Coming from an educational background in psychology, I found this segment quite interesting. Considering marketing is so in-our-faces, it’s amazing how little thought we actually give to what we’re experiencing when we watch a commercial on tv, read an ad displayed on a poster or billboard, or even interact with people who are trying to sell us some product or concept.
What seems to have had its beginnings in a relatively innocent utilitarian portrayal of new products has turned into a hard-hitting, emotionally evocative affront on all our 5 senses. No longer is it simply about what a product does, it has turned into a sermon on what it means. In terms I was used to in my psych program, it seems (as with so many facets of our culture and society) that marketing has progressed from a Modern to a PostModern era. It is not so much about showing a product, but about creating an entire experience that the consumer can identify with. Perhaps this is what Abercrombie & Fitch has in mind when it “advertises” its products using models that are not, in fact, even wearing them.
I especially enjoyed the discussion on brand marketing’s likeness to cult appeal. It was said that people join a brand for the very same reasons that they join a cult: to find a sense of belonging, to discover a way of making sense of their world, and to surround themselves with others who believe the same as they do. It’s interesting that a mass loss of faith in advertising (that is, a blossoming of doubt that products really were doing what they were said to do) seems to have led to this change, whereas a mass loss of faith in that which some specific “cults” preach has contributed to a movement in many churches to try reaching followers on a deeper, more meaning, more spiritual level. When does this simply become crowd manipulation? Is it ever anything other than crowd manipulation? Does it matter what it is if it seems to fulfill whatever it is people are hoping to find in subscribing to the brand/ideology?
One of the men interviewed in the segment used the phrase “loyalty beyond reason.” I find this a bit disturbing…it sounds as though advertisers are preying on their consumers’ hopes – perhaps insecurities. It seems to me like unabashed manipulation. But, then, is it the advertisers’ responsibility to protect the consumers’ interests or is it really incumbent upon the consumers to remain vigilant and avoid being manipulated. I tend to think we all want to be manipulated…at least in some ways…and to some extent. Sound cynical? Perhaps more so than intended. Can consumers see beyond how a product is marketed to what it is that’s being marketed? Do we care to look?
Anyway, such were my thought as I watched the segment. One last thought: “Song” Airlines frightens me.
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