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Advertising Cultures
Through its artful engagement with consumers, advertising subtly shapes our everyday worlds. It plays upon powerful emotions – envy, fear, lust and ambition. But the industry itself is far more subtle and complex than many people might assume. Through an innovative mix of business strategy and cultural theory, this pioneering book provides a behind-the-scenes analysis of the link between advertising and larger cultural forces, as well as a rare look into the workings of agencies themselves.
How do advertisements endeavour to capture ‘real’ life? How do advertising agencies think of their audience: the consumer and their corporate client? What issues do agencies have to consider when using an advertisement in a range of different countries? What specific methods are used to persuade us not only to buy but to remain loyal to a product? How do advertisers fan consumer desire?
An incisive understanding of human behaviour is at the core of all these questions and is what unites advertisers and anthropologists in their work. While this link may come as a surprise to those who consider the former to be firmly rooted in commerce and the latter in culture, this book clearly shows that these two fields share a remarkable number of convergences. From constructing a ‘Japaneseness’ that appeals to two very different Western audiences, to tracking advertising changes in the post World War II period, to considering how people can be influenced by language and symbols, Advertising Cultures is an indispensable guide to the production of images and to consumer behaviour for practitioners and students alike.
How do advertisements endeavour to capture ‘real’ life? How do advertising agencies think of their audience: the consumer and their corporate client? What issues do agencies have to consider when using an advertisement in a range of different countries? What specific methods are used to persuade us not only to buy but to remain loyal to a product? How do advertisers fan consumer desire?
An incisive understanding of human behaviour is at the core of all these questions and is what unites advertisers and anthropologists in their work. While this link may come as a surprise to those who consider the former to be firmly rooted in commerce and the latter in culture, this book clearly shows that these two fields share a remarkable number of convergences. From constructing a ‘Japaneseness’ that appeals to two very different Western audiences, to tracking advertising changes in the post World War II period, to considering how people can be influenced by language and symbols, Advertising Cultures is an indispensable guide to the production of images and to consumer behaviour for practitioners and students alike.
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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February 21, 2019
Decent volume of mostly good essays on interconnection between advertising and anthropology. I've read some of these while studying anthropology and they helped shape theoretical frameworks on how anthropology can be used in advertising and what are the challenges. Now, working in advertising, it also allows to take away some ideas on how to practically use know-how in day to day job. This volume is not too heavy on theory, has quite a bit of ethnographic examples and discussion on practical side of it all. Chapters I enjoyed the most:
- How Advertising Makes its Object
- Advertising, Production and Consumption as Cultural Economy
- Imagining and Imaging the Other: Japanese Advertising International
- Models, Metaphors and Client Relations: The Negotiated Meanings
of Advertising
- Psychology vs Anthropology: Where is Culture in Marketplace
Ethnography?
- How Advertising Makes its Object
- Advertising, Production and Consumption as Cultural Economy
- Imagining and Imaging the Other: Japanese Advertising International
- Models, Metaphors and Client Relations: The Negotiated Meanings
of Advertising
- Psychology vs Anthropology: Where is Culture in Marketplace
Ethnography?
Displaying 1 of 1 review