just doesn't exist. People go looking for Mr. or Mrs Right (who doesn't exist in the real world) just so they can settle down in the perfect house, with a wonderful job earning lots of money and live happily ever after with their perfect family.

So many of my students have told me that they think reality sucks. It doesn't you know. Reality is beautiful and scary, boring and wonderful, exciting and ordinary. But we will never learn that if we go on letting advertisers ruin it for us.