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Let’s see less advertisements America !!
Less stuff you say?
I think one way to achieve that goal is to have less advertising (see São Paulo for an extreme example). Stop telling us what to buy. Stop telling us what we don't have. Stop telling us we are missing out. Stop blurring the line between wants and needs, especially in children.
Speaking of children, remember “The Corporation” from 2003?
You need to re-watch that documentary (here is one of most important clips):
http://youtu.be/WMDPql6rweo
Topics:
Adblock Plus FOMO The Corporation advertising
Kunal Chaudhary
Now, about your idea to reduce advertising, I believe it is up to parents to regulate what their kids are exposed to. This, of course, is easier said than done. Phones, internet, television, in this day and age, it is extremely tough to not be wired in 24/7. Kids become drunk on stimulation and the line between television-reality and reality-reality fades quickly. People believe that they do NEED a new iPhone every 6 months. Advertising is such an essential part of the American consumer culture, I highly doubt it will ever be regulated as strictly as it should be. At the end of the day, this blind consumerism is fueling the economy. Morality is merely a fly on the face of profit.
Bernd Fesel 30+
I would prefer better advertisement - and indeed ads that the social community around it could influence and govern? Isn´ t this about democratic rules in the digital world?
Perferct idea to take advertisement out of the public space like train and bus stations? While smoke was health polution, ads are mental polution - at least the wrong ads. In practice this will be a very difficult law to make...
Karina Eisner 10+
1. Tivo. That will also most likely reduce the actual total time people watch TV...
2. Don't watch TV at all (although I grew up with normal Tv watching habits, as an adult I decided to cut it off. I am all the happier, fill the hours with all sorts of interesting things, and still can watch what I want if I really want to... notice it has to come from me. That's where the power is now...)
3. Pleeeease, keep the kids away from the TV. As a teacher I can tell in the first week of school, and it is a common subject of conversation among my colleagues, which children watch 2 hours of TV or more daily. I also train parents, and this is advise #1 in my list. Beyond the damage of advertising and the "programming" it does in our kiddos' minds, it is dramatically reducing attention span, and I would not be surprised if studies show a connection between hours of Tv and ADHD and ADD.
Emo Bear 30+
Thanks for the feedback, in regards to your third point, check out some of these stats:
“...brand loyalty begins as early as age 2. The average 3-year-old recognizes 100 different brand logos.”
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/entertainment/mediawise/advertising-and-kids/statistics.aspx
Karina Eisner 10+
TV makes the next generation of consumers! As a teacher I was encouraged to introduce children to reading through environmental reading games, where we were supposed to show kids images, logos and signs that they can recognize even before learning their abc's. Even tough I didn't apply it due to reasons of integrity (!), I road tested it.
Wanna know their top "reading" words? McDonald's, Walmart, Barbie, Jell-o, Burger King, Pizza Hut... however, not all of them knew what a stop sign was...
Nicholas Lukowiak 30+
Bob Shingles 10+
The only way I can see this being done is through local or national government regulation and I am strongly apposed to government intervention, of this manner, in business.
Without any better solutions I'd rather keep all the advertising instead of more government regulation that can stymie businesses growth.
Emo Bear 30+
That's a great question Bob. I am undecided if government should intervene or not if Corporations get out of hand and grow too big. But when you think of big dogs like Ticketmaster-Live Nation, they pretty much have a stranglehold in what they do and own a majority of the billboards and ad spaces you see, maybe somebody needs to step in right?
Corporations grow too big and won’t slow down their pace. So in a way, it might be a good thing to go with the Malcolm Gladwell view mentioned in this topic here: http://www.ted.com/conversations/5989/money_doesn_t_exist_not_reall.html (you can find his talk on FORA.tv with lengthy discussions)
Zdenek Smith 100+
Advertising on streets or public transit is not fair because people in the city cannot easily avoid it. On other hand ads in TV, radio or the Internet is targeted to its audience and I don't think we can force private companies to not advertise. Users have choice to choose what they willl watch?
However city and public transporation authority use revenue from advertising to lower their costs so many people would not like hihger prices when all ads would be removed.
Emo Bear 30+
I said “Less”, not “Eliminate” — that's why I cite São Paulo as an extreme example.
If you watched the video I had linked, think of millions spent targeting children and how many hours of advertisements they will have seen before they even go to school. (Related Google search: “by the time they are 36 months old, American children recognize an average of 100 brand logos”)
Certainly, we can find a balance between the two.
Zdenek Smith 100+
I am not sure if Sao Paulo is extreme. Perhaps all other cities are extreme in "polluting" cities with ads? =)
Kareem UZ
Emo Bear 30+
To be clear, let’s say the blood supply is running low at a local blood bank and money is spent on a campaign asking the public to donate blood with billboards and TV ads, then that would be good/positive advertising and I would support that.