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ADVERTISING

We all have the feeling of being constant targets for advertising. We see posters in the streets and tube, find our letter boxes cluttered with prospectuses and leaflets, are obliged to sit through the commercials at the cinema and listen to the jingles on radio and TV. Our newspapers are full of adverts too-from the full-page colour ads in the glossy magazines to the more austere classified ads, for situations wanted and situations vacant.

When we pick up an extra packet of chewing-gum at the cash-desk of the supermarket , or go into a shop to buy a pullover or raincoat, merely because there is a mark-down on the label, we have responded to point-of-sale advertising. The ad man appeals to all the facets of our character: the desire to save, to escape to a beach or skiing resort, to keep fit or to lose weight, the desire for comfort or luxury, to own status symbols or to emulate the way of life portrayed on the hoardings.

The advertiser works on our reflexes and impulses, training us to recognize brand images and trademarks instinctively. Well thought-out conditioning activates sales; it is easier, for example, to pick up a pack of 6 bottles of beer than it is to take just 3. Advertising creates new needs and converts luxuries into necessities. Despite inflation and the rising cost of living, we somehow manage to stretch our purchasing power, often saving on essentials to buy non-essentials: families will simplify their menus but still fall for the latest gadgets or household appliances seen on the”box”.

Come what may, our standard of living just has to be maintained!