It's hard to go anywhere (or just stay home) nowadays without being subjected to or interrupted by advertisements. In Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, De Graaf, Wann, and Naylor present some frightening statistics about the ad industry and how many ads consumers are taking in. The average American spends almost two years watching commercials over their lifetime. A child views a million before reaching twenty years of age (p. 154). Children and adults alike are subtly exposed to product placements in blockbuster movies. Director Michael Bay outdid himself in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by getting paid for 47 brands “appearing” in his film. Advertising racks up $217 billion annually and no one is safe from its reach. Marketers are even putting corporate logos in textbooks! Ironically, the YouTube video about product placement posted below might showcase an ad by Google. Our society is selling any place imaginable for ad space and no one holds any shame for it, as long as they're getting paid.
Anyone can get paid for selling out space these days, even if it's on your car. Affluenza talks about a company in Silicon Valley called Autowraps that wants nothing more than to turn your car into a moving billboard. And for $400 a month? I wouldn't judge you if you did. Founder David Schifrin tracks clients by satellite, making sure they drive to populous areas where the demographic targeted can see such ads. Only one condition: you have to drive at least a thousand miles a month (p. 156). Not too bad of a deal really. Poor college kids would jump on that chance. Filmmakers, TV stations, website owners, and many more already get paid for selling out space and time slots; why not you? There is the embarrassment and shame of being a corporate tool, but hey, times are tough. If you had the opportunity would you sell out a space of your own to display ads?
Melissa Garaffa Section 80
I have to admit that I have thought about looking into the companies that pay to advertise on your car. I never actually looked into it though. Also, I just read an article about a company that will pay your mortgage for a couple of months if you let them advertise on one outside wall of your house!! Nothing or nowhere is safe from advertisements!
ReplyDeleteIts true advertisments are everywhere and the sad part is people are just as bad because they keep buying into it. Does anyone remember a couple years ago when a couple was trying to sell to advertisers the option of naming their child. This couple wanted money so bad that they were willing to have their kids name be mcdonalds or burger king. However they made it seem like they weren't so bad because they said they wouldn't name their kid after a cigarettes or alcohol. What great parents right! They really show how much they are willing to be sold out. Much worse then the jokes in the movieclip of waynes world shown.
ReplyDeleteI found Jennifer's comment shocking. I never heard this story before and it is truly disgusting. How can anyone justify this kind of behavior? After reading through some of affluenza we can see that this type of behavior that Jennifer and Melissa refer to is mainly due to people that do not want to "lose" when being compared to people with similar incomes. These are our neighbors, the characters we watch on TV, and our family members; the people that drive us to consume more and more. The fact is that we need more money to consume more useless things so that we can do nothing.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty scary the lengths that companies will go to in order to make money and draw in new consumers. Advertisements have infiltrated every aspect of our lives to the point where people are even willing to advertise on their own cars or by naming their children. It's interesting that people are even willing to put ads on their cars when it has so many restrictions, such as the GPS tracking device as well as the number of miles they must drive. I guess that really shows that people are willing to be human billboards if it means making more money.
ReplyDeletePersonally, the only way I think I would advertise something on my car/house/body would be if I really really liked the product. For example, if RedBull came up to me and said they would pay for the tat and pay me money additionally, I would do it with a smile on my face. And even though I would have a hard time living with myself if chose to drive around in a car with random crappy ad wrap, I can see how someone else might care less as long as its bringing in easy cash. Although I am not surprised at these extreme ends that advertisers are willing to go to, I do find it a little disturbing that people will give up a part of themselves to be "better off."
ReplyDeleteThe Affluenza text talks of a battle of ideas that was waged in the 19th and 20th centuries between desires. One camp desired more time, the other desired more money. I think we all know which side won. A consequence of this victory was that producers needed to supply demand for new products for people to spend their money on which eventually gave the advertising industry the boost it need to become a multimillion dollar industry. Advertisers and producers have to become increasingly more aggressive in their tactics in order to increase demand and this means that there is more advertising in more places. While I do not agree with people selling ad space on their cars, or in schools, I can certainly understand it.
