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I know what many studies show about advertising. Some say that we aren’t even aware of how much advertising influences the things we buy and do. Yes, it’s obvious that advertising is vital, not just to keep a company’s products and services floating around in the minds of consumers for when such things are needed, but also to convince a person that they should consider purchasing a particular item or service even when there was no previous thought or need involved.
It’s very easy to see how advertising manipulates the mind into believing that the thing offered has value or importance to someone even when/if it brings little or no benefit to a person’s life. Attempts by advertisers to play upon the egos of consumers and to challenge their intellect are also effective tactics to make products look appealing. But this thread is not intended to condemn consumers or the advertisers who cast out these lures.
In our economy it is particularly important that people spend money… no matter how extravagant or frivolous. Cash flow keeps people working. And Madison Avenue is doing a good job of making people 'buy, buy, buy!' However, consumers always help themselves financially when they can differentiate between what is a good vs bad deal for them, and when they can truly understand the difference between their wants and their needs. (And not all 'wants' are bad.)
I took the time the other day to examine myself with regard to how advertising may be swaying my purchasing decisions. I think I can honestly say that advertising has very little effect on me and/or my purchases. I cannot think of even one commercial or ad that has caused or motivated me to make a specific purchase. While I like how advertising helps a person to know what things are available for consideration, I never allow the ad to make the decision for me, either immediately or somewhere down the road. Even food ads. I can’t say that I have ever made a choice to immediately run out to eat somewhere that was just featured on some ad. But of course the ad would certainly have introduced me to an establishment or food type that I may not have previously known or considered.
But in many cases ads just make me angry with those companies who choose to promote their product in insulting ways. Like the ones where young kids are made to look smarter than their dumb parents, or the ones where they infer that you are a foolish nobody unless you buy what they are offering.
I know that there are a lot of people who (whether they want to admit it or not) are impulse buyers. Advertisers do the best they can to try and make everyone become this type of consumer. Yet despite all their efforts I still find myself researching and comparing practically everything I purchase. I almost cannot force myself to buy something I wasn’t looking for in the first place. I simply do not allow advertising to sway my decisions, nor do I favor emotional spontaneity as my preferred method of making purchases.
I’m not saying that this trait is right or wrong. Rather it’s just the way it is with me. If I had to estimate how much I am being affected by advertising, using a scale of 1 to 10, I think I would fall into the 1.5 out of 10 category. But what I don’t know is if that is about average for consumers, or if instead I am far below how most people see themselves as it pertains to the way advertising affects them.
So, I’d like to know what the folks here think about this subject. Where do you fall in that scale of 1 to 10?
It’s very easy to see how advertising manipulates the mind into believing that the thing offered has value or importance to someone even when/if it brings little or no benefit to a person’s life. Attempts by advertisers to play upon the egos of consumers and to challenge their intellect are also effective tactics to make products look appealing. But this thread is not intended to condemn consumers or the advertisers who cast out these lures.
In our economy it is particularly important that people spend money… no matter how extravagant or frivolous. Cash flow keeps people working. And Madison Avenue is doing a good job of making people 'buy, buy, buy!' However, consumers always help themselves financially when they can differentiate between what is a good vs bad deal for them, and when they can truly understand the difference between their wants and their needs. (And not all 'wants' are bad.)
I took the time the other day to examine myself with regard to how advertising may be swaying my purchasing decisions. I think I can honestly say that advertising has very little effect on me and/or my purchases. I cannot think of even one commercial or ad that has caused or motivated me to make a specific purchase. While I like how advertising helps a person to know what things are available for consideration, I never allow the ad to make the decision for me, either immediately or somewhere down the road. Even food ads. I can’t say that I have ever made a choice to immediately run out to eat somewhere that was just featured on some ad. But of course the ad would certainly have introduced me to an establishment or food type that I may not have previously known or considered.
But in many cases ads just make me angry with those companies who choose to promote their product in insulting ways. Like the ones where young kids are made to look smarter than their dumb parents, or the ones where they infer that you are a foolish nobody unless you buy what they are offering.
I know that there are a lot of people who (whether they want to admit it or not) are impulse buyers. Advertisers do the best they can to try and make everyone become this type of consumer. Yet despite all their efforts I still find myself researching and comparing practically everything I purchase. I almost cannot force myself to buy something I wasn’t looking for in the first place. I simply do not allow advertising to sway my decisions, nor do I favor emotional spontaneity as my preferred method of making purchases.
I’m not saying that this trait is right or wrong. Rather it’s just the way it is with me. If I had to estimate how much I am being affected by advertising, using a scale of 1 to 10, I think I would fall into the 1.5 out of 10 category. But what I don’t know is if that is about average for consumers, or if instead I am far below how most people see themselves as it pertains to the way advertising affects them.
So, I’d like to know what the folks here think about this subject. Where do you fall in that scale of 1 to 10?
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