Lesson 21 — Activity 2: Advertising, Mass Media, and Consumerism
Completion requirements
Lesson 21 — Activity 2:
Advertising, Mass Media, and Consumerism
Warm Up
In this activity, you will think about why people buy the things they do and how advertising and mass media affects consumerism.
@istock
What makes you choose the things that you buy? Is it because your friends have the same thing? What made you buy the item? Do you think commercials and advertisements make us feel we need things when we really don't? How does advertising influence consumerism?
@unsplash
The amount of
advertising and marketing you are exposed to daily has exploded over the
past decade. Studies show that people living in urban centres see up to
5,000 ads per day! Some of the places you may see these ads include at
the gas pumps, in the movie theatre, on the side of a bus, in a washroom stall, during
sporting events — advertising is pretty much impossible to avoid.
@unsplash
The amount of advertising and marketing you are exposed to daily has exploded over the past decade. Studies show that people living in urban centres see up to 5,000 ads per day! Some of the places you may see these ads include at the gas pumps, in the movie theatre, on the side of a bus, in a washroom stall, during sporting events — advertising is pretty much impossible to avoid.
You spend huge chunks of your day being influenced by these ads that attempt to make you think and feel a certain way. The impact of these ads on your decision making is huge. It generates billions in sales annually for often very average products and services.
Advertising can
create a shift in thinking by consumers. For example, after viewing an
ad, a consumer may decide that his or her usual product either seems
better or worse than the one being advertised, without knowing exactly
why. Advertising may change a consumer's negative attitude toward a
product or reinforce a positive attitude. This may convince a consumer
to switch brands. For example, if the manufacturers of a soup that most
children love announce that the soup now has a full serving of
vegetables in each portion, this can affect many parents' decisions to
switch brands.
@creativecommons
Advertising can create a shift in thinking by consumers. For example, after viewing an ad, a consumer may decide that his or her usual product either seems better or worse than the one being advertised, without knowing exactly why. Advertising may change a consumer's negative attitude toward a product or reinforce a positive attitude. This may convince a consumer to switch brands. For example, if the manufacturers of a soup that most children love announce that the soup now has a full serving of vegetables in each portion, this can affect many parents' decisions to switch brands.
@creativecommons
@unsplash
Persuasive
effects of advertising are especially effective on children. Companies
love to show ads about sugary cereals, toys, and fast food during
children's television shows. Although parents ultimately are the ones
who make the buying decisions, the children watching the commercials
pushing products that grab their interest typically ask a parent to buy
the items.
@unsplash