Essay About Advertising Companies And Mass Media

Religion
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5/19/05
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Having mass media all around us, makes it extremely difficult to even turn to a
corner without having to see some type of advertisement. These advertisements that are
becoming more and more useful in selling a product have also been constantly changing
our culture. With advertisements continuously surrounding people, it is no wonder to see
how as consumers we have become an easy target towards manipulation. Advertising
creates needs, encourages over consumption, warps American culture, and makes us
insecure about ourselves through advertisement making people uncomfortable with there
own bodies while using emotional appeal, portraying dream like worlds, and turning
consumers into objects.
With mass media at an ultimate high, it is no wonder to see why some people begin
to feel uncomfortable in their own skin after watching certain advertisements. The
advertisements appear to portray dreams to which the majority of people would love to
change about themselves. Advertisers continuously show images of thinner, taller, and
towards more younger males and females on their ads. These ideals of the “perfect person
with the perfect body” are being imposed on those who do not fit into the category. By
presenting this ideal, which is a look difficult to achieve and maintain, product industries
are growing in profits. (Gerber) They portray beautiful, thin people having a great time
with whatever product that is being sold. Not only do advertisers make a person who does
not encompass the qualities uncomfortable in their own skin, but makes them want to
become just like the people in their ads. (Holt 26-28) For example, the women portrayed
in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue are looked at as somewhat of a threat to the average
women or man. In a letter written to Rev. Michael C. McFarland by Arthur G. Mattei, a
mass communication major, he wrote on how “From beer commercials to Victorias
Secret to Howard Stern to MTV to Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, etc., the nauseating
message is the same. What troubles me deeply that in 2003 these unhealthy aspects of the
culture are being funded and fueled by the establishment-corporate America, the big
money and influence”. (Mattei 1) Taking into consideration of the fact that these
advertising companies target their idea of the perfect women or man, it becomes the
consumers choice whether or not to buy their products. But with the millions of dollars
that these companies make, there is no doubt that they will never stop targeting specific
audiences to get a hold of them emotionally. These advertisements hurt womens body
image as they will always feel like their not skinny enough, or they do not have the
perfect hair, make up, eyes, and the list goes on and on. For men, they do the same in
making them feel as they will never have enough muscles, nice hair, good physique and
etc. Still advertisements often do not affirmatively urge the consumer to buy a given
product, they basically promise that the products enhance a persons life. Although, most
of the time, these body image based advertisements main audience is targeted at teens to
middle-aged adults.
Advertising controls targeted viewers through emotional appeal primarily with
feelings such as “humor, fear, and self idealization” (Holt 2004). Advertisers believe that
in order for the product to stay in the consumers mind, other than through repetition is
with emotion, emotional advertisements “improve a brands impression, personality, and
value with feelings” (Gerber 2). Most of the time companies cannot go wrong with
humor. But they must have in mind that as companies using humor to target an audience
they still have to get the message out. For example, Leo Goodwin, the owner of Geico, a
big insurance company, is known to be a humorous man, and can be seen through the
type of commercials he wants his company to release. With this funny advertisements he
was able to gain thousands of new customers, just by the mere fact that they knew his
company by the advertisements he used. Humor is looked upon as something which is a
“cant loose method” (Holt 205-207). On the other hand, when advertisers are seeking to
gain an audience with fear, they may have a more difficult time. With fear there must be
a solution