Sometimes when I see advertisements, whether on the internet, television, subway posters, or even the radio, I can’t help but incredibly laugh and poke fun at how pretentious some of them appear to be. Yet, despite this, they work. In fact, they work quite unbelievably well. Looking at the history of advertising and how it has developed over the years to continue to grasp our attention towards consumption continues to amaze me.
What surprises me the more than anything is the current trends advertising appear to be taking, this idea of spiritual advertisement. Ultimately, as humans, what do we truly desire and crave? Is it really the temporary satisfactions that products seem to give us? Or is it something more?
Here’s an example of a Nike Ad that takes this spiritual approach looking at Good and Evil to promote its products.
James Twitchell’s article, One Market Under God, speaks about Christianity being a brand, selling ‘heaven’ parallel to products being sold in today’s culture. Twitchell makes a point showing examples to confirm “the early apostles of advertising, [were] among the most important ministers of commerce with deep evangelical roots…” It makes me wonder why Christians have this power he speaks about. “Power of the story. Power of Promise.” Why are they so affective in catching people’s attentions? I believe it’s because they have a better grasp on what humans essentially crave.
I sense that so often we choose not to ask ourselves questions about spiritual things, but rather focus on physical and material things. The idea of the newest form of advertising arising, the spiritual aspect to advertisements, is effective. Nowadays, since spirituality is commonly left out of our lifestyles, when a ‘high concept’ ad is shown, speaking to the meaning of life rather than the actual product, we are drawn in to this psuedospiritual feature.
Have, instead of going to God, we let our longings and values be filled with consumer goods that are temporary?
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