My blog presents a wide array of what we know as Advertising. It is something that is every where and taken very seriously. The world as we know it is changing because of this positive epidemic, for us communication majors, we need to study and understand it. I believe that it will evolve into something much bigger than what it is right now, the only determining factor in success will be how well something is advertised.
Schools are doing a better job of advertising their demographics and goals to the pubic. With me being only a freshman in college I remembered seeing and hearing different schools pitches and commercials through social networking sites, radio, and biggest of all television. I was surprised how much advertising mattered to me when I selected the school I am attending now. If I wasn't impressed by there catalogs or welcome video it would put them down a couple notches of my liking. Big schools like The Ohio State University and University of Illinois can afford to advertise their school to a more broad audience rather than a little college who can't spare that much room in the advertising budget.
Programs like Harvard Law are nationally known through advertisement but not really through the more traditional medium. People from these great schools advertise them because of how successful the are and how well the school prepared them for their actual careers. Advertising in education is a lot bigger than what people give credit for.
Advertising takes a different spin in the music business, it is not what is popular, it is about what sells. Some artist get extra help from advertising to boost their careers. I really hate putting these two in the same category but Jordin Sparks and Flavor Flav know about this. For Jordan Sparks particular situation, American Idol help here launch her career because she was nationally viewed. If American Idol would not have advertised her I honestly think she would have had a more difficult time beginning her now successful career. For Flavor Flav it is completely different, somewhat successful in the past then his career crashed into the ground very quickly. He made a comeback when he was on a show called Surreal Life working himself up to Flavor of Love. If these VH1 television shows would not have advertised him, he would have never been able to jump-start his career.
Advertisers like controversial artist like Kanye West and Brittany Spears, every step they take towards anything related to music it is magnified. This is do to their fan base and how popular they are.
American Idol Winner Jordin Sparks Advertised before Her Career Started.
Imagine this scenario: The record breaking, box office smash, Dark Knight, had absolutely no action or violence in the content of the movie. Do you think it would have sold the way it did? I think the answer to that question by everyone sane would be an unanimous HECK NO! Let's face the facts people, no matter what we preach to our kids, how much we deny it, and how much we despise it; violence and action are what we watch. Advertisers take advantage of this fact by filling their movies and shows with the two marketing tools.
Why are we attracted to action and violence if they conflict with the norms and morals of society? Simple in my opinion. We want to escape from are world and view the, bad but exhilarating, fantasy world. Now people who cannot distinguish the two worlds usually end up behind bars, but for the rest of us action and violence is entertainment. Just think about a sport like boxing. Some have go to say this sport has gone soft even though out of the most popular sports this is the most violent. Violence and action that is perceived as fantasy is just a way of entertainment advertisers utilize. They know we are amused by it, therefore, they exploit it.
The oldest but yet most effective trick in the book; using attractive people to advertise a product. It comes to no coincidence that when you see a product getting advertised the people look like models. I apologize if this is politically incorrect, but good looking people make the product look good; this is my definition of sex appeal. Advertisers know what it takes to make their products look good to the consumers; this process is not so cut and dry. Advertisers are aware that different people give different looks, styles, and sizes so they have to take the product and match it with who they feel will appeal to the perceived audience. Run-way shows take a lot of time mixing and matching product to model because the companies are trying to advertise the best possible image the can to the consumers or sponsors. Sizes and styles play a major role because not everyone is built the same and not everyone dresses the same. This technique is not just used in clothing. Companies like Direct TV and Go Daddy uses sex symbols like Beyonce Knowles and Danica Patrick to appeal to their costumers.
How many guys will "upgrade" for the stunning Beyonce?!?!
We are living in a very materialistic world were are appearances mean almost everything. Advertising has grasp this concept and they use it in every way imaginable, like they say in the show business, "sex sales." Sadly enough it will make the majority want the product more if someone who is "hot" is promoting it.
Does this ad commercial influence you to buy Jordan?
Advertising to fashion is like peanut butter to jelly; they go hand in hand. Advertising, in one way or another, causes us as consumers to by the name brand clothing. It doesn't particularly have to be advertising via the traditional television or billboard; it could be from another person you happen to see. When that person is bragging about a new pair of shoes, jeans, or a shirt they are advertising that product, which is the most common for fashion.
What makes us by those expensive items from the multi-billion dollar clothing company? Have you ever seen a ordinary piece of clothing by a popular brand and the result was you purchasing the item? These questions are monumental to advertisers in the fashion business because they want that "it factor" about their products that other clothing companies do not have. For example, a company like Lacoste prices for clothing are extremely high compared to its competitors, but they have that "it factor" so they know that even though the prices for their products are obnoxiously high people will always buy their products. Through advertising the brand people want to wear as much of it as they can. Advertising can portray an image consumers want! It's that simple. An example of this is expensive, popular companies; their advertising makes it so that when consumers wear their products they fit an image of having money most of the time.
I think it is officially safe to say that the advertising business has its hand in many cookie jars; politics being one of them. For the first time in history I believe that we, as an nation, had an opportunity to see magnified advertising in politics. What I am implying is that this previous election was a battle over who's message was received the most in any way imaginable, via television, radio, social networking engines, YouTube, and print. Advertising plays a substantial role in everyone of those communication categories above. Quintessentially, politics is merely a popularity contest in one way or another, if one candidate promotes his or her name and message more frequently than the other candidate more likely than not that person will be victorious due to familiarity. Unfair to some because advertising is not free, subsequently leading to the theory that whoever has the most money will win. This is the exact reason why a politician's campaign committee screens the advertising agencies they are interested in prior to them officially hiring them.
Some politicians have learned the hard way when they take their "advertising elbow room" for granted. The campaign abruptly learns that no matter how much they are seen by the public their message is unattractive to their target votes concluding in a probable loss. When a politician finds an exceptional ad agency it is pivotal because that agency will most likely send out the right messages to make the campaign look good to their targets.
Concluding, I personally believe that a political campaign is only as good as their advertising. Public relation committees predicate their lively-hood in their business off of how well they can promote their candidate and how the candidates message is portrayed to the masses subsequently putting the successes and failures on their shoulders.
