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175th out of 580 books
—
753 voters
Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel
"When was the last time you felt this comfortable in a relationship?" -- An ad for sneakers
"You can love it without getting your heart broken."
-- An ad for a car
"Until I find a real man, I'll settle for a real smoke."
-- A woman in a cigarette ad
Many advertisements these days make us feel as if we have an intimate, even passionate relationship with a product. But as Jean Ki...more
"You can love it without getting your heart broken."
-- An ad for a car
"Until I find a real man, I'll settle for a real smoke."
-- A woman in a cigarette ad
Many advertisements these days make us feel as if we have an intimate, even passionate relationship with a product. But as Jean Ki...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
November 2nd 2000
by Free Press
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I thought I understood the tricks of advertising, but Jean Kilbourne gave me a lot more to think about! She offers a balanced argument (with a dash of feminist theory) and lots of examples of how ads:
Make products seem like they're our friends, even lovers
Encourage children to drink and smoke at a young age so they become heavy users later on in life
Normalize the objectification of women--even very young girls
Advertising doesn't cause violence, racism, sexism, ageism, and addiction, but the cumu...more
Make products seem like they're our friends, even lovers
Encourage children to drink and smoke at a young age so they become heavy users later on in life
Normalize the objectification of women--even very young girls
Advertising doesn't cause violence, racism, sexism, ageism, and addiction, but the cumu...more
I have 30 page markers in this book so I� m not really sure where to start- how about with Jean Kilbourne� s losing her sense of humor under the barrage of inappropriate ads for booze, cigarettes, junk food and cars?[return][return]Her premise is that advertisers deliberately make us slightly unhappy with out bodies, appearance and our lives and then offer up a product that they say will solve the problem but in the end only makes it worse. She certainly has a point. America does have a culture...more
We can’t set foot out of the house without exposure to advertising, even if we don’t watch TV, use the Internet, or read fashion magazines. Advertising is everywhere, from billboards and posters to clothing to shop windows. It is an inconvenient truth that we are indeed affected by advertising and commercialism, even if we don’t believe it.
This book is as much a psychology book as a sociology book. Using examples, statistics, interviews, and her own life experience, Kilbourne covers the connecti...more
This book is as much a psychology book as a sociology book. Using examples, statistics, interviews, and her own life experience, Kilbourne covers the connecti...more
Outstanding and necessary book though a bit dated. A lot has changed in regards to advertising and technology since this book came out in 1999-2000 (references to Cindy Crawford for example) and obviously the rise of social media and pay per click ads are a huge shift in how marketing reaches their audiences and therefore affect us. However the meat and potatoes of what Jean Kilbourne talks about hasn't changed and that is the level of exploitation advertising does to people, especially women an...more
Jul 01, 2009
Kate
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
adults; those interested in media studies;
Recommended to Kate by:
Consumerist blog
Shelves:
nf,
media-advertising
Books about advertising and media are always interesting, and this one hits some interesting topics, like the need of corporations for addicts, and the depressing consistency of sexual images in advertising. Also notable is the author's concern about consumer culture and the attraction of being "rebelliously" part of the pack. It would be interesting to discuss this book in light of the increased level of advertising we're exposed to with our increased use of the internet and "free" content. She...more
Can’t Buy My love was a great learning experience for me. I had never truly analyzed how advertisements affect many people in the world. Also I never noticed how advertisements are made specifically to influence people to buy the product. I enjoyed reading this book because it showed me how advertisements do not have trusted information, they are just trying to influence people to buy a certain product. Most of the time people are influenced to purchase products that could be harmful to them in...more
Terrible. An egregious presentation of what is otherwise an interesting thesis. Kilbournes arguments are derived from weak inductive reasoning that devolve into gross conjectures. Her view of people as a passive, hapless, non-participatory audience is outdated and fails on many levels. Indeed, in her first chapter she says "It is virtually impossible to measure the influence of advertising on a culture..." which makes her whole point moot.
