As I was reading both articles (Yes by John Calfee and NO by Russ Baker) I realized that the two articles were comparing apples and oranges. Calfee and Baker gave insightful points on advertising; however, they were not opposing each other’s point of view. While Calfee informed us on the significance of advertisements, Baker focused more on the influence the ad. companies have in today’s society. While stating that, I did come away with an agreement with John Calfee.
John Calfee brought up a great point toward the beginning of the article (Calfee, p109). His example of fiber, and its connection to cancer summarized the importance of advertisements. With that one ad uproar, (fiber, cereal, cancer) a chain of events led to corporate and public discussion; exchange of information, and more importantly, competition.
Through advertising we, as a society, can better judge products that are on display and understand our options. In a capitalistic world we accept or reject whatever is displayed. While they might be annoying sometimes, ads are necessary in order to, at the very least, inform us of our available choices.
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Yes, I agree with the fact that the advertising informs us, but at the same time it manipulates most of the people. For example, when advertisers re-create such important moments for us, they invite us to identify with their creation, to invest it with our own experience or the experience we hope to have. If an advertiser can induce us to invest the ad, and by implication, the product with our own positive feelings and experiences, we ought to emerge with a positive feeling about the product. It will not have the desired effect, if we feel manipulated by the ad and feel that it cheapens our memories or projections for the future. On the other side advertisers tend to tell us what is good, but not what is bad about their products, relying on our willingness to invest messages with meaning to induce us to hear stronger claims than those actually being made, as reveals Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Karlyn Kohrs Campbell in “Interplay of influence. News Advertising, Politics and the Mass Media”.
Maria Iova
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