Social Media Marketing Merits and Demerits

Cant Buy My Love Book Report Essays

Cant Buy My Love Book Report Essays Cant Buy My Love Book Report Essay Cant Buy My Love Book Report Essay Can’t Buy My Love by Jean Kilbourne In the book Can’t Buy My Love , the author, Jean Kilbourne discusses the influence advertising has on social society. Throughout the book, she focuses on what advertising has done to society whether we are aware of it or not, and the consequences that have been brought forth- America known as a culture represented by cola, jeans, burgers, cigarettes, and alcohol. In terms of ethics, she believes that corporations pray on the insecurities, social acceptance, and addictions of people, and how these same corporations have taken advantage of the government and media which assisted in shaping society nto a group of moral-less, market-driven addicts. Kilbourne begins with a popular belief among many in society, â€Å"advertising has no influence on me†. She explains that if that were the case, why are companies spending billions of dollars a year in advertising? To the dismay of media consumers using one of many outlets (t. v. , radi o, print, internet), media companies are no longer in business to produce content and entertainment, but are an outlet for advertisers to attract a certain audience their product is targeted towards. At the beginning, the main arget was middle-class Caucasian house-holds, but when minorities and other ethnicities gained buying power, all of a sudden a new target group emerged for advertisers. Through research, companies know that the younger you can attract a consumer, the more money it is for a company. Surprisingly, the United States is one of the few industrialized nations that believe children are valid targets for advertisements in comparison to some countries in the European Union, which ban advertising targeting children (p43). With the educational funding system (school tax) failing, it allowed another window of pportunity to discreetly target children- big companies such as Coca-Cola sponsoring a school or having â€Å"partnerships† which involved the exchange of exclusive rights to vending machines and events in return for giving the school or district millions of dollars. Most people would agree in saying that coca- cola would be a safe form as advertisement as it gives back to the community in support of its products but what about tobacco? It is not coincidence that tobacco and spirit companies use cartoon images or animals in their advertising. Well they also know that it is best to hook a young consumer because an addict produces revenue and by gaining the interest of the child through a cartoon character, they will most likely turn to that brand during their rebellious stage in life. It makes one think why one would be okay such as cola when it deters healthy eating habits and leads to obesity compared to cigarettes which breeds lung cancer and alcoholism which can lead to liver failure. Kilbourne poses the question of ethics here by asking if it is lawful for companies to address children when it is obvious to other countries that here is something ethically wrong with targeting children with propaganda and allowing them to have an influence in the buying power. Do America’s children even have free-will to choose their fate, or is it Kilbourne investigates the illusion that advertising promises or portrays in its message. Advertisers are in the business to make money, and they prey on the vulnerability and precari ousness of our lives in order to make it happen because they know that is what influences us. What better way to do this than to corrupt the thought process and create artificial needs for our human desires? Is it ethical for companies to give products the same value as human desire or needs and promise us things that will never deliver what it portrays? Kilbourne believes that this is the ethical problem with advertising- bringing forth emotion that delivers false promises. Companies are spending millions on research in order to reveal what makes a certain target group â€Å"tick† and once they have that information, they can then mold that target into believing what they sell is true. Marriage is one of many examples that Kilbourne uses to address the ethical issue of advertising. Marriage has for enturies primarily been known as a happy union between two people. Marketers have gotten clever in associating that happy union with their products as well (p77). Kilbourne believes that the messages and images used in advertising are driving society towards addiction whether is to sex, drugs, alcohol, or food which is now how a person expresses him or herself. A person will never be a ble to fully express human emotion such as love with a baked cake or diamond ring and society has been tricked into believing that. Advertising also associates the darker sides of human emotion such as oneliness and also uses food, sex, or alcohol in its message and their product or service will make that feeling disappear. Tapping into a person’s imagination brings an advertisement from their dream world to life, but it takes the connection for all of a sudden to have a person believe it to be real. Advertising has created the core belief of the American culture- we can effortlessly re-create ourselves with the right products and we should (p219- 224). It has made us believe that there is no excitement in growing old, that thin is beautiful, and there s no party without alcohol. All of which are made-up and have no merit in reality; raising the ethical question once again- is it correct to give meaning and intangible value to these tangible products that will never be able t o deliver on their promise. Why isn’t advertising falling underneath the same scrutiny as when a company or person is dishonest with the information they present to society? Since society has fallen to the theory that they are not affected by advertising and believe it is silly or humorous, it has cast a blind spell over how much rive and influence it does have on society as well has the amount it has transformed it. Kilbourne believes we are creating a toxic culture with all the false ideas and messages we send in our advertising. Our advertising is showing images of happiness, joy, freedom and prosperity but yet we have millions of people living in misery with addiction and violence growing in America while the products these companies continue to generate money. People are no longer relying on each other for support but on the products and services of these companies. America is spending millions on funding jails, addiction ecovery programs, and a war on drugs but we are spending all of our money on efforts that do not work because we are not going directly to the source of what is causing the problems. As Kilbourne mentions, punishment is disserved for criminal acts but we need to ask what is causing these people to become addicted, abusive and violent? Instead of spending most of our budgets on enforcement, why not spend more on prevention, treatment and education. Kilbourne points out the l ink between unemployment, poverty, neighborhood deterioration, violence, and advertising representing freedom and ebellion(p303). She also believes that corporations were not meant to be protected by the First Amendment and they should not have the same rights as a person! Kilbourne was very passionate in authoring this book as she struggled with alcoholism although she was a bright and educated. Her struggle began when she was influenced by a peer during her teenage years and relates to the pressure teenagers face even without the influence of advertising. She does not believe advertising is completely at fault for addictions and the commercialization of society ut raises the ethical questions of the truth in advertising. She believes that the people that create advertising are smart and creative but they could use their skills for positive messages which could transform society into being free and not addicted. I believe Kilbourne’s experiences in life has much to do with h er passion into the ethical practices of companies advertisements but she does make valid points of what society has turned into and what it could be if it followed an ethical practice and the positive impact it could have on society.

Perception and communication Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Perception and communication - Article Example The main aim is to conduct this study focusing on South African organizations. The research was conducted in an exploratory manner. For the purpose of achieving its aim, the research was conducted by interviewing a sample of professional accountants. The views on the concept of interpersonal communication varied significantly from other professions as accountants take interpersonal communication as a tool to aid their professional goals, rather than creating unofficial relationships and bonds with fellow colleagues. The study also reveals that organizational communication is perceived as an official channel for accountants to collaborate their efforts; however, communication barriers may hinder the success of communication due to lack of relationships and knowledge about colleagues, their lives and views on issues. The perception about interpersonal communication of accountants, as per the research, seems flawed as they perceive it to be an official means of communication rather than a way to establish social groups and social status for their group. The main weakness of the article is its primary focus on qualitative rather than quantitative methodology. The article is primarily designed to observe South African organizations and accountants; hence, the applicability of the results and findings on other regions and groups may be questioned. The article provides a thoughtful start to a research; however, it lacks coherence, direction and sufficient supporting evidence. Considering the strengths of this article, one may conclude that the article is written in simple and easily understandable language. The article follows a logical flow of information starting from the definition of the key terms like perception, interpersonal communication and organizational communication to the conclusion where it achieves its