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the Tom Weekly |
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an online magazine |
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Are you interested in an online magazine? Are you looking for freelance writers, writings, articles, commentary, e-myths, essays, almanacs, short stories, weekly columns, or columnists? What about humor or humorists? How about satire, satirists, comedy, humor, a funny story, politics, or political critiques? Does miscellaneous writer stuff interest you? Are you looking in the Cleveland, Ohio area? Copyright © 2007-2008, T.E.P. Your use of this site constitutes your acceptance of the LEGAL RESTRICTIONS AND TERMS OF USE. © Copyright 2008, T.E.P., the Tom Weekly, All Rights Reserved. |
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Featured up-and-comer. |
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Ad Execs Take Over UN, New Illuminati Start Taking "New World Orders" For Naming Rights To 7 Wonders Even the Anti-Christ says this is bad news. by Stacy Ferguson (2/27/08) (non-fiction) (462 words) |
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from the monstrous amounts of exaggeration, misinformation, prevarication, equivocation, and fabrication involved in persuading us to mass consume; and that rhymes with gloom; right here in River City. It seems that the movie and television industries can't make ends meet anymore without product placement - or, more likely, they can't resist the additional profit. Gloria Steinem clearly laid out the reason for Ms. Magazine's ad revenue struggles in the 1970s and '80s - integrity. The readership and circulation was on par with many financially healthy magazines, but it couldn't reconcile the "complimentary copy" (recipes, beauty tip articles, etc.) mandated by advertisers for women's magazines, with Ms.'s (quality) journalistic philosophy. Sadly, advertisers refused to change their demands no matter how much marketing research proved them wrong.5 "Broadcasting (