Everywhere one looks, one is bound to find an advertisement selling some product or service. Even the internet is not free of commercial advertising. Television advertisers have been notorious for distorting and debasing language, and consequently de-valuing the human experience to the point of meaninglessness. Doubtless, most, if not all, advertisers, rely on techniques that charlatans and hucksters once used to make a living selling snake oil as a cure-all.
Advertisers go too far in their targeting techniques, to the detriment of truth. For example, many of the claims that advertisers make are patently false, or mean nothing at all (Lutz, 1990). Advertisers use a variety of gimmickry, and spend a whole lot of money to target their consumers. Well-placed ads are positioned to appeal to their desired demographic, and marketing is a science (Twitchell, n.d.). However, advertisers have gone overboard. A good institution of higher learning stresses critical thinking skills and communication skills, but a good commercial stresses -- and expects -- the viewer to engage in the exact opposite.
However, when a person -- even a so-called educated person -- sits in front of a television, something curious happens. A rapid stream of commercials, like a rapid-fire drinking binge, suspends critical thinking faculties and listening skills consequently suffer. One is expected to hear what one, paradoxically, expects to hear.
Celebrities (especially athletes) are often used to sell a variety of products or services -- from auto and home insurance to submarine sandwiches. Often, many of these products do not have anything to do with athletics, or how the athlete performs better because of these products. Advertisers merely rely on name association to sell their goods and services in these cases. Those who associate a famous athlete with an excellent insurance policy have allowed their critical thinking faculty to be suspended.
In addition, one who believes that drinking a sports drink will help them perform as well as Michael Jordan on the court is similarly duped. Yet, these products sell well, and name association must work (or advertisers would not continually use the technique). When a person is asked if their sports drink or sneakers help them perform as well as LeBron James, they may laugh in your face. But, these commercials are popular and give athletes more respect than is due. Clearly, they operate on some level of the psyche because people want to believe in the power and invincibility of their celebrity heroes.
Another problem with modern advertising is that it distorts meaning in a society where meaning and value are already rare commodities (Lutz, 1990). Language is precious because it is how we communicate in most situations. It is what binds us together socially and culturally. Communication, at its best, is clear and concise. Commercials are aggressive and distort communication by communicating virtually nothing of value about their good or service (Lutz, 1990). The average 30-second commercial has a nice jingle, a voiceover, and a scene depicting the kind of lifestyle one could have if they would only buy their good or service. In these 30 seconds, nothing specific or scientific is communicated. Moreover, commercials are louder than the television show or newscast that you are watching, presumably to catch and hold your attention. In actuality, commercials attempt to command one's attention, as well as not-so-subtly dictate your pre-determined "choice".
Freedom of choice is one of the values we share as Americans. However, every time we watch a commercial, we slowly hand over our freedom of choice, as advertisers expect their viewers and listeners to be unaware of the competition. Perhaps, the competitor sells a much better product or service, but does not have a high advertising budget. It would behoove one to investigate those companies who do not advertise that much. They are most likely the companies who pass the savings along to their customers, instead of racking up expenses on a bloated advertising budget.
Lastly, advertisers often refer to their customers as "consumers". Even the nightly news lapses into this practice. People are no longer people, or persons with identities. They are brands who "consume" other brands that impart to them their "unique" identities. Referring to people as consumers debases and devalues the human experience, and reveals advertisers' misled motives -- to get everyone to jump on the bandwagon, to get everyone to be a loyal consumer. Through this lens, commercial culture can be viewed as self-reinforcing. The more consumers there are, the more bloated the advertising agencies, marketing groups, and corporations become -- a vicious circle that seemingly has no end.
Ultimately, much of the language and the references we unwittingly use have some kind of commercial, advertising origin. Like a virus, commercial culture cannot transmit itself without a host. In these days where it seems as though everyone has an attention-deficit disorder, chronically texting and checking e-mails, the commercial is almost a feature-length film. However, this film covertly insults its viewers' intelligence, and undermines any sort of family and/or cultural project by debasing the true, unique value of our experiences (Leader, 2010).
Finally, as advertising becomes more and more of a science, and target marketing becomes more precise, advertisers will certainly become more ruthless in how they treat their consumers.
Works Cited
Leader, Caroline. (2010). "Dudes Come Clean."
Lutz, William. (1990). "With These Words, I Can Sell You Anything."
Twitchell, James B. (n.d.) "What We Are to Advertisers."
