It's often hard to notice, but in our favourite TV shows and movies, we're the target of advertising that is quite subtle... subliminal?
I noticed a very obvious one when I watched the third season of 24. Jack Bauer and his federal agent colleagues are all driving around in Ford trucks. However, those mean terrorists, who are trying to wipe out the United States from the surface of the earth, are wheeling around in GM trucks. Coincidence? I think not.
At one point in the series, a federal agent flees from the headquarters in an act of treason (I won't say any more and spoil the punch for those who haven't seen it yet), but in what kind of vehicle? A GM truck. Yes, the headquarters only has Fords in its parking lot, except for one single GM Suburban, and that agent chooses it to run away. Coincidence? I still don't think so.
Now, how much did Ford pay to provide the TV show's producers all the Ford vehicles, as well as certain GM vehicles? Think about it: do you really think that GM would joyfully provide the bad guys' vehicles? I'm pointing my finger at Ford in this particular case, but they are not the only ones playing this little game.
Take a movie in your DVD collection, a movie that you have watched several times, and analyze it. When the heroes in the film are in danger, depressed, beaten up, or in the process of saving the world, look in the background. Product placement is very important in these critical moments of the movie. Imagine Pepsi paying to place a Coke sign in the background, right where the movie's hero is in a completely hopeless situation. We don't realize this at first but, in a subtle way, our brain registers these little details.
Not only does your one-hour TV show really last about 40 minutes (the remaining 20 minutes being commercials), but there is advertising during your show. Of course, the big companies know that we can all be influenced to a certain degree.
Maybe I'm dramatizing all this. Are you influenced by advertising? If so, you risk being manipulated without even noticing it. However, it's not because the hero of a movie drives a certain car model in particular, that I'll be running to their dealership to get myself one. My name isn't Jack Bauer, and I'll never save the United States from massive destruction. People who buy GM vehicles don't become terrorists, and drinking Coke doesn't bring me bad news...
I noticed a very obvious one when I watched the third season of 24. Jack Bauer and his federal agent colleagues are all driving around in Ford trucks. However, those mean terrorists, who are trying to wipe out the United States from the surface of the earth, are wheeling around in GM trucks. Coincidence? I think not.
At one point in the series, a federal agent flees from the headquarters in an act of treason (I won't say any more and spoil the punch for those who haven't seen it yet), but in what kind of vehicle? A GM truck. Yes, the headquarters only has Fords in its parking lot, except for one single GM Suburban, and that agent chooses it to run away. Coincidence? I still don't think so.
Now, how much did Ford pay to provide the TV show's producers all the Ford vehicles, as well as certain GM vehicles? Think about it: do you really think that GM would joyfully provide the bad guys' vehicles? I'm pointing my finger at Ford in this particular case, but they are not the only ones playing this little game.
Take a movie in your DVD collection, a movie that you have watched several times, and analyze it. When the heroes in the film are in danger, depressed, beaten up, or in the process of saving the world, look in the background. Product placement is very important in these critical moments of the movie. Imagine Pepsi paying to place a Coke sign in the background, right where the movie's hero is in a completely hopeless situation. We don't realize this at first but, in a subtle way, our brain registers these little details.
Not only does your one-hour TV show really last about 40 minutes (the remaining 20 minutes being commercials), but there is advertising during your show. Of course, the big companies know that we can all be influenced to a certain degree.
Maybe I'm dramatizing all this. Are you influenced by advertising? If so, you risk being manipulated without even noticing it. However, it's not because the hero of a movie drives a certain car model in particular, that I'll be running to their dealership to get myself one. My name isn't Jack Bauer, and I'll never save the United States from massive destruction. People who buy GM vehicles don't become terrorists, and drinking Coke doesn't bring me bad news...