You are what you eat; Diamond’s are a girls best friend; You can tell who a person is by the shoes they wear; If you’ve got it flaunt it; BMW driver’s are stereotypically pompous and egotistical whilst we have the drop dead gorgeous Mini Cooper driver cliché’.
Who delegates these standards and more importantly why does the typical consumer fall victim to these “ludicrous” assumptions. What I may deem as “ludicrous” appears to be the norm to my friend (popularly referred to as the poppie of the group) who swears that “50 shades of Grey” is a life changer.
Personally I tend to avoid such ‘rubbish’ due to my hipster attitude pertaining to the abolishment of all commercialized music, movies (because Cinema Nouveau is so much more realistic) and reading material. Whether this is because I am an informed consumer or simply a consumer of hipster culture is the question I will attempt to explore through this (short) literary venture. Am I cool because I’m aware of over-exposed media, or am I simply assuming a culture which takes advantage of my open mindedness to send me straight back into the revolving motion of advertising’s vicious circle.
The differentiation between susceptible buyer and informed consumer is becoming increasingly vague. On a daily basis we are confronted by various product promotions convincing us we need something or encouraging us to try something new because our normal lives are supposedly boring and mundane. However, in the same breath, it would be negligent to ignore how industry is using our empowered attitudes against us. Does a consumer remain empowered when purchasing a Hybrid motor vehicle? Are you purchasing that Hybrid because you are truly concerned with the environment or because it is considered the responsible choice? To what extent does media manipulate our informed decisions into decisions made based on the information fed to us in that Hybrid Ad which makes us feel like we are saving the world. Are these decisions in our best interests, or is that just what they want us to think?
Advertisers have upped their game and are targeting the ‘intelligent market’. Why is this? I assume it is because whilst gaining a product following from your everyday consumer is efficient, “all press is good press”, getting a particular mature intelligent group of individuals to enthusiastically receive your product, comprising of consumers that society regard as informed and sensible, creates GREAT PRESS. Not only are you infiltrating a new market, but, that niche group directly becomes the biggest asset to your advertising campaign. So, no longer is the only problem we face that of being sold on a product we don’t need, we now have to consider that we may becoming the product being sold.
As arbitrary as it may seem, this is no conspiracy theory, nor is it a new phenomenon. Selling the lifestyle has be the go-to move by advertiser’s for over a century. Marshall Mcluhan (1911-1980) stated, “All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perception and arbitrary values.” When you wash your clothes, you only use one cap of detergent because you remember the lady pronouncing, “Yoh eh eh, just one small cap is enough,” or, whilst sipping on your favourite glass of wine, you imagine yourself frolicking in the vineyards with your non-existent Casanova, as depicted during Desperate Housewives’s ad break. This cannot be summed up as a naïve decision made sporadically, but rather an assimilation with a product you feel conveys who you are or rather, the person you aspire to be. Is this negative? Yes and No.
In a sense advertiser’s are giving the people what they want. People are not going to indulge in products they do not relate to or do not have an interest in. The issue lies in the ethics regarding the manner in which this is achieved. Manipulation and information are two separate entities. The one telling you, you need to act in a certain manner whilst the other providing you with the option if you so choose. What intrigues me about the Advertising industry, is that personally I don’t believe all products over exposed in the media are a downfall to society. Steve Jobs believed in creating a product before people realized they needed it. In instances such as Apple’s ability to produce innovative technological products at such a rapid pace, poses the question that is it not the Advertiser’s job to in fact do what is dreaded the most? Convince the audience (for potentially their own efficiency) that this product is a must have?
The ethical approaches of advertising will always remain double barreled. The key to an untroubled conscience when purchasing an extravagantly priced product is awareness and understanding. At the end of the day, it is in an Advertising companies brief to sell the product and create traffic in terms of sales. It is in the exploration of various media (Print, TV, Social Media, Experiential Media) that the true intentions of the advertisers are revealed. So to refer back to my initial question, is there a truly an informed autonomous consumer or are we all participants in a world where we resonate with commercialized cultures?
This remains the ultimate question, but alas we are a developing consumer audience. Perhaps for now I should be happy I have a choice between hipster, poppie and cliché’ rather then the passé’ choice between black and white options as our personalities are comprised in those 50 shades of grey.
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