Tuesday, 5 April 2011

What's with advertising?

They say advertising is the barometer of a society.
In times like these when remote is the kingmaker advertising has to attract as well as keep us glued to the screen for the next 15 seconds.

So how do they do it?
They read the customer preferences thoroughly.TAM being the device capturing the data regarding the viewing preferences of a particular target audience and then creating programming out of the mass behaviour.
There are certain people employed by malls just to watch their customers.The preference for brands, quality, price and even comfortability while picking up from a shelf so that the next time a better margin product can be put there to increase profits.
Sounds insidious.We have only started.The reality TV phenomenon is a manifestation of a voyeuristic society.We all like to know or overhear about what's happening in our neighbours life.We like to live vicariously  through the ups and downs of a successful person.Facebook has caught on the fever where youngsters like to post everything they are doing even as small as the latest gift  they received.
Google being the biggest of them all.They keep track of your emails and then put advertising around the web pages acc to the data collected and then collate and sell that data to the respective companies.

Co's also have to sell you the product.They make advertisements to entice you with emotions.
The Mcdonald ad where a healthy boy (read chubby/fat) is expecting His GF and she arrives with her sister.It could be that the ad is saying that there is nothing wrong with being fat and the person could still have a Gf.
In the blackberry ad,there is a smart slender boy( read not hunk) who is propogating the uses of applications of blackberry.It could be the acceptance of a slender built man which has also been seen by major clothing brands who have brought out that size shirts in the market not available long ago.
Times of India has an advertising treaty where it has sold out the content ( even editorial ) which was considered a virgin territory.
Virgin mobile,where the boy is not breaking up with his GF but making her do it on his behalf thus manipulating her.The ad ends with a caption "Think Hatke" i.e. think differently.
Tata capital where the boy has given up his bigger gift for a smaller one to his brother is trying to make us emotionally attracted to the brand.
I have personally seen advertising as a creative expression and not get swayed by it towards the brand just because of it.
Look around, the advertisements, you will find all they are trying to do is enter your sacred space and manipulate you one way or the other.

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