Advertising
is all around us, all the time. It is used by virtually every
business - every profitable business, that is - and is practically
unavoidable in our day-to-day lives. Although some people readily
declare their hatred of advertising and their wish for its ultimate
demise, there are benefits (yes, benefits) to advertising we'd all
sorely miss if a Genie
granted us that wish.
My
theory of how advertising works hypothesizes that advertising
is a conduit. A conduit being defined as a channel through which
something is conveyed. In the case of advertising, that "something"
is information, solutions, ideas and even entertainment. As a conduit,
advertising is a channel through which we selectively match our
perceived needs and desires with available solutions. Advertising
thus works in multiple ways - and even sometimes
doesn't work at all. I'll discuss some of the successes and failures
of advertising in the following pages. Just keep in mind that advertising
is a channel, or a conduit, through which information, solutions,
ideas, entertainment, etc. are brought to you.
Let's
begin by imagining a world void of advertising. We'd have little
knowledge about the products and services available to us at any
given time for any given purpose. We'd spend a lot more time researching
possible alternatives to satisfy our needs and wants, and we would
still wonder if we were finding the best alternatives at the best
prices. Now, do you still want to make that wish to the Genie and
put an end to advertising forever? Don't be so hasty! Advertising
has a lot of positives to offer (seriously).
I know,
I know... You're already thinking of one of those advertising-gone-bad
stories, aren't you? Well, let me beat you to the punch. A prime
example of misused advertising was the Nuveen Investments :30 second
TV commercial that ran during the '99 Super Bowl. If this spot had
been a public service announcement, I would have been thrilled to
learn of the technological advancements making paralysis rehabilitation
a possibility in the near future. Instead, the ad promoted Nuveen
Investments, while exploiting Christopher Reeve. In this case, the
subject matter and casting were totally inappropriate (this is,
of course, my opinion). I wanted to discuss the misuses of advertising
upfront and quickly, so as to not appear as though I was conveniently
ignoring the pitfalls. Such is with any profession - with the good
comes the bad.
The
below frames show a few scenes from the Nuveen Investments commercial.
If you missed it during the Super Bowl, you can view the commercial
in its entirety at AdCritic.com.
