Advertising, Consumer Cultures, and Desire

Consumer products and brands and the advertising that sells them aim to present an image of things to be desired, people to be envied, and life 'as it should be' (p. 265). To fully understand this assertion one must step back and think about advertisements encountered on a daily basis. Do advertisements always sell a lifestyle or a product? I think most of the time they do, but sometimes I think they're just plain creative art forms. For example, take the following commercial. It is one of my favorite commercials right now, and I've seen it on TV multiple times. However, I had NO idea what the commercial was selling or what company it was endorsing... until I found it on YouTube.



The commercial works because it makes the impossible, possible. It takes something completely unexpected and makes it seem almost realistic. There is one or two seconds at the end where State Farm gets recognition. However, I guarantee that most people who have seen this commercial have no idea who endorses it.

Another commercial or effectively executed advertising plan that stands out in my mind are the "G" commercials. For the longest time I would see these "G" commercials on TV and have no idea who or what "G" was. However, I did know that there were some pretty important people behind this "G" concept. Finally, curiosity got the best of me, and I appeased the advertisers by Google searching "G" only to find that it was the new marketing strategy from Gatorade. Other companies and brands have also used this mystery technique to lure in consumers. As the authors say, in a consumer society there is always a demand for newness. Therefore, "old products are sold with a new look, added features, a new design, or simply new slogans and ad campaigns" (p. 267). This is certainly the case with Gatorade and their "G" campaign... it suckered me in, and I'm assuming many others as well.