Go Shopping

Oh, where to start: Ads. They are everywhere. I can’t crack a fortune cookie or rest a cup on a coaster without seeing an advertisement. It’s to the point that they are hardly noticeable. I believe that ads are less significant to consumers today because we are relentlessly bombarded with them that it is normal to see ads. Far more choices are presented to consumers than in the past. Also, since fragmentation has become so prominent in media, advertisement has branched out with it because where there are media outlets, there are advertisements. Ads try convincing us that their product is the best, yet they are all so similar. 

You need this; we need your help; you deserve this: these seem to be the main categories – cars, cosmetics, medicine, fast-food, charity, insurance (how often do people change insurance?), candy, entertainment, cleaning supplies, alcohol, etc. These are the main players it seems. After awhile, I seldom had to write down advertising categories; it’s just within those categories there a endless product options to choose from.     

Something which strikes me as strange is seeing ads for things which, to me anyway, don’t need to be advertised. McDonald’s, for example, does not need to advertise for Big Macs. We know where to go to get burgers. It seems it is ingrained in the very nature of capitalism to advertise, as it were.  

Ads not only play a role for consumers, but they also serve the media which show them. Much of media’s revenue is generated from advertisers. Since there are many media outlets, there are many ads – some might argue too many ads. The nice thing about the variety of choices, though, is that we can choose to ignore them if we please.