I recently wrote a letter to our friends the advertisers. Once it was posted, a friend tweeted me, jokingly asking if I was angry much. I thought, well, maybe I am. Maybe I’m just being silly.
I absolutely hate being wrong, so luckily I happened upon a letter written by Leon Lynn and shared by Muskrat Jon at his Live Journal page. In it, Leon rips into ABC for cutting parts of the Charlies Brown Christmas Special to fit in more ads.
Leon’s letter showed me that not only was I not overreacting but that other people felt the same way.
Advertising is a pervasive force in our lives. So much that we often don’t even realize it. Hence, advertisers resort to new, even more devious methods to sell their products.
When you look, really look, at how many ads your see, it is amazing.
Some examples:
If you watch an hour of television you will be exposed to somewhere between 16 and 22 minutes of ads.
If you read a magazine you will see dozens of ads, including ads for the very magazine you are reading.
If you drive a major road in your morning and evening commute you will be exposed to different billboards alongside the public roadway each way. If you rely on public transit you will see ads on the inside and outside of publicly funded bus and subway stations and mass transit vehicles.
If you listen to commercial radio you will hear 9-20 minutes of ads per hour.
If you take your family to a local ball game, you will go to a stadium named for a corporation and get to watch players hit home runs sponsored by fast food companies. Also, you will look at ads surrounding the field and throughout the midway.
If your kid go to school, they will most likely get to watch Channel One, a “news” program designed to pump ads to a captive audience.
All of this disturbs me. I certainly don’t remember this concentration of ads when I was younger and it frightens me to think of the path that our society may be on. I am reminded of the scene in the movie Minority Report where ads recognized the protagonist as he walked by and tailored their message specifically to him.
Okay, I’ve bitched for the second time. What can you do to fight this advertising onslaught?
Be conscious of ads that you see.
Ads are everywhere. I imagine that some will say that ads don’t affect them. Here’s the rub – everyone says that. If everyone says that ads don’t affect them and yet ad sales remain a $412 billion a year industry, I am going to bet that they are sure as shit affecting someone out there.
Take steps to limit your exposure to ads.
The easiest way to stop living a consumerism-fueled life is to stop buying unneeded things. I think the easiest way to stop buying unneeded things is to stop paying attention to the people telling you how much you do need them and how happy they are going to make you.
Nuke the system!
The most radical step, one I read about in Adbusters (a great mag by the way) is to not buy anything that you see advertised. I love it! Its a radical step that completely turns the advertising system on its head.
What are some of your ideas for controlling the amount of advertising you are exposed to?
(Photo via duncan)
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I sold my TV.
Like Jesse, I sold my TV. I don’t watch television programs or movies very much. Occasionally I watch the Daily Show and documentaries (on my computer), but most of my time is spent reading and writing. I also canceled all my magazine subscriptions.
It’s hard to escape advertising in this culture. It’s everywhere. Billboards, the internet, in schools, etc. I try to limit my exposure, but sometimes I wonder if that’s even possible.
Thanks for the comments!
I agree that selling your TV is a huge strike against the deluge of advertising. Now, with DVRs, so many people think that they can avoid commercials but, the advertisers are aware of this and have stepped up product placement. Some shows, like 30 Rock, have even turned product placement into a joke in the story line in a weird sort of meta-reference.
Movies aren’t immune to this either, of course. The Road, a book where the transitory nature of our consumer culture is really hit on, features a huge product placement for Coke. Very interesting…
Thanks again!
Fascinating. I’d like to try to track how many ads I’m exposed to in one 24-hour period. Maybe I’ll try that soon. You’re right that we hardly even realize we’re being advertised to, but we are. all the time.
Thanks for the comment Shannalee. I am sure any such tracking would blow your mind.
The most insidious form of advertising, at least to me, is product placement. It is never an accident when you see a logo or brand-name in any media product. That privilege, and your attention, is bought and paid for by your friendly neighborhood global conglomerate.