I've had a few conversations on here about the corrosive impact of advertising and whenever I do I always see one comment that I sympathize with, but all find concerning.
-
I've had a few conversations on here about the corrosive impact of advertising and whenever I do I always see one comment that I sympathize with, but all find concerning.
"At this point when I see ads it makes me want the product less."
I think nearly everyone has felt this way from time to time, and yet the "adspace" keeps expanding to new frontiers and levels of obnoxiousness.
Advertisers know that their ads are effective. Even on people who have promised themselves they aren't.
I had some friends at uni who studied advertising. And this was in the early 2000s so long long ago, nonetheless they were doing this thing where they cataloged total add exposure for an average person. I thought it was funny to volunteer since I have never owned a TV and have always avoided ads.
Nonetheless my minder found that I was exposed to over 100 ads per day, shop windows, branded clothing, billboards, at the ATM etc.
Their more typical subject had exposure pushing 800.
-
I had some friends at uni who studied advertising. And this was in the early 2000s so long long ago, nonetheless they were doing this thing where they cataloged total add exposure for an average person. I thought it was funny to volunteer since I have never owned a TV and have always avoided ads.
Nonetheless my minder found that I was exposed to over 100 ads per day, shop windows, branded clothing, billboards, at the ATM etc.
Their more typical subject had exposure pushing 800.
I guess I find the "ads do the reverse on ME" notion unhelpful because it seems like by saying that you won't be around to fight the growth of the ad space with the rest of us.
We could vastly limit this stuff and it could improve quality of life so much.
It could also save media from being so corrupted.
-
@futurebird they do. The point, I think, is creating associated memories and familiarity. Most will forget why this product feels familiar, even if the reason was being annoyed by yet another ad.
I think realizing this makes people uncomfortable. And it should.
That's why this isn't just a surface matter.
-
I had some friends at uni who studied advertising. And this was in the early 2000s so long long ago, nonetheless they were doing this thing where they cataloged total add exposure for an average person. I thought it was funny to volunteer since I have never owned a TV and have always avoided ads.
Nonetheless my minder found that I was exposed to over 100 ads per day, shop windows, branded clothing, billboards, at the ATM etc.
Their more typical subject had exposure pushing 800.
-
It's a simple ham-fisted movie but it's so good.
-
I guess I find the "ads do the reverse on ME" notion unhelpful because it seems like by saying that you won't be around to fight the growth of the ad space with the rest of us.
We could vastly limit this stuff and it could improve quality of life so much.
It could also save media from being so corrupted.
The worse ads i ever seen was on a fecking gas pump! There was screen on the pump blasting loudly advertising products sold inside but also other businesses like insurance. Like, I'm already a customer about to spend a good amount of dollars and the garage still blasts very loud ads in my ears?! That was ridiculous.
-
The worse ads i ever seen was on a fecking gas pump! There was screen on the pump blasting loudly advertising products sold inside but also other businesses like insurance. Like, I'm already a customer about to spend a good amount of dollars and the garage still blasts very loud ads in my ears?! That was ridiculous.
I have the syndrome from maxheadroom where too many ads may well cause me to explode and die. This is why I must live very carefully.
-
I guess I find the "ads do the reverse on ME" notion unhelpful because it seems like by saying that you won't be around to fight the growth of the ad space with the rest of us.
We could vastly limit this stuff and it could improve quality of life so much.
It could also save media from being so corrupted.
Digital advertising isn't "effective" in the way most people think it is.
While it *can* drive awareness, like TV or OOH, it's the rare campaign online that actually translates into real *sales*. And usually, those sales are from the creative having a measurable cultural impact, not from actionable digital placements (e.g. "clickthroughs")
The reality is that advertisers know their ads mostly *do not* work, but our economy is pretty much a human centipede of media dollars.
-
Digital advertising isn't "effective" in the way most people think it is.
While it *can* drive awareness, like TV or OOH, it's the rare campaign online that actually translates into real *sales*. And usually, those sales are from the creative having a measurable cultural impact, not from actionable digital placements (e.g. "clickthroughs")
The reality is that advertisers know their ads mostly *do not* work, but our economy is pretty much a human centipede of media dollars.
The real shift has been in the last decade, as traditional brand-building ads have started to appear mostly online and TV/broadcast has declined.
Despite just being a TV ad except on a streamer, the success of these campaigns have been shoveled onto "digital", which in 2006 (when I started in digital advertising) was extremely specific but has essentially become everything, including OOH, direct, promotional, CRM etc etc etc.
This has dramatically improved digital's metrics.
-
The real shift has been in the last decade, as traditional brand-building ads have started to appear mostly online and TV/broadcast has declined.
Despite just being a TV ad except on a streamer, the success of these campaigns have been shoveled onto "digital", which in 2006 (when I started in digital advertising) was extremely specific but has essentially become everything, including OOH, direct, promotional, CRM etc etc etc.
This has dramatically improved digital's metrics.
Which in turn has led to an explosion of digital sub-channels and, consequently, *budgets* and entire teams of people across a dozen companies whose purpose is to justify their budget through "metrics".
It's through these "metrics" that advertisers "know" that their ads work. And which continue the mouthshitting centipedal economy that is so central to the United States' GDP.
