After reading "Why the Devil takes VISA," I started thinking about how HUGE advertising is in the consumerists world. Clapp tells how about a group of Christian college kids were separated by nations and asked to pick a song representing their culture. Most of the nationalities represented choose folk songs from native lands within a short amount of time, but not only do the Americans take twice as long to decide--they choose the coca-cola jingle "I'd like to teach the world to sing."
Off and on throughout the article various forms of advertising were mention in how they are gradually taking over our lives. Think about it...we have billboards, radios, TVs, magazines, and newspapers--all FULL of different ads beckoning us to do who knows what. Ads are becoming more and more common. When TVs first came out ads were shown occasionally and usually just for show sponsors. Now, it seems as though some channels show more commercials than actual show. Did you know that there are possibilities for having more channels be strictly commercials and no shows?
What gets me is we buy things we don't want or need just because it "sounds cool" or the jingle gets stuck in our head. We can be doing everyday activities then...BAM!!!! We get hit with a random jingle that will haunt us for days, but you know what? It did it's job...you won't stop thinking about it and more than likely you will buy that product. Even if not immediately, eventually we buy the products we've heard the most about or that sticks in our minds the most.
If you think I'm being extreme, look at the list below and tell me you don't know what half these slogans are for:
plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is...
give me a break. give me a break. break me off a piece of that...
my bologna has a first name...
snap, crackle, and pop
they're ggrrrrreat!!!
i'm lovin' it!
I know some of these are old...but you knew what they were talking about didn't you? Have fun with ads but read/listen to them at your own risk...they are out to get you.
http://www.helium.com/items/848401-commercial-jingles-that-stand-the-test-of-time
http://money.howstuffworks.com/commercial-jingle.htm
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Marketing is what makes or breaks a new item in today's world. Does anyone remember Snuggies? The Snuggie is probably one of the dumbest inventions out there. Honestly, I'd like to know why would anyone over the age of 2 need a blanket with sleeves? Yet, Snuggie was actually able to make it in today's market because it had so many advertisements. More importantly, whether or not consumers would actually use their Snuggies, the corny advertising compelled consumers to buy it.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the article in Christianity Today was trying to get across the point that I mentioned earlier which is that consumers will buy anything if it's marketed correctly. I may not be a Marketing major, yet I realize how many tools are put in our world via the internet, tv, bus station, etc. They may seem like mere advertisements, yet subconsciously, they compell us to feel that we will not be satisfied without those products.
Advertising is indeed more prevalent now than it has ever been. Its influence is powerful and at times overwhelming, but the overall impact of this inundation may in fact be more damaging for advertisers than for its victims. Personally, this causes me to ignore nearly all advertising altogether. The unceasing flow of advertising impressions numbs me to the existence of them all.
ReplyDelete=( Snuggies come in handy...
ReplyDeleteThis topic reminds me of the movie "Josie and the Pussycats." If any of you have seen it you know that it is completely about putting subliminal messages into every form of media available. Just as the slogans get stuck in our heads, advertisers place their products in inconspicuous places to get the consumer to think that it's "Cool" to have the product. In the movie, there was an entire building devoted to deciding what the new fad in clothing or the new slang word would become. When those people said orange was out and pink was in, every single person in the movie threw away all their orange clothing and bought brand new pink clothing. In a way this extreme example is exactly what happens in reality. If you are told something is "not cool" or "unfashionable" and has been replaced by something else, then we all tend to immediately agree with the new trend. Finding a balance between what is in style and what is affordable is something to think about. Even when our orange clothes are perfectly fine, we go buy pink clothes with money we don't have.
ReplyDeleteIt's as if the human race has learned nothing in the last few millennia. We are constantly being taken in by catchy slogans and skillful orators be it for our good or ill. Think back to the crucifixion of Jesus. It wasn't the public's bright idea to crucify the Savior. No, it was the religious rulers that sowed the seeds of such a ridiculous notion into the hearts of the people. And it certainly wasn't the German public who collectively came up with the idea to exterminate millions of Jews, but a madman who happened to be an incredible orator. The same can be said for the good ideas and their propagators for where would America be if it weren't for a man named Dr. King?
ReplyDeleteThe point is we (as the human race) have been influenced by speakers, slogans, and advertisement throughout the ages and we always will be. This is human nature, but luckily for us as Christians, there is a counter-balance to weigh against our fickle hearts, God's will. This is laid out in the Bible, and it is by these principles that we should strive to live our lives. In this way, even when we are swayed by some form of advertisement or propaganda, we should have this other moral obligation steering us toward what is right. And therein lays a problem. The evil in advertising isn't advertising itself, for everyone advertises in some form or fashion. Even Christians advertise when they try to spread the Good News. The evil arises when we fail to see the disharmony between what some advertisers are trying to get us to buy into and our obligations as Christians. If we could see this collectively (as a church), I don’t think America would have nearly so large a problem with irresponsible spending, and hording its money rather than helping those in need.
I've been reading a book called Red Moon Rising. It's not really at all related to the subjects of consumerism or marketing Jesus, but there is a part where the author threw out the idea that while our superbowl commercials cost millions of dollars per second to make, there are hundreds of millions of people all over the world suffering.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there's an article on relevantmagazine.com (link at bottom) entitled "Are we cheapening our faith?" The opening paragraph talks about the phrases churches put up on their signs. It jokes about a hypothetical situation in which a group of church leaders is arguing about whether their sign should say, "Give Satan an inch, and he'll be a ruler" or "Prevent truth decay by brushing up on your Bible."
It makes me sad sometimes how much the church's economy of mercy and love has turned into the economy of dollars and memberships. Rather than being counter-cultural like Jesus was and called us to be, we have simply adapted the American culture to make it more "Christian." I believe that we are called to do more than that. There's a problem when we're more concerned with what message (and often a depressing one) goes up on our signs than how we're ministering to the poor and hungry. After all, Jesus wasn't a sign spinner. He didn't try to make God flashy for everyone, he just did God's work. So I think we should stop trying to advertise the church and start serving the community. Let people hear about us from our own mouths.
http://relevantmagazine.com/columns/church-today/1427-are-we-cheapening-our-faith
Sure, ads have a great impact on what products get sold. If no one knows about the products, no one can buy them. But for me, advertisement with annoying jingles or catchy phrases makes me not want to buy the product, even if it's a good one. If I see a commercial with the same song that always gets stuck in my head for days, I rebel against the brainwashing and refuse to buy the product because the commercial is so annoying. Most people, though, remember the jingles when they have a need for a good product, so they buy that one instead of the competitors' products. So, what happens when there is a company who comes out with a new product and they have an amazing commercial, but there is something wrong with the product, something that is a health risk, that they aren't telling us about? People go buy it and people get sick and sometimes even die because of this company's ad. Like Callie said, people will buy anything and everything if it is advertised well.
ReplyDeleteAs Christians, though, we should not follow the mainstream of people buying things just because they can. We should, though it does not often happen, buy just what we need to survive, and occasionally buy a luxury item, but not to excess. There are so many better ways the money could be used, though most of the time we ignore those starving kids or homeless people because we want a new iPod or shoes or clothes. Jesus calls us to help those who are hurting instead of indulging in our own desire for new and better things. We need to try to ignore the annoying jingles and the rush of people to buy things they really don't need so that we can get to what is really important: following God's wishes.