The majority of the book is collection of the most degra...more
The majority of the book is collection of the most degra...more
Only the fools among us still argue that "advertising doesn't affect them", which I think is evidenced by a new generation of highly susipicious consumers. And rightly so. Advertisers have moved on from selling a product to selling an idea, often times playing on our deepest insecurities, and worse, creating brand new insecurities for us to worry about.
Kilbourne's book feels a little outdated and much of her conjectures feel far fetched, but the backbone of this book is hard to deny. Take Kilbou...more
Kilbourne's book feels a little outdated and much of her conjectures feel far fetched, but the backbone of this book is hard to deny. Take Kilbou...more
While Kilbourne sometimes gets a little preachy about what she perceives to be the degenerating moral culture in the United States (for example, she seems a lot more upset about young women who are sexually active than I think is warranted), in general her opinions are fascinating. Focusing primarily on feminist issues and public health, she thoroughly deconstructs the way advertising has permeated and influenced American culture, particularly in the latter half of the twentieth century. Even th...more
I read this when I was about 20 and it absolutely changed the way I think not just about advertising, but also made me more conscious of the ways I articulated a sense of being in the world and more discerning in my consumer choices (am I buying this because it gives me a sense of identity in the world? -- is a question I now often ask myself)
Many of the examples Kilbourne uses are specific to women and I appreciated her articulating the special relationship advertising has with women. It's a ni...more
Many of the examples Kilbourne uses are specific to women and I appreciated her articulating the special relationship advertising has with women. It's a ni...more
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This is the most important critical examination of advertising I have read. I'm especially interested in her discussion of gender representations in advertising. If you've ever heard or made the argument that media and advertising representations are harmless and silly, she will convince you that these representations are actually powerful in our culture.
I think it is interesting that advertising images are so overtly sexualized, but the corporations are selling their product--not intimacy. And...more
I think it is interesting that advertising images are so overtly sexualized, but the corporations are selling their product--not intimacy. And...more
What a thought-provoking read! I was already familiar with Kilbourne's work from university (actually, I've been meaning to read this book ever since), but her book is able to go into a lot more depth and explore more topics. In a culture that is rife with advertisements, it's important to take a critical look at what ads are selling along with their products. This was a book that really made me think and evaluate, and also had me updating my husband at regular intervals.
It's one thing to know that all advertisements always have subliminal messages to target their intended audience in many ways, but I found myself looking at all advertisements differently after reading this. It's not just the subtle and not so subtle messages in ads that affect the way we buy, the way we shop, and what we want, but it's everything--from what's printed in beauty magazines to television shows to movies. Advertising is absolutely everywhere we look. It's in our faces all the time w...more
This book changed my life. It made me aware that the conspiracy against the people of my own country, by means of its own, also extended and especially extended--to females. I see the same perpetuity of ideological unconsciousness purported BY parents most of any advertising perpetrators. I personally believe the American advertising industry on behalf of females should be tried for crimes against humanity.
It's kind of disgusting to discover how manipulated we are by the media. I was particularly shocked to see how strong the messages against women are. Most of the stuff she points out (like how females are portrayed) I had noticed, but I hadn't really thought of the implications before.
Her documentaries (Killing Us Softly) are wonderful. The books are just a more in-depth look. Definitely a great read.
Her documentaries (Killing Us Softly) are wonderful. The books are just a more in-depth look. Definitely a great read.
brilliant book mocking of modern over-consumerism..the excessive never enough, self-destructive ways that are blatantly spotted by the advertisers as total weakness..not pretty enough, not skinny enough, not having enough gadgets..not driving fast with fast cars...all of it..great book! And we must really sit down and distinguish between wants and needs
admittedly, this wasn't my favorite book ever. i sometimes felt the author was going a little overboard and i also frequently felt the book listed a few too many ads.