ReplyDeleteThe way advertisements have evolved over time is incredible. The actual realization of the effectiveness of advertisements does not seem so long ago, yet it has made its way to be exposed all around us with no way out. I have heard of people who actually "sold their space" for the purpose of advertising and I found it interesting. I cannot actually say if it is interesting in a good way but it would definitely be horrible to see the future with crowds of people just wearing, driving their car, and just being this product basically. However, I feel that kind of an idea is too extreme and people would not easily just sell themselves off like that.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this reading a lot of focus was placed on the amount of advertisements that we as a society are subjected to throughout our lifetimes. Now I'm not necessarily agreeing with this practice however, I have accepted that this is a way of life. The only thing that ever changes the practices of advertisers is money. As long as we as consumers continue to allow these advertising tactics to work then they are going to continue to use them. Therefore, one could argue that we, as consumers, really are the ones that allow these advertising techniques to exist, in many ways we are in control.
ReplyDeleteKara Kiensicki (Section 01)
Ads are everywhere now and no one can escape. It seems like the corporations want everyone to know that their business is the best. They just need someone like Michael Bay to help them out. What they’re doing is not illegal; it is just that if someone does show their product without their consent, lawsuits occur. What can I say? Businesses need publicity if they want success and money in their wallets.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Rizzo section 80
Advertising is so successful because most people do not realize how much they are affected by it. Most people know that they see thousands of advertisements every day, but they underestimate the effects of these advertisements. In many ways, advertisements act as a sort of social teacher; they instruct people how to behave, and what to want. It is not difficult to understand the dangers of having an image that is meant to sell something become a medium for socializing people. The end result is that people will feel that they have to buy the right things in order to fit in to society.
ReplyDeleteTom Reilly. Section 01.
Recently in the Daily Targum there was an ad that was looking for people to display ads on their cars in exchange for money. I would assume that this strategy would work out for both parties because the company is showing its ad to the public and a college student despite his/her car covered in ads would get a fair amount of money. I actually thought about doing this because being a college student is not cheap, but I find it tough to drive "a thousand miles a month" especially if you live on campus. It would be a totally different take if a commuter decided to do this.
ReplyDeleteMiles Kong
Section 01
I disagree, I don't feel as though society is being interrupted by advertisements. Its true that the amount of advertising and its influence has grown over the years but society has grown accustomed to its presence, hence it is something we take in subconsciously. I agree with Tom, the effects of advertisements are underestimated because people do not feel as though they are being influenced when socially they are.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Tampan Section 01
The idea of placing ads on your car and getting paid for it is crazy in my mind. I feel that if I was in dire need of money than of course I would do wrap my car with ads! But in any other circumstance than having absolutely no money, there would be no chance that I would put any ads on my car. Out in the markets today there is such a strong sense of competition between various products, so it makes a lot of sense that companies would be willing to pay consumers to place ads on their cars. A car has the ability to be in the spotlight, if your stopped at a light or sitting in traffic you most likely couldn`t help but stare and read the ad that is in front of you.
ReplyDeleteI also found an interesting article on companies paying people money to tattoo advertisements on their bodies! The amount of money these people receive depends on how small or large the tattoo is and where the tattoo is on the body. To me, this is definitely worse than covering your car with ads.
http://news.upickreviews.com/tattoo-advertising-for-money
Advertising places a huge influence on the consumer throughout the day. From commercials, newspapers, billboards, films, music videos, websites, magazines, buses etc.. This is something that cannot be escaped. We are participating in it so often that we may not even realize it. People say they wouldn't have a company place ads on their car unless they are being paid for it. Look again, you might have your school logo on the bumper of your car. For example, there is a magnetic R on the back of the car and I never paid to do it. Some people advertise things just because they like the product. That can go with clothing, cell phone companies, Verizon fios or Comcast, or any products that we choose. Many people today are looking to make a buck, but do not realize they are advertising or influencing others with products that they use everyday. I think getting tattoos or placing sticker ads, or driving a 1,000 miles to certain populations is ridiculous If a company wants you to devalue your car and take up your time , while its promotes their business.. they should pay you for the entire car. It is almost like a full-time job having that advertisement on your car will not rest influencing people that drive or walk passed the car.
ReplyDelete