Media and Physical Appearance Essay -- Advertising Commercials Essays

Media and Physical AppearanceI would not say that I am a slave of announce or consumer culture, but I have always paid comparatively close attention to the commercials I see on television and in magazines. Because of this trait, I would say that I am fairly perceptive of the different methods employed by advertisers, and the messages they attempt to convey. The majority of these messages I discard, and very rarely do I allow them to influence what I do and do not buy. There is one ad, however, that I remember to this day, and which I retain has dictated what I buy in one specific area. steady now, I remember the commercial quite vividly, although I was probably in elementary school when I first saw it. The ad feature a handsome teenager talking about his experience in starting a new school. A few days in the lead the first day of classes, he breaks out with a bad side of acne. Terrified, he imagines his social life for the remainder of high school as one dominated by weekend nights watching cheesy movies at home with his parents. Miraculously, though, he is saved from this social hell by Oxy facial nerve cleansing products. With a clear face, he is able to start school on the right note, making friends with other attractive adolescents. The commercial closes with him saying, salve the States beautiful, as Oxys line of skin care products shows up on the screen. For some reason, this ad and its message stuck with me, and I have loyally used Oxy products ever since. While extremely effective, this ad was hardly maestro in its methods. Instead, it relied on the same techniques perfected nearly a atomic number 6 earlier during the revolution in American advertising. As early as 1923, the Lambert Pharmaceutical Company was ... ...success of each of these campaigns though, there is little curio as to why advertising has changed so little. As long American ethos embodies the notion that physical appearance, and financial and so cial success are outright correlated, advertisers will continue to create demand for products that alleviate physical and strong ailments by simply manipulating the publics fear of them. Works Cited http//scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/dynaweb/adaccess/ apricot/hairprep1940s/Generic__BookTextView/.Marchand, Roland. Advertising the American Dream. Berkeley University of California Press, 1985.Schudson, Michael. Advertising, The Uneasy Persuasion. United States of America Basic Books, 1986.Special thanks to John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History, and Duke Universitys Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collection Library.