Mass Communications exam 3

1.       Boorstin says that advertising shares repetition, style and ubiquity. Repetition is important in advertising because the more a consumer hears or sees a phrase, the more likely they are to remember it, which is the advertisers ultimate goal. Style is important as well because the approach an advertiser takes can either make their commercial memorable or forgettable. That is why many advertisers use “tall-talk” which is partial truth. Ubiquity is something advertisers think about because they are always trying to find a new, unexpected place to market their product to the consumer. (Biagi)

2.       Advertising feeds consumerism because ads often make people feel like they don’t have enough. They always want more, or newer items because advertisers make consumers think they need them.  The first printed advertisement was made in 1478. The click-through rate is the rate at which the consumer clicks the internet ad to learn more. At a less than 1% click-through rate, advertisers have not tackled internet advertising yet. Demographics are used to help advertisers target their consumer. I think it is fair because in this capitalistic society, making money is the object. It’s up to the consumer to educate themselves and know better. (Biagi)

3.       Media makes their profits from advertisers who pay money to be marketed. Media depends on advertisers because they are both directly linked to each other. The media that is most receptive to the advertiser receives more of that advertiser’s ads. Without ads, the media would not be able to function at such a high standard. Ads are a large source of revenue. Once again I think that businesses need to survive and make money for the good of the country as a whole. Profit is survival. I again believe it is up to the consumer to remove naivety and be aware of falsehoods whether they are stated or not. (Biagi)

4.       The federal government is the largest employer of PR people. They have about 4,000 people working in public relations. There are about 161,000 PR people in the U.S. Public relations people work closely with advertisers and the media. Satellites and the internet have allowed public relations to become a global workforce. (Biagi)

5.       The Public Relations Society of America created a code of ethics in 1954 and in 1959 it merged with the declaration of principles. (236). The difference between advertisers and PR people is that advertisers are hired to sell a product. PR people help make company policy on how to deal with the press and employees. (Biagi)

6.       As president I would side with advertisers because the country’s economic standing is far more important than whether or not advertisers were being wholly truthful.