CoP: Essay

'Advertising doesn't sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel'
(Jeremy Bullmore)
Evaluate this statement with reference to selected critical theories (past and present)

"In our urban world, in the streets that we walk, the buses that we take, in the magazines that we read, on walls, on screens, we are surrounded by images of an alternative way of life. We may remember or forget theses images, but briefly we take them in, and for a moment they stimulate our imagination either by way of memory or anticipation but where is this other way of life?" John Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’ programme, broadcast in 1972 (‘Ways of Seeing- Advertising ¼ www.youtube.com) reviewed how advertising glamourised products and goods proposing to us in a consumerism society that we should change ourselves or lives by buying more, suggesting it will make us richer in life even though it really will make us poorer. The images created in these advertisements are supposed to represent and be directed at our lives and us but in fact represent something quite distant from reality and in fact enforce a glamourised fantasy upon our subconscious. John Berger is quite accurate in saying:

“Glamour is for everybody who believes they can be glamorous, or, perhaps, more accurately, everybody who finds that they cannot afford not to be glamorous.”

as we are now more than ever manipulated by societies norms and values where a social envy is created and we become fearful of rejection from the world. Advertising strive from this as 

“Without social envy, glamour cannot exist.” (John Berger) and glamour is what sells us into a lifestyle that becomes our obsession as it encourages our imagination to think that this fantasy could be possible. Therefore Jeremy Bullmore would be correct in saying that advertising does change the way people think or feel but surely advertising does this to sell things. I will analyse his statement using past advertisements and critical theories that will demonstrate how society and advertising go hand in hand to manipulate the public into buying, thinking and feeling differently.

In favour of Jeremy Bullmore's statement, advertising encourages emotions within us and alters the way we think or feel. ‘‘Persuasion in Advertising’ (J. O’Shaughnessy & N.J. O’Shaughnessy, 2004, p.27) states: "Emotion is a factor in persuasive advertising that aims to change viewpoints and not simply to demonstrate the logical implications of data. In the grip of an emotion, a person not only feels differently, but tends to think differently. Advertising that resonates emotionally stands more chance of inducing a change in beliefs and values/motives/wants/desires than one based on logic alone.” By adding emotion and altering peoples beliefs and values advertising can tap into peoples conscious and change how they think or feel however with a purpose in mind. Advertisers use these techniques of manipulation to create a fantasy world to the audience that they then crave for due to societies structure. The purpose of doing this is that in the fantasy comes a product or good that makes the life what it is, therefore selling a product through a lifestyle by personifying it.

“Anything that concerns us has the potential to arouse our emotions and, as Margalit says, emotions engage us with their objects in such a way as to make them loose their neutrality: they become marked by being lovable, disgusting, exciting, fearful and so on.”(J. O’Shaughnessy & N.J. O’Shaughnessy, 2004, p.27)

Chanel No.5 perfume is an excellent display of using the potential to arouse emotion, those of the heartstrings of a woman in particular, to sell high end, expensive perfume. One of there most famous and one of the most expensive and elaborate advertisements of all time with a budget of $42 million and renown Baz Luhrmann directing is a perfect example for how advertisements personify objects into a fantasy of emotion and just how far advertisers go to reach there market (nicole kidman chanel commercial, www.youtube.com). With famous actress Nicole Kidman featuring in what only would be seen as a film trailer, except for of course the excessive product placement of Chanel No.5 recognisable logo, this sophisticated tv advertisement challenges the fragrance market and offers there product as a chance for serenity, an escape from life with the promise of love and romance. More importantly it offers a different way of life and this to the modern woman weighed down with the stress of a career, family and sustaining the ideals of society is what she can only hope for and comes as a relief. Realistically it will only lose her money, she will receive a bottle of fragranced water and still be stressed with her life but advertisers have got what they intended, they've altered the audiences feelings and way of thinking and convinced them that with having this high end label attached to them they will of exceeded in life and be the top of society. They continue using this ideal as seen in there most recent of tv advertisements (‪CHANEL NO.5 COMMERCIAL AVEC/WITH AUDREY TAUTOU / DIRECTED BY JEAN PIERRE JEUNET, www.youtube.com) featuring yet an even more alluring woman, Audrey Tautou, a french actress, which already hints at romance and incredible beauty that is branded alongside the French city of Paris, but is complimented by the song 'Im a fool to want you' by Billie Holiday, selling the magic and romance of the night train ever more as the story revolves around the mesmerising effect of the scent in the womans wake on a man who could only be described as attractive. All going towards the inevitable manipulation of the audience’s emotions.

