Advertising and Commercial Culture Our increasingly sponsored lives

Advertising and Commercial Culture

Our increasingly sponsored lives • David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest • College football bowl games:

Our increasingly sponsored lives • David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest • College football bowl games: – Nokia Sugar Bowl – Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Fed Ex Orange Bowl – Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Our increasingly sponsored lives • Sports facilities:

Our increasingly sponsored lives • Sports facilities: – Coors Field (Denver) – United Center (Chicago) – Fleet Center (Boston) – Bank One Ballpark (Arizona) – Mc. Leod Arena

Our increasingly sponsored lives Where have you seen ads lately?

TV: 1 hour prime time TV – 1988: 10: 17 ads – 1998: 15: 40 ads – 2004: 16: 27 – 2005: 17: 00 – 2007:

Advertising History • 3000 B. C. - ancient Babylon, shop owners hung signs • U. S: early 1800 s -- first ad agencies were space brokers. Bought newspaper space and resold it. • 1875: N. W. Ayer, first modern ad agency, Philadelphia.

Advertising History • Late 1800 s -- department stores and patent medicines as major advertisers. • Advertising invented “problems” that needed to be solved by products – E. g. , Odor Oh No – AXE soap

• Radio: first ad, 1922 – Advertise to people in their living rooms – Targeted kids – Sell soap on soap operas

• Slogans – No More Tears (Johnson & Johnson) – Nobody Doesn’t Like Sara Lee (Sara Lee) – Nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven (Pillsbury) – Once you pop, you can't stop! (Pringles) – M'm, Good! (Campbell's) – Quality is Job 1. (Ford) – Snap! Crackle! Pop! (Kellogg's Rice Krispies) – See the USA in your Chevrolet. (Chevrolet)

Advertising Today • Influence of visual design: – 1960 s-70 s -- European design – 1980 s --

Advertising Today • Influence of visual design: – 1960 s-70 s -- European design – 1980 s -- MTV -- changes visual style for TV ads, makes hit music part of advertising – 1990 s --

Advertising Today • Influence of visual design: – 1960 s-70 s -- European design – 1980 s -- MTV -- changes visual style for TV ads, makes hit music part of advertising – 1990 s -- the Internet • Google • Yahoo! • MSN

Advertising Today Agencies – Mega Agencies - • Omnicom: $6. 7 billion (21. 5 %) • WPP Group: $4. 54 billion (14. 6%) • Interpublic: $3. 65 billion (11. 7 %) • Publicis: $2. 76 billion (8. 9%) • GOOGle: $16. 6 billion

Advertising Today Agencies – Boutique Agencies -- like Wieden & Kennedy, Digital Kitchen, Peterson Milla Hooks

Advertising Today • The Structure of Agencies – Market Research - VALS (SRI Business Consulting) – Creative Development – Media Selection – Account and Client Management

Persuasive Techniques • • Famous person testimonial Plain folks Snob appeal Bandwagon effect Hidden fear Irritation Unique selling proposition

Persuasive Techniques • Association Principle -- associate product with a positive cultural image or value • Disassociation Corrolary • Liberation Marketing - product takes the language of rebellion, nonconformity

Persuasive Techniques • Myth Analysis (Claude Levi-Strauss) – Narrative -- tells us a story – Binary Opposition - conflict – Resolution

Critical Issues in Advertising 1) Children and advertising – Influence $500 billion in spending each year – Advertising in Schools • Channel One

Critical Issues in Advertising 2) Health and Advertising – – Eating Disorders Tobacco Alcohol Prescription Drugs • Not advertised until 1997 • $4. 7 billion in 2005 • FDA enforcement of misleading claims on the decline

Critical Issues in Advertising and Democracy Broadcasters earned from political ads: 1996 -$400 million 2000 -$665 million 2004 -$1. 6 billion 2008: $2. 5 billion Campaign ads are about 10% of total revenue in those years. How does this affect broadcasters’ support for campaign finance reform?