Originally posted by PrinceOfCats@Oct 26 2004, 06:31 PM Advertising breaks the concept of businesses as 'pricetakers' and therefore undermines the entire capitalist system...
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But then even capitalists undermine the entire capitalist system with their 'diluting' of the principals...
I quite like advertising myself - I know how to just say no when push comes to shove.
I have no formal training or studies in the theory, history or sociopolitical implications of advertising. I am, however, immersed in it many hours a week, from the postproduction perspective.
Personally I find the idea of it pretty revolting, and most of the ads are pretty revolting as well. I don't like the values promoted or the least-common-denominator "language", be it visual or verbal.
Having said that, television advertising in general has the biggest budget per second onscreen of any motion picture medium, and as a result, when a clever idea is put together with top-notch talent and production, the results can be pretty impressive, and even become part of the cultural landscape and collective consciousness, for better or worse.
To answer the original question, being for or against advertising is really being for or against a capitalist society, as they are inseparable. Ideally, we would find a better system than capitalism, but in practice, it seems to be the most successful system, at least from a Darwinian point of view.
Everyone beat me tot he socio-political punch, so I'll just say I like them. They are a an aid to a visual experience to an otherwise colourless life in the city.
Not really, but they fill me with joy they do...
They can be both good and bad. People need to look at ads as a way of conveying information. It is up to the individual as to how they will be influenced by a particular ad.
__________________ “We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.”
What do I think of advertising? Well, I think its quite natural that we have advertisements all around us. Long time ago I've read one book where the main point was advertising, and there was a man living in future and not happy about it. The problem was that all the advs were pushing him from all sides because of their huge amount. They were everywhere: in transport, on TV... like people just couldnt live without them...
Well, may be it has a negative side, but thats the only way for companies to sell their products, tointerest people in buying them.
(I hope that Ive expressed my point of view clearly. )
__________________ "On the other hand, quality is - like beauty - in the eye of the beholder" Mr-Dale
you cant expect there to be no advertisements in todays capitalist world because theyve become a fundamental part of the whole 'scene'. whether we like it or not, its us, really, whove made them as important as they are.
(if you want, i could paste the 3 page i wrote on advertisements for my a level economics )
but if we start talking about the quality of ad's (esp. how unethical some of the most followed ad's are)...now thats a whole different story