Jeremy Bullmore in his 2003 edition of 'Behind the Scenes in Advertising Mark III' (P.14) states:

"The truth of the matter is that people enjoy being persuaded being courted, being wooed, being wanted." and he'd be right in saying this as its clear that this communication is intended to influence someone and the audience know they are targeted by the industry yet they allow themselves to be manipulated and buy into what there being told to buy into. Through publicity they appeal to way of life we aspire to but have not yet achieved suggesting that if we buy our life will be different and our home/relationships will become luminous due to possessions. Playing upon fear and the rules of the dream, those who don't have the power and lack of glamour, become faceless and using techniques such as the 'weasel claim' and 'unfinished claim' advertisements give you promises and threatens you with not being seen as desirable and being unenviable. John Berger sums this up in his documentary 'Ways of Seeing':

"It suggests you are inadequate as you are but consoles you with a promise of a dream."

This is probably one of the most important factors in advertising within shifting peoples feelings and thinking in a direction best suited to the industry and it would appear clear that although Jeremy Bullmore says that all advertising does is change the way people think or feel it does in fact intend to do this with the purpose of selling, it just being a device used along with many to influence and control society as a whole encouraging what’s already been imbedded in our nature.

DeBeers 1948 advertising campaign, ’A diamond is forever’ (‪A Diamond is Forever TV commercial "Theatre" (2001), www.youtube.com) is the perfect example of manipulating the audience in order to sell. Even now, 64 years on, a diamond is forever in our mind as a symbol of love, attached to various occasions such as engagement, birthday and anniversary in which if we don’t conform to celebrate our love in the expensive taste of a diamond than we can feel inadequate, rejected from main society and could easily be abandoned by that ‘love’ for not showing your love enough. Using the base of couples and occasions, over the years DeBeers has made diamonds worldwide luxurious, a stage in life of utter happiness as well as success and most importantly a promise we now expect. This due to the declining price of diamonds and the sought to reverse it with an advertising campaign has led to a goal that no one could of thought would be achieved. DeBeers themselves summed up there accomplishment in a successful statement from there history:

“The diamond became an integral part of the modern-day ceremony of love, engagement and the celebration of enduring relationships. Through De Beers the diamond has come to speak a universal language, conveying its message of love, rarity and desire.” (http://www.debeers.com/culture/current-news-and-events/9108230c-8a7f-4c43-bad6-b7699374c534/a-diamond-is-forever)

All this stemming from an advertising campaign that strengthened the association of diamonds with romance and established a link between diamonds and the scared tradition of religious wedding through manipulation of image in order to increase sales.

In conclusion to the theory “Advertising doesn’t sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel” (Jeremy Bullmore) it has to be said that advertising doesn’t just sell things and doesn’t just change the way people think or feel but the two go hand in hand. I am in part to agree with Jeremy Bullmore that largely through the years the manipulation of feelings and thinking is becoming more prominent as the market becomes more of challenge to fight for and advertisements more than ever attack our inner most desires and hopes. Obviously not everybody out there is partial to being so easily manipulated but everybody has values and beliefs whether based on societies values and norms or there own basis and “Whenever something strongly resonates with values, its produces an emotional reaction.” ((J. O’Shaughnessy & N.J. O’Shaughnessy, 2004, p.64) and with emotion comes the change in feelings and thinking therefore enhancing persuasion. Persuasion being the point in which to sell something.