Narrative storytelling in advertising can literally change people, just like theatre and cinema can.
-
Which in turn has led to an explosion of digital sub-channels and, consequently, *budgets* and entire teams of people across a dozen companies whose purpose is to justify their budget through "metrics".
It's through these "metrics" that advertisers "know" that their ads work. And which continue the mouthshitting centipedal economy that is so central to the United States' GDP.
Narrative storytelling in advertising can literally change people, just like theatre and cinema can.
Some artists have done some of the best work of their lives in the context of advertising. Can we tease out and enjoy the art from the commerce? I think of Andy Warhol who started as a commercial illustrator and of course that ended up informing his work as he later made work that was all about 'advertising' and its more pernicious and complex place in our lives.
But drawing on Madison Ave. was how he first made his rent.
-
Some artists have done some of the best work of their lives in the context of advertising. Can we tease out and enjoy the art from the commerce? I think of Andy Warhol who started as a commercial illustrator and of course that ended up informing his work as he later made work that was all about 'advertising' and its more pernicious and complex place in our lives.
But drawing on Madison Ave. was how he first made his rent.
I guess it all boils down to what you think art is, and your answer to the question "can art have the same purpose as advertising?"
As someone who started as a professional stage director and opera singer and moved into advertising because this is a shithole country, it took me ten years to disambiguate the two. That process has gotten even harder since because very little is created without commerce or commerce-dependent NPOs and foundations driving it.
But the answer is no.
-
I guess it all boils down to what you think art is, and your answer to the question "can art have the same purpose as advertising?"
As someone who started as a professional stage director and opera singer and moved into advertising because this is a shithole country, it took me ten years to disambiguate the two. That process has gotten even harder since because very little is created without commerce or commerce-dependent NPOs and foundations driving it.
But the answer is no.
It's telling that Warhol's entire art career was built around his understanding of and critique of popular and ubiquitous industrial art, e.g. design, and how the requirements of advertising subvert and impact the presentation of discursive artistic effort.
The reality is that art is the mechanism by which humanity expresses vitality itself, whereas advertising is how brands tap into that mechanism to parasitically ride it to parasocial intimacy and eventually market dominance.
-
F myrmepropagandist shared this topic
-
Some artists have done some of the best work of their lives in the context of advertising. Can we tease out and enjoy the art from the commerce? I think of Andy Warhol who started as a commercial illustrator and of course that ended up informing his work as he later made work that was all about 'advertising' and its more pernicious and complex place in our lives.
But drawing on Madison Ave. was how he first made his rent.
@futurebird @johnzajac I dislike many advertisments, especially the ones with disclaimers because you just know those are deeply unethical, I'm already encountering a few for that company that lets you put bets on everything. They did hire solid ad folks so I think they'll be quite effective in their venture but they added the disclaimer: legal in all 50 states and just...oh, you know this is toxic as hell.
But, I've done a bit of advertising as my work and in order to promote my work...
-
@futurebird @johnzajac I dislike many advertisments, especially the ones with disclaimers because you just know those are deeply unethical, I'm already encountering a few for that company that lets you put bets on everything. They did hire solid ad folks so I think they'll be quite effective in their venture but they added the disclaimer: legal in all 50 states and just...oh, you know this is toxic as hell.
But, I've done a bit of advertising as my work and in order to promote my work...
@futurebird @johnzajac It is a really interesting field that can be quite artful and can teach you so much about people's tastes and needs.
Its always down to the ethics in terms of how bad or good a field is. Our advertisers have no ethics, they often hire people who lack any exposure to ethics and it makes advertising feel gross.
But, if you've ever found a "product" you didn't know existed because someone else figured out you would like it...that's the essence of advertising.
-
@futurebird @johnzajac It is a really interesting field that can be quite artful and can teach you so much about people's tastes and needs.
Its always down to the ethics in terms of how bad or good a field is. Our advertisers have no ethics, they often hire people who lack any exposure to ethics and it makes advertising feel gross.
But, if you've ever found a "product" you didn't know existed because someone else figured out you would like it...that's the essence of advertising.
@futurebird @johnzajac It isn't only these gross, coercive advertisers digging in your trash and cookies to find blackmail material on your tastes, interests and needs. It isn't just companies breaking your windows in order to sell their special window repair service and security systems.
Its also a bookseller asking you what you like to read and then searching their knowledge base to pick a book they're pretty sure you'll love.
I think that's where art overlaps with advertising...
-
@futurebird @johnzajac It isn't only these gross, coercive advertisers digging in your trash and cookies to find blackmail material on your tastes, interests and needs. It isn't just companies breaking your windows in order to sell their special window repair service and security systems.
Its also a bookseller asking you what you like to read and then searching their knowledge base to pick a book they're pretty sure you'll love.
I think that's where art overlaps with advertising...
It's different when it's a particular person who is asking you to buy something vs. a company that's just asking everyone.
With a person you matter enough to take a moment of their time. You can respond say "hey that was too pushy" or just enjoy what they are offering.
It's the "mass" individuality stripping nature that's hostile. The Colgate company doesn't care about my teeth. Amazon doesn't care if I have a "warm holiday" but they talk like they do.
