The Television Commercial

From "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman:

"Indeed we may go this far: The television commercial is not at all about the character of products to be consumed. It is about the character of the consumers of products. Images of movie stars and famous athletes, of serene lakes and macho fishing trips, of elegant dinners and romantic interludes, of happy families packing their station wagons for a picnic in the country—these tell nothing about the products being sold. But they tell everything about the fears, fancies and dreams of those who might buy them. What the advertiser needs to know is not what is right about the product but what is wrong about the buyer. And so, the balance of business expenditures shifts from product research to market research. The television commercial has oriented business away from making products of value and toward making consumers feel valuable, which means that the business of business has now become pseudo-therapy. The consumer is a patient assured by pseudo-dramas."

Working in the graphic design/web design/marketing/advertising industry, this hits so close to home. It's an interesting point and crucial to understanding how television commercials, in particular, have reshaped the way products are advertised, the way we see ourselves and the way businesses need to operate in order to be successful. On the one hand, realizing this can make you an amazingly effective advertiser, due to the cultural landscape that TV has influenced so deeply. On the other, it is a bit discouraged to realize, how nearly irreparable the damage is to how we do business and how our view of ourselves is constantly being attacked, undermined and distorted by the proposition put forth in commercials. We're constantly being sold the reality that we aren't enough as we are, and that a particular product on the screen can make us worthwhile and happy. That seems a dangerous state of affairs...