Chapter 11:
Advertising and
the Commercial Culture
Some guiding questions
How did advertising develop?
How did advertising help transform
America into a consumer society?
What are some persuasive
advertising techniques?
What is the role of advertising in a
democratic society?
ADVERTISING IS
PERVASIVE
Has American life
become too
commercialized?
What do you think?
What has been the
CULTURAL and SOCIAL
IMPACT of advertising
on
20th-century American
society?
Social and Cultural
Transformations
Shift from agrarian, small-town life to
urban, consumer-driven lives
Associated with capitalist economic
system
Both creates and satisfies our desires
and needs as consumers
Undergirds all our mass media
industries
“Ads are the economic glue
that holds the media together.”
How did it come to be this way?
Was it inevitable?
How does advertising affect our
lives?
EARLY DEVELOPMENTS IN
ADVERTISING
First advertising agencies
Trademarks and packaging
Patent medicines and
department stores
Large manufacturers
Advertising and Social
Change
How did
advertising
contribute to
major social
changes in
America?
Advertising’s role in social
change
Influenced shift to consumer-driven
society
Promoted technological advances
Encouraged economic growth by
increasing sales
Recognized women as primary
decision-makers about consuming
EARLY REGULATION OF ADVERTISING
Better Business Bureau (1913)
Audit Bureau of Circulation
(1914)
Federal Trade Commission
(1914)
American Association of
Advertising Agencies (1917)
AMERICAN
ADVERTISING TODAY
Early ads were slogan-driven,
oriented around words.
Today, there is an increasing
influence of visual design.
What advertisements do
you feel are memorable and
effective?
THE MEGA-AGENCY IN
ADVERTISING
Worldwide regional offices
Provide advertising and PR
services
Often have radio and TV
production studios
What are some concerns
about the power of megaagencies?
STRUCTURE OF AD
AGENCIES
MARKET RESEARCH
CREATIVE
DEVELOPMENT
MEDIA SELECTION
ACCOUNT SERVICES
Market Research
Demographics
Psychographics
Values and
Lifestyles (VALS)
CREATIVE
DEVELOPMENT OF ADS
Ads as a commercial
art form
Writers and artists
Scripts, storyboards,
graphics, music,
images
PERSUASIVE
TECHNIQUES
in
ADVERTISIN
G
CONVENTIONAL
PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES
Famous-person
testimonial
Plain-folks pitch
Snob-appeal approach
Bandwagon effect
Hidden-fear appeal
Irritation advertising
THE ASSOCIATION PRINCIPLE
To associate a product with a
cultural value or image that
has a positive connotation
Opposite principle: the
DISSOCIATION strategy
MYTH ANALYSIS
Myth analysis provides
insights into how ads
“tell stories” that are
important to our
society.
Common mythical elements
Ads as mini-Narratives, with
characters, settings and plots.
Plots involve Conflict between
characters or social values.
Conflicts are negotiated or
Resolved by using or purchasing
the advertised product.
COMMERCIAL SPEECH
AND THE REGULATION
OF ADVERTISING
Does the First Amendment apply to
commercial speech -- that is, any print
or broadcast expression for which a
fee is charged?
CRITICAL ISSUES IN
ADVERTISING
Children and Advertising
Advertising in Schools
Health and Advertising
Do You think there
should be
regulations placed
on advertising?
Who regulates or monitors
advertising? Who protects
the consumer?
State and federal legislation
Oversight “watchdog”
agencies
Professional organizations
ADVERTISING AND THE INTERNET
Banner ads
Paid positive reviews,
weighted search engine
results
Affiliate referrals (links)
Direct marketing based
upon personal data
collected on web sites
ADVERTISING AND
DEMOCRACY
What are some major
issues in political
advertising?
What role does, and
should, advertising play
in a democratic society?