however, i do think it makes some very important points. it's one of those books that made me realize what was right in front of my nose. i mean, i wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that advertisements are a bunch of misleading hype, but this book really drove home just how absurd and, unfortunately, culture-shaping they are a...more
however, i do think it makes some very important points. it's one of those books that made me realize what was right in front of my nose. i mean, i wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that advertisements are a bunch of misleading hype, but this book really drove home just how absurd and, unfortunately, culture-shaping they are a...more
Although this book exposes advertising for what it really is and does, it would have had more of an effect on me if I read it over 10 years ago and closer to its publication date. Some references are now dated, and online advertising is not covered since it wasn't as widespread when the book was written. Still, it covers an important topic and might be a good introduction when accompanied by some newer titles on the same subject.
Though fairly repetitive, the author raises some excellent points. A little too memoir-istic at times, the ads she discusses are impressively disturbing and her thesis rings true. I would recommend anyone interested in media criticism and the effect of advertising on individuals and communities to give this one a look.
One of my all-time favorites. I was introduced to Kilbourne on her college tour. She visited my school when I was an undergrad and I was lucky enough to have already studied her book in a women's studies class. I gift this book to ANY teenage girl in my life, and recommend it to all women, especially mothers! A MUST-READ!
Creepy. Eye-opening. Who'd ever think that advertising makes us commodify one another? Or our relationships? I skipped around in this book, reading what I wanted, then I left it. It was good, but I really just didn't want to learn any more about how advertising is controlling my subconscious, and thus my life.
Have been wanting to read this ever since seeing the author Jean Kilborune's documentary "Killing Us Softly" way back when as an undergrad. I've read excerpts from the book but finally got around to reading it in its entirety. Will definitely lead you to critically examine print and commercial ads with new eyes.
I found this book when I worked for a non-profit and was developing a training for social workers on the impact of advertising/media on teens. It's infuriating, powerful, and intellectual. It's part research paper, part social commentary, and has pictures to send the message home.
**Donated to SPL
**Donated to SPL
Kilbourne's book might seem a little dated, but her argument still stands: advertising tends to encourage addictive behaviors, and discourage real human connection. While I found some of her points a bit simplistic and overreaching, relying more on emotion than fact, her visual analyses of ads were eye-opening and fascinating. And her arguments are worth contemplating. I would just have preferred she make them a bit more rigorously.
Informative. Insightful. Once Jean reveals that the intention of every advertising company is the same, it becomes frightening. This book was published over a decade ago, yet its motives and call-to-actions are relevant ever so presently! We believe we are in this Age of Information, but we are all unknowingly bounded by this Age of Advertising. It is a must read for every one integrated into this Western society, as well as those in a Westernized societies.
A slave to alcohol for a large portio...more
A slave to alcohol for a large portio...more
Jun 23, 2010
Katy Major
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
EVERYONE, especially those interested in advertising
This book was incredibly impressive. Though often heavy to read and full of extremely long chapters, the entire thing was so worth it. I devoured this book.
I've always had a fascination for advertising, and this book affirmed everything that I was thinking.
Everyone should read this book. Go out and buy it now. Now!
I've always had a fascination for advertising, and this book affirmed everything that I was thinking.
Everyone should read this book. Go out and buy it now. Now!
A thoughtful and engaging book about the cleverness of advertising. Much more goes into triggering and creating desire for goods than an 'eureka' moment at someone's desk at 4:45 p.m.
I read this a decade ago, and it will forever impact me. This is especially important for women or a parent with a daughter.
I had to take my time with this book, as it is a bit preachy (read 'a lot preachy'). While I don't want to completely blame all advertising for degrading the way 'young girls-then-women' view themselves negatively, Kilbourne does make several good points. However, those points tended to get bogged down by the author's long diatribes. I also disliked the way she took all responsibility away from the individual, as if they have no choice but to become addicted to cigarettes, have a negative self i...more
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Jean Kilbourne is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and for her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. In the late 1960s she began her exploration of the connection between advertising and several public health issues, including violence against women, eating disorders, and addiction, and launched a movement to promote media l...more
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