I'm slightly obsessed by adverts, I don't know how this obsession started, or why, but I have favourite adverts, I actually get excited when they come on TV. My Mum is convinced that I actually prefer the adverts to the actual Tv programmes! I like the whole idea of mind manipulation, as humans we think we're so clever, we think we are on the ball, yet we let ourselves be influenced by these adverts, I don't even know if it is letting ourselves it's a sub conscious thing, but we do know something is going on! When i did media studies at college, this is what opened my eyes to just how manipulated we actually are. Clever little things, that make us buy certain things, that influence us to go to the shop and buy a certain brand name. Adverts are very short, they have to be quick and snappy, and get their point across fast, but still stick in your mind. It's not an easy job. They rely heavily on stereotypes to get their messages across, mainly because we all know steretypes we can relate to them, they can give us half the story and we can fill in the blanks, because that's what stereotypes are. Presumptions about certain people, that we judge, and make up a whole story to go with them. Thats why adverts need them so much.
There are all different kinds of adverts, there are very clever ones, very silly ones, funny ones, sad ones. They try to give you public information, try to sell you things, they are all selling some kind of message to you. They can use celebrities, to give their product some credibility, especially when aimed at young people, who in general are more easily influenced. If they see the likes of David Beckham wearing a certain brand of football boot, then they to want this football boot. The advert may suggest that if they get these magic boots that one day they will have the same talent as David Beckham. David Beckham is an advert whore though, just about any advert he can get his hands on he will do, though he is willing to make fun of himself so it's not all bad!
My favourite advert at the moment is a car advert. of all things, a car advert. Now I have no idea about cars, I think oooh that's a pretty colour and that is about as far as my knowledge goes, but this advert is just fabulous! The Honda advert, called Cog, shows the component parts of a car in a chain reaction of events. It's done in one shot and finishes with the tag line like, isn't it nice when things just worked! So simple, yet so effective! that's what adverts are alla bout, hitting the spot double quick!
There are also poor adverts, that make you cringe just watching them, they scream at you, WE HAVE NO TALENT OR IMAGINATION JUST TAKE PITY ON US AND BUY ARE PRODUCT! I saw an advert like this the other day, trying to sell us garage doors, to be fair not the easiest things to sell, but this advert was so cheesy! Speaking of cheesy. There's an advert here doing the rounds for microwave cheese burgers. It takes on the theme of 'the fast and the furious' and shows people having microwave races, this advert has done the full circle, it's that bad it's good!
The advert that inspired this article, is more of a public service advert. You know the ones Chris Tarrent covers, where you watch these adverts that have mesaages to make our lives better, some of them are very moving. there's one on here at the moment encouraging people to vote, it is again very simple. One man refuses to vote, and says ' I don't do politics' something I've being guilty of saying, it then goes on to show this man complaining about things that are wrong with the world, and everytime he says it, his friend reminds him, but he ' doesn't do politics', very clever!