Lecture 9

Lecture 9

1. Social drivers of behaviour exploited through advertising

   • The concept of social proof tells us that people will do whatever seems normal for their social setting and that they will figure this out by looking at what others are doing
     • EG Asch conformity experiments (1951) also the reason why under 21's can't drink in adverts so they don't show younger drinkers as the social norm
       • EG Ladbrokes released a controversial ad which portrayed betting as the norm and instilled a fear of missing out on something that everyone else wants (CALL TO ACTION)
         • whole concept of Black Friday

2. cultivation effect of advertising and branding

   • 'cultivation is the result of systematic trends in media content' Cluley, 2016
     • EG 400 billboards in Nottingham, but only one has a non-white person in it, portraying a flawed representation of true society
       • Why Natwest's ad in 2013 was a big deal because it featured a lesbian couple
     • 'psychological warfare' Williams, R (1980)
       • 'At one level, the advertisers are people using certain skills and knowledge, created by real art and science, against the public for commercial advantage.' Williams, R (1980)

3. cultural and ideological images perpetuated through advertising and branding (SEMIOTICS study of symbols)

   • Adverts can create a hyper-reality especially through hyperbolic language such as 'mega special' which is meaningless (David Foster Wallace)
   • images within adverts reinforce a number of ideological assumptions about the world
     • EG BMW using a female with quote 'you know you're not the first' sexually objectifies the woman which is then copied by members of society
       • Dove's beauty campaign went against this and recieved a lot of support especially on social media

4. Marxist view of advertising

   • it creates 'false needs' and encourages us to focus on the symbolic rather than the material realities of the things we consume called 'commodity fetishism' (add on our own value to ignore exploitation)
     • 'the concept of the brand has spread far beyond consumer marketing where it originated, into management, welfare, politics and the construction of local identities. Capital feeds directly off life itself.'-Arvidsson, 2005
   • narcissism by being more interested in the products we own and what they symbolise rather than the world around us
     • Naomi Klein (2000) denounces brads for (among other things) their tendency to colonise public space, insert themselves in all walks of life, and demand and capture attention and affect.