A Major Reality Check

I know this blog post is a couple of weeks late, but a couple of weeks ago we talked in depth about branding and corporate advertising and it has stuck with me, so I figured it deserved a blog post.

A couple days after we discussed branding in depth in class and the levels to which companies go to get inside of our brains and "manipulate" us into buying their product, we watched a video in one of my advertising classes referring to methods of breaking through the clutter. The video, which I cannot think of the title of it right now, focused on brands who had adequately broke through the clutter and in turn heightened profits and brand recognition.

Before our discussion in class, reading the articles and seeing this video I continuously defended my industry against words such as "lying," "twisting" and "manipulation," however, now I find it more difficult.

One of the main reason I find it difficult, is because in the video, focus groups were conducted to find key words that poll a positive reaction when talking about public policy. Each person's reactions were monitored as a political figure spoke to them about a hot topic, global warming. These reactions were then compiled and used to create a speech about legislation that was positive to those on both sides of the political spectrum.

I found this to be disturbing because advertisers are using our own reactions and thought processes against us.

They also talked about Sprite and it's rise to a whole new level in the 90's. Sprite found itself in a lull and to get out of it, they saw promise in teens and the ability for the media to shape their minds. To profit off of this, Sprite would plan parties and pay teens to come to them. At the parties they would give them things and bring in upcoming musicians. They would also have these parties covered by MTV so they would think that what they were doing was the "ultimate cool."

Had we not previously read or discussed branding and targeting kids, I may not have seen this video to be so appalling and just another aspect of how to push your company or name to the front of the industry, but seeing as we did, I became a critic of my own industry. Although it was painful at the time and I tore myself apart thinking that I was doing that to others, I came to the realization that I'm not like that. Our class discussions, our readings, my ability to think outside the typical acts of the media and my ability to be a critic of the media will put me at a whole new level when developing plans on how to appeal to our audiences.