If I were interested in buying a picture frame, where would I look? Would I know where to go, or even where to begin the search?
The answer is of course yes. The abundance of internet ready and capable devices which are easily accessible to me is staggaring – embarking on a search for anything is as easy as coherently typing its accurate description into a search engine. But what first comes to mind, for instance, when the desired object is a hamburger or a remedy for daytime drowsiness? What about a refreshing beverage or vessel for effortless weight loss? A search engine would be just as useful in seeking more information about these things (where to buy, price, comparison of attributes, etc.) but there is one major difference: necessity.
It can obviously be argued that a hamburger is necessary for its nutritional value – that is the nutrients it provides to its consumer in the form of calories, the absence of which would lead to eventual starvation and death. But what about a picture frame? Couldn’t the case for its necessity be just as easily made when considering the joy it brings to the observers of its contents? I do understand that the absence of one leads to death while the absence of the other leads to less frequently reflected upon memories, but the reality is that neither one of these things is truly essential to survival. Why is it then, that when we crave a hamburger we will more that likely already have an idea of what we are looking for, i.e. a destination at which we will be able to obtain one, before we even begin our search? Why would we type “McDonald’s” or “Wendy’s” rather than “hamburger” into a search engine and at the same time in many cases only be able to muster “picture frame” when looking for these objects? The answer is simple. The clandestine nature of advertisements for things which are unnecessary for the basic living requirements of their consumers but which at the same time have the potential to generate enormous profit. If a picture frame were just as widely desired as a hamburger or hair loss prevention, individuals would similarly most likely have a brand or destination in mind when beginning their search for one.
I do realize that in some cases the consumer does already have a brand or a store in mind when searching for picture frame or that many times the crowd at any given fast food establishment will contain mainly hungry passers-by who were simply looking for a bite. But the overall trends still do exist and that is what I am exploring here – the pervasive tendency of advertising to spread awareness of that which we do not need. How often do you see a commercial or read a full-page ad in a magazine about carrots? About routine doctors visits or increasingly frequent cancer screenings as you age? Why do so many companies frantically advertise their products or services alongside a minutia of virtually useless (in at least a practical sense) and indistinguishable self-made commodities? Necessity, or lack thereof.
We now live in a world which has become so sophisticated – so developed (the “western” world that is) – that in order to sell a particular product, a company must incessantly bombard prospective buyers with advertisements as if said buyers had an insatiable appetite for new things. In so doing, have companies engendered such an appetite, or are they simply catering to one which already exists?
Even if the sheer volume and visibility of advertising (movies, television, magazines, social networking, search engines, billboards, buses, internet radio, etc.) were somehow bearable, their collective mendacity would still be bothersome.
Maybe one day we will once again be able to peacefully engage in general commerce without pressure, predetermined buying habits, brand messaging, and a fervent desire for the unessential.
For now, my ears will hurt.
trehvoro 