Mad for Ads: How Advertising Gets (and Stays) in Our Heads
Chapter ONE A Brand New AD-venture Let’s dress for this AD-venture You also contribute to your brand through social media What you post share and like online create a personality For example you might be thinking of a certain person or group of people when you post something that’s your target audience And maybe you only post photos where you’re surrounded by friends which might mean you brand yourself as popular Some social media users are well aware of their analytics and closely monitor the number of likes and followers they get from each post This kind of background data was once only a corporate tool but now we can all use it to assess the value of our very own online brands What are the brands that contribute to your brand What are you wearing right now Hand-me downs Clothes that were a gift Thrift store finds Or an outfit from a giant retail store What do you like about what you’re wearing Do you feel good in it Do your clothes reflect your sense of style Do you just like to be comfortable Maybe it was simply the first thing you found on your bedroom floor Now let’s go beyond what you’re wearing What’s the last thing you posted online What was the last food or drink you bought What song do you play on repeat All of these decisions reflect a combination of your own beliefs wishes style and taste Here’s another way of putting it you have created your own brand and that brand is you The way you step out into the world is your brand This means you probably already understand something about the way advertising works The brands you support what you wear eat watch buy keep everything communicate something about you my dog's scarf
MY HAT MY SHIRT MY BAG MY WATCH MY DOG'S LEASH MY SOCKS
3000 Messages Creating a brand personality takes time Some of the products we use today have been around for decades some for over 100 years and they might have an instantly recognizable logo or image You can probably think of a few of these How are these corporate brands being built Studies tell us that we see 3000 advertised messages every day If someone said 3000 things to you in another language every day wouldn’t you try to understand what they’re saying If one person said something to you it can be tuned out But if 3000 people did Sheesh that’s a lot of noise Where are those 3000 messages coming from posters buses G821 sports uniforms bus shelters newspapers bus stops social media radio magazines benches public washrooms water bottles
Restaurant SHOP billboards in-game advertising TV commercials the sides of cars flyers subways lampposts storefronts sandwich boards trucks telemarketers bicycles search engine advertising taxi toppers
