Consumer Culture:Troublesome Trends

The goal of advertisers is not to change society, but to sell their product based on assumptions made about an audience in society. These assumptions come from both the subconscious and the conscious minds of men and women. When an ad is engineered, much psychology, thinking, and hypothesizing is put forth. Nothing placed in these advertisements is coincidental. The differences between men and women in similar ads have purpose, whether conscious or subconscious. The differences themselves are not particularly meant to be noticed, and often the details that differ are not meant to be noticed either. They are often aspects that are left out because if included, they would damage the image of the product. Other times, they are details added to better appeal to the audience. In any case, the aspects that differ, as well as the rest of the ad, are not coincidences. They are carefully planned to assist in the sale of a product. Advertisers are not to blame if their advertisements may send negatives messages to consumers, they are doing what everyone else in a capitalist society does, trying to make a profit. There are not many ads that by themselves crosses the line, rather, it is the accumulation and constant bombardment that eventually influences the consumers. Together it is the responsibility of consumers themselves and Canadian Advertising Standards to distinguish between those that cross the line and those that do not.…