Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know

Graydon, Shari. Illustrated by Michelle Lamoreaux. Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know. 2013. 155p. ISBN 978-1-55451-560-8. Available at 659.1 GRA on the library shelves.

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When we see an ad on television, on the Internet or in a magazine, we often wonder who they are trying to attract, and we tell ourselves that we as savvy customers are not influenced by advertisement. But there is so much of it everywhere that we often don't realize it. That vehicle involved in this movie's car chase? Advertisement. This full page news report about China? Advertisement. Your friend's t-shirt with the logo of his favorite restaurant? Yes, advertisement. We are bombarded with visual and audio advertisements every day of our lives, from the time we are born to the time we die. Billboards outside; internet sites; broadcast media; clothes; even the food on our shelves are advertisements. How can we survive this onslaught of branding?

Made You Look describes what advertisement is, how it is used to distribute messages, how ads actually work, and what students can do to fight back against all of these ads. We need to realize that we are the ultimate product being marketed and that ads do not contribute to our well-being or our relationships with others, but simply aim to make us purchase more of specific products. There are several steps that we as consumers can take to stop bad advertising and reduce the overall amount of advertising that we see in our lives. Helpful hints to create one's own impactful advertisement, for business, yard sales, or appealing for donations, are also included.

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