Advertise here

So we talked about advertisements today in class and I think I had a differing opinion than most people on the subject... does that mean I am wrong? uneducated in the matter? maybe... here are my thoughts:

First, I would like to clear up what exactly I am talking about when I say "advertisement"

1. A commercial on TV/radio/Hulu
2. Billboards
3. Labels on products (the Nike swoosh, the little flag thing for Tommy Hilfiger, the packaging of 5 gum)


Advertisement is a business and just like any other business it has competitors and they all try to one-up each other. Advertisement makes a TON of money, but it's only because they have become very good at their job. Yes they play to our emotions, yes they make us want to buy things we don't need and yes, they are manipulative in the way they do things. Politicians play to our emotions, they try to make us vote for them in the end and yes, they do it in manipulative ways. Newspapers play to our emotions, they want us to read them over any other paper and yes, unfortunately a lot of them do it in manipulative ways. What I am trying to get at here is that many industries are trying to get us to do something that will make their company/product successful.

I would like to know what would happen if advertisement was taken out of the picture all together. One girl in class today claimed that our economy would be fine because we were only buying the things we "needed." Needed is a relative term because if we looked at people in third world countries and realized how little they had we would see that no, we don't even really "need" that gallon of milk this week.

Anyway, back to if there were no advertisements: I think the economy would suffer greatly if there wasn't people out buying things (obviously).

Do I think we all buy way too much crap? yes.
Do I do it? yes.
Does the statistic of we only use about 10% of what we own apply to me too? yes.
Such is life -good or bad.
Coming from a person who has seriously downgraded when it comes to buying "things" I still buy a lot. I don't go to the mall and load up on shoes every other week like I use to but I buy extra socks and I buy muffin tins and I buy lotion even though I have 2039840 old bottles that are all half full.

Like it or not, buying things is what we Americans do. Do I think we are evil or going to hell because of it? no. Do I think it could be controlled? absolutely. Do I think it is something we need/can shun from our children like the girl in my class claimed she is going to do? No, I am not that naive.

Bottom line? Be realistic. Advertisement is a business and is pretty dang successful.