Love it or hate it, advertising is an insidious part of the fabric of our global society, globally. None of us are exempt from media messages. There are, of course, two major views of advertising: advertising as an information source, and advertising as a manipulator of humans. Bill Bernbach, one of the 
foremost experts on advertising said, “Advertising is essentially persuasion. And persuasion is an art not a science.” [1] All of us have opinions concerning the influence of advertising, but proof that advertising manipulates, makes me buy something I don’t want or need, that’s difficult to determine and even harder for me to accept. With persuasion comes power; still, persuasion is an essential part of how we communicate in all aspects of our life. All of us benefit in many ways from persuasive communication (roads to avoid during high traffic times, don’t take her class, she gives too much homework, etc.), and we all use words to get what we want, yetwe don’t like it when companies engage in persuasive communication? Why? We are free to make our own choices, believe what we want, and as consumers we have the last word.
Essentially, we are emotionally based beings. Whether you follow the theories of Maslow, Freud, Spinoza, etc., humans cannot exist in a vacuum; we need to love and be loved, feel like we belong, and have basic needs met. According to Frank Luntz, speaking in the Frontline film, “The Persuaders,” ‘80% of our life is emotion and 20% is intellect.’” The words we use have emotional meanings, and the words we choose for our own communication are based on what we hope to accomplish. Likewise, advertisers, in the role of persuaders, approach the execution of their communication based on delivering a message that “speaks” emotionally to the listeners.
Advertisers view consumers as:
1) Their reason for existence
2) Opportunities
3) Pieces of a whole
1) Why advertising exists. James Twitchell, in his book AdCult USA, said that “Advertising is the folklore of a commodity culture.” We live in an age where ideas are the currency of change. Thus, the significance of ideas is more important than the worth of tangible goods. Technology has and is reshaping our lives and our world. Advertising plays the role of communicating information for competitive advantage, essential for the solvency of a capitalist society. Without consumers advertising would have no reason for being. Without advertising, consumers would have fewer choices and less understanding of what choices are available to them.
2) Opportunities. Advertisers are in the business of 
creating and building brands. A brand is an entity, a symbol of goodwill, a “stamp” that means
the value a consumer will receive from a particular product or service. A brand can be an idea, a rock star, sports logo, trademark, a website, all developed to add meaning to an experience. Brands are meant to add “life and personality” to the use of something; that is, “a brand is, what you do, who you are, why you do it, and how.” [2] Essentially, the building of a brand stems from creating a relationship with the consumer, offering the opportunity to fulfill the desires of those interested in the product or service. So how do advertisers create opportunities? Through persuasion, for example, Heinz Ketchup will offer the consumer better flavor, greater value, or whatever benefit is promised over its competitor. Brands even make fun of themselves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwh-Za7mAjE.
3) Pieces and Parts. John E. Kennedy once said that advertising is “salesmanship in print.”[3] One ad can’t appeal to the masses, but organizing an audience in terms of their values and lifestyles, and advertiser can appeal more specifically to what a particular group of consumers want or need.
Back in the old days, the really old days, tavern owners and shopkeepers posted signs announcing items for sale, rooms for rent, etc. Media was limited as was the distribution. Today, media and its various messages envelop us. No longer just consumers, we are also the creators of persuasive media messages through texting, blogging, emailing, twittering, and posting. No longer passive consumers we are also active promoters and persuaders. After all what is this discussion forum but the sharing of ideas, some our own, some as a result of commenting on others ideas? Albeit a much segmented section of society, the medium and the messages appeal to us on many levels. Marshall McLuhan, author of The Gutenberg Galaxy, stated that media changes society' The message of media is not that we blog, call (on cell phones), text, or twitter, but that the technology connects us.[4] Advertising/Marketing helps communicate the changes to the media consumers. Society changed with the invention of the printing press, the telephone, the television, the cell phone, and the computer. As consumers and creators of persuasive message we have a responsibility. Or, as Bill Bernbach said, “All of us who professionally use the mass media are shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level.” [5] Advertisers have a deep responsibility to consumers and consumers have a voice in how advertisers are allowed to behave.
Ayn Rand’s theory of objectivism assumes that “all human activity is based on self interest.”[6] So, then, does advertising makes us think or do we as consumers let “brands” think for us? Advertising certainly allows us to pursue our self interests, helping us escape the mundane aspects of our world. So then, does advertising drive my choices as a consumer, or influence my choices? Advertising certainly educates me about all the choices available. Sometimes after seeing an ad, I will say to myself, that’s looks “cool” andI will try it. If it doesn’t help my life, I won’t buy it again. If it does, I will. But in the end, no one makes me buy a product or use a service that I don’t want, no matter how airbrushed is the model, or how “sexy” something is supposed to make me feel.
Final judgments about the positive or negative effects of advertising on a collective society are at best complicated by cultural philosophies, personal desires, societal laws, and individual ethics. Personally, advertising offers benefits as well as perpetuates unrealistic expectations. Advertising can help teach cultural norms, language, appropriate behavior (let’s all wear deodorant, please), ways to live healthier lives, and save our planet in the process. Advertising promotes personal hygiene, taught us that wearing fur hurts animals and collectively we can reduce the cycle of global warming. Even with the “bad” of advertising come positive opportunities. The Dove campaign for Real Beauty [7]was in response to The Real Truth about Beauty, a global study, [8] which determined that society’s definition of beauty was unachievable, restrictive, and detrimental to the psychological well being of women, especially teenagers. The current belief is that only skinny, young, and blond women were beautiful. Dove’s self esteem fund, “was developed to help free the next generation from self-limiting beauty stereotypes. Committed to reaching 5 million young women by the end of 2010, the Dove Self-Esteem Fund invites you to play a role in supporting and promoting a wider definition of beauty. “ [9] Consumers are talking and manufacturers and advertisers are listening. Balance in definition and perception are key.
Thus, making educated decisions means educating oneself and understanding that above all else, “people don’t buy things, they buy satisfaction of their wants and needs. Don’t tell me about grass seed, talk to me about my lawn.” [10] Whether you call the fish “the Slimehead” or Orange Roughy, or the “Patagonia Tooth fish” Chilean Sea Bass,[11] I won’t eat it as I don’t like fish. So in answer to all persuaders, I still have the last word. Yes, no, or maybe, the choice and the decision is mine to make.
[3] http://www.longlostmarketingsecrets.com/mastermarketers/johnekennedy.html
[4] BID p.vi
[5] IBID p. 138
[6] IBID p. 163; http://www.aynrand.org/
[8] http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca/uploadedFiles/dove_white_paper_final.pdf
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