While stopping off at a local bookstore to pick up a book or two, I noticed that the parking dividing lines were different than the normal white painted-on stripes everyone is used to seeing. When I got out and took a little closer look, I found that the line was actually a strip of some printed material that had been attached OVER THE OLD LINES.

Now at first I was torn between a little indignation at having advertising put in yet another obtrusive place and amusement at the creativity of the advertising executive that thought this little gimmick up. So with these thoughts in mind, I wandered into the store.

Ads are All Around Us

I decided as an exercise to try to look for advertisements and sales gimmicks in the store that I would normally tune out. I was pretty amazed at the low-level but pervasive advertising that was used throughout the store (Borders books. Good store anyway). Small ads, Big Ads, discounts and two-for-one sales, strategic locations and subtle upsells. It was a Sales Psychological Warfare Zone!.

Most people ignore all the advertisement and think it has no impact, but that very same low-level inundation of ads is subliminally causing consumers to spend much more than they would without the ads.

Keeping Up with the Jonses

If something is said often enough, and with enough authority, people tend to believe it whether it is actually true or not. So the same could be said with the society and lifestyle that is promoted by business. Continually emphasizing a high-income lifestyle as the ‘ideal’ only serves to make it MORE desirable to the average person. And if they try to live that type of lifestyle without the accompanying income levels, they’re destined to have everything come crashing down at the first signs of trouble.

A common adage among finance bloggers is “Live within your Means”. It’s by no means a new philosophy, it’s just been forgotten over the last 25 years or so since the United States hasn’t really been hit with long-term financial problems. We haven’t seen anything like the Great Depression of the 1920’s and 1930’s, and the last time the stock market REALLY went down in recent history was in 2000-2002 (See “2000 to 2002 Stock Market Crash“). People don’t feel too much financial pain by overextending themselves because they believe everything is going well.

A Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Nightmare

Television is one of the most guilty forms of media when it comes to both advertising and to brainwashing/socializing the public. Constant ads for every product under the sun vie with actual content (television shows) for your attention. When they’re not feeding you advertisement, they’re putting on many shows with main characters that never seem to have any trouble coming up with next month’s mortgage payment, or figuring out how to pay for Sally’s braces.

I realize that no one likes to see TOO much reality in their escapist activities, but by only showing the relatively rosy side of life, television propagates the idea that money isn’t something to worry about.

Too Much is Enough

That’s why this final advertisement gimmick so bothered me. It caused me to think about all the other ads I simply ignore. It’s kind of scary that I can sing a half dozen jingles from commercials, but I can’t remember one song I learned in grade school anymore. I can identify spokespersons and mascots better than I can former presidents. I’ve been turned into a good little consumer without my even knowing about it.

Oh well. Wonder what’s on TV?

Technorati : advertising, finance, mind control, nationwide insurande