n0de9 { in advertising we trust








OTHER CONTENT: ------------------------- Articles: In advertising we trust Boom and bust Westheimer Poetry: Soft Artificial Curves Hope THIS ARTICLE: ------------------------- In advertising we trust: 1 Medium and message 2 Medieval media 3 Brand new world 4 Propaganda machine 5 Ad filters 6 Buy the world a Coke
	The founder of Revlon was right on the mark when he observed “in the factory we make cosmetics, in the stores we sell hope.” Advertisers create an image that will appeal to our needs. Not just simple physical needs like food and clothing, but our complex need for self-expression and belonging. Brands are cultural idioms that help us live up to the ideal created by advertising. They help us express ourselves. In effect, brands have become a clan tartan that helps us display our allegiance to a certain lifestyle and demographic segment. Built with the language of logos and slogans, it's a feedback loop that both reflects and refines our desire. And it establishes a benevolent standard that unites people around the globe with brands instead of bombs. The rise of Adcult Advertising doesn’t just sell a product—it is a product. When we buy Gap jeans, it’s not just denim we’re after. We want	the cultural meaning advertising imparts to the product and, by our purchase, to us. James Twitchell, who coined the term ‘adcult’ to describe our modern advertising-obsessed culture, observed that "whatever else advertising does, one thing is certain; by adding value to material, by adding meaning to objects, by branding things, advertising performs a role historically associated with religion. In religion you find salvation and redemption by accepting a belief, but in Adcult you find redemption and salvation through consumption of a product." Christmas, already a converted pagan holiday, has been converted again to adcult's purpose. It is the most sacred day in retail where we consume as many material goods as possible. Even the image of Santa we all conjure in our heads was created by advertising. There's more than a causual link between advertising and religion. continue >>