Symposium Response

Gabrielle Capaldo
Nov 5 · 2 min read

I found the information shared by the advertising symposium based on Turner’s book, Popcultured, to be very interesting. The most interesting aspect of their content was the psychological component.

Firstly, Turner’s point about the way contemporary advertisements entertain their audience rather than sell their product is extraordinary. The ad has essentially substituted the product, making the customer’s decision based solely on the ad. The more creative, clever, and entertaining the ad is, the more likely a customer is to buy that product. This is not because they believe in the product but because they believe in the ad, hoping that the ad reflects the quality of the product.

Secondly, Turner explains that in the 20th century advertisers realized that people were not buying enough goods to keep the economy expanding. This is because they were satisfied with their current products and had no reason to switch to new products. Therefore, advertisers needed to create motivation for people to make purchases.

Companies began conducting studies to change this trend. Eventually they discovered a key catalyst for new purchases was embarrassment for not owning the latest trend.

They also learned that consumers didn’t buy in rational ways. They often made purchases based on their fears and desires. For example, people may claim they’d buy a sensible car, but when the opportunity arises, they buy a flashy one.

Advertisement researchers further discovered that what held many Americans back from purchasing new items was guilt. With that, the advertising business became a manipulative psychological experiment.

This raises the question, is it moral to play on the frailties and weaknesses of humans for economic gain? I had never considered this aspect of advertising until now and it will certainly continue to provoke thought.

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