Bigger=Better

-
When standing in the center of New York Time Square, there is a rush of advertisements plastered across the city. So many cross the screens, but what makes that one commercial, that one ad stand out? It's the predicament that all advertisements try to figure out. They try to enter the minds of the consumer and see what will stick long enough to spark the audience's curiosity.

One of the greatest illusion that ads present us is the fulfillment of something. It doesn't necessarily matter what that something is as long as it is something that we are the consumers feel we can't have unless we have this specific product. Whatever the ad is for, the goal is to lure us into a sense of dependency.
Researchers Discover That When You're Depressed, Stuffing Yourself ...https://www.forbes.com/.../researchers-discover-that-when-youre-depressed-stuffing-y...
The Loneliness Loop: Why Feeling Sad Makes Us Shop and ...https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/08/the...feeling.../278443/


In the United States, one company that has executed this idea of product dependency is Apple. As though it were part of the American culture, having the latest iPhone is essential. Apple's initial campaign start was by increasing the size of their phones from one model to the next. It is this sort of need to achieve. Achievements are what motivate people. We think in ways of 'what's the next thing I'm doing after this.' The next big thing is always on our mind because there is this built of pressure around not slowing down otherwise we get left behind. The increasing in size of iPhone gives the impression that bigger is better. Bigger means that we have more to flex on. It's the very reason for why Apple no longer had to make ads to hook people in. It is all about promoting the pre-sale date so people can start ordering and lining up outside the stores. There is an underlining expectation that Americans have Apple products. If you have an Android than you're believed to be no as good.
=
Subconsciously, I think we all know that having a certain phone doesn't determine one's character. That buying a certain product isn't the answer to all our problems. It may solve the problem of not being able to call in sick for work or watching YouTube from anywhere. However, it doesn't solve a person's emotional desire of community or belonging or success. All it is is a moment of illusion but then reality sets in and we look for the next thing to make us better.

Comments

  1. Ethan BianchiApril 29, 2019 at 7:23 PM

    I liked how you touched on the subject of clutter within the marketing world and how different companies have utilized different techniques (in Apple's case: bigger is better) to break through this clutter. I found it effective how you moved from a broad topic with Times Square to the more individual example of Apple to a final conclusion on us as humans. Great blog overall, and the only thing I came away wondering about was what are some other ways that advertisers manage to create this feeling of fulfillment outside of some of the methods that we learned in class?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anna Has a BlogApril 30, 2019 at 5:21 PM

    I liked how you used Apple as an example because it is such an extreme version of the message that bigger is better that is presented to us all the time in less obvious ways. I also liked your use of images that better helped my understand your point.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

$169,000,000 and It's Only Getting Higher

-
Image
Dating all the way back to 2015, Marvel had confirmed the title of Avengers: Endgame, and now it is time for that movie to finally come out.  https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a25437248/avengers-endgame-title-age-of-ultron/ Marvel had given itself a four year window for advertisement and possible plot giveaways in the trailers. People have overanalyzed every possible meaning and message in those trailers in an attempt to predict what will happen. Fans from the very beginning with Marvel's The Avengers  in 2012 are in disbelief that it was all coming to an end. The truth has finally come out, so the question of "How does it all end?" will be answered. All the excitement over one 3 hour and 1 minute movie is the reason for why this single movie has made been ranked 1st in Fandango's biggest pre-sale films ( https://bgr.com/2019/04/25/avengers-endgame-presale-numbers-fandango-showtimes/ ), why the movie has made $165,000,000 in profits as of April 25, 2019 ( https:
Read more

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

-
Image
What is the longest word you can think of? And if you are like most people, the 1964 Mary Poppin's film would have come to mind. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, "the biggest word you've ever heard."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pu1adxqUAg Such a word would probably even make George Orwell's head spin. The use of big words whose meaning is relatively simple. His argument would be, Why use such a complex word when the definition is just as good? The definition is straight to the point and simple. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious...the sounds of it is something quite atrocious," but all it means it extraordinarily good and wonderful. In his essay "Politics and the English Language," Orwell writes of how the original use of language is diminishing as people are manipulating their word choice to present an intended impression on the audience. https://faculty.washington.edu/rsoder/EDLPS579/HonorsOrwellPoliticsEnglishLanguage.pdf
Read more