Advertising and Commercial Culture Chapter 11 “These new platforms, new innovations, and new services in fact create new opportunities for advertisers….I think these models are going to be the ones that will really evolve to be the defining models for advertising over the next 10 to 20 years.” — Eric Schmidt, Google CEO Culture Influenced by Ads Advertising comes in many forms, from classified ads to giant highway billboards. Ads are often seen as intruding on daily life. Fast-forward through commercials with TiVo Block pop-up ads on Web sites However, advertising is the glue that holds the mass media industries together. History Advertising used in antiquity First newspaper ads in America, 1704 Most U.S. magazines had advertising by mid-1800s. Earliest ad agencies were newspaper space brokers. Bought newspaper space, sold it to merchants N. W. Ayer established the first “modern” U.S. ad agency. Established in 1875 Worked for advertisers, product companies, not newspapers Wrote, produced, and placed ads “The American apparatus of advertising is something unique in history….It is like a grotesque, smirking gargoyle set at the very top of America’s skyscraping adventure in acquisition ad infinitum.” —James Rorty, Our Master’s Voice, 1934 Advertising Proves Worthy By the mid-1800s, manufacturers realized consumers would ask for their products specifically if they were distinctive, associated with quality. Advertising let manufacturers establish a special identity for their products, separate from their competitors. Built “brand recognition” Packaging Created demand for branded, “quality” goods 19th century ads created the impression of significant differences among products when in fact very few differences actually existed. Medicine and Department Stores By the end of the 1800s half the ads were for patent medicines or department stores. Many patent medicines were dangerous and/or fraudulent. Federal Food and Drug Act passed in 1906 in response Problem led to advertising self-policing. FDA created Advertising eats the “newshole.” Today more than 60 percent of the space in large daily papers is consumed by ads. Promoting Social Change and Dictating Values As ads became more powerful, began to change American life Transition from producer-directed society to consumerdriven society Advertising promoted new technological advances that made life easier. Still, ads were accused of inciting consumer need for unnecessary products. Emphasized advertising’s power for social good Ad Council Founded in the 1940s, created important campaigns like Smokey the Bear (“Only you can prevent forest fires”) Regulation Better Business Bureau Audit Bureau of Circulation Tracked advertising’s audience so publishers couldn’t lie about viewer numbers FTC Created by business community to keep tabs on deceptive advertising Group created by government to help monitor advertising abuses American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) Self-regulation within ad industry Subliminal Advertising Term coined in 1950s Few examples actually exist. Hidden or disguised visual messages in films and television programs Fool people into buying products “Drink Coca-Cola” in frames of movies Sexual activity in liquor ads No more effective than regular ads The Power of Mega-Agencies Top four mega-agencies in 2008 Omnicom WPP Interpublic Publicis Concern that large audiences pose a threat to independent agencies Boutique agencies Often founded by designers and graphic artists empowered by visual revolution of the 1960s Left larger agencies to form their own ventures Peterson Milla Hooks: one of the biggest boutique agencies in America Famed campaign for Target (bulls-eye) Figure 11.1 Market Research Assesses the behaviors and attitudes of consumers toward particular products Demographics Psychographics Focus groups Values and Lifestyles (VALS) Auto industry uses heavily See Figure 11.2 on p. 356 Ad Agency Structure Creative development Media selection Writers and artists outline rough sketch of ads. Media buyers: choose and purchase the types of media best suited to carry a client’s ad and reach the target audience Account services Account executives: responsible for bringing in new business and managing the accounts of established clients Online Advertising Banner ads earliest form of Web advertising Pop-up ads, pop-under ads, flash multimedia ads, and interstitials popular today Paid search advertising has become the dominant format of Web advertising. Google, MSN, and Yahoo, for all claims of impartiality, have quietly morphed into ad agencies. Persuasive Techniques in Advertising Famous-person testimonial Plain folks Appeal of “Everyone does it!” Hidden fear Fiji water (“The label says Fiji because it’s not bottled in Cleveland”) Bandwagon Volkswagen (“Drivers wanted”) Snob appeal Athlete Tiger Woods for Nike, American Express, and more Deodorant, mouthwash ads play on social anxiety. Irritation Aspirin ad featuring hammer pounding in someone’s brain Association Principle Product associated with some cultural icon or value Used in most consumer ads Disassociation corollary: Responding to consumer backlash, major corporations present products as though from smaller, independent companies, i.e. Saturn. Table 11.2 Advertising as Myth Three common mythical elements found in many types of ads: Ministories featuring characters, settings, and plots Stories involve conflicts, pitting one set of characters or social values against another. Conflicts are negotiated or resolved by end of ad, usually by applying or purchasing product. The product and its users are the heroes. Product Placement Placing ads in movies, TV shows, comic books, video games Coca-Cola on American Idol Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Should the FCC mandate that the public be warned about product placement on television? Political Speech vs. Commercial Speech Political speech is protected under the First Amendment. Lobbying (PR) Political campaigns Commercial speech is far more proscribed by case law. Fee-based communications Intended to cause money exchange Key Advertising Concerns Schools Health Puffery Eating disorders Tobacco Pharmaceuticals Alcohol Ads featuring hyperbole and exaggeration Advertisers killing news stories The end of consumer reporting? “It isn’t enough to advertise on television. . . . [Y]ou’ve got to reach kids throughout the day—in school, as they’re shopping in the mall . . . or at the movies. You’ve got to become part of the fabric of their lives.” —Carol Herman, Senior Vice President, Grey Advertising, 1996 Questioning Advertising The Truth, a national youth smoking prevention campaign, works to deconstruct the images that have long been associated with cigarette ads. Recognized by 80% of teens in 2007 Ranked in the Top 10 “most memorable teen brands” Advertising, Politics, and Democracy Since the 1950s, politicians have mimicked advertising techniques in order to get elected. Political advertising: the use of ad techniques to promote a candidate’s image and persuade the public to adopt a particular viewpoint Although broadcasters use the public’s airwaves, they have long opposed providing free time for political campaigns and issues, since political advertising is big business for television stations. Commercialism—through packaging both products and politicians—has generated cultural feedback that is often critical of advertising’s pervasiveness. Still, the growth of the industry has not diminished. Public maintains uneasy relationship with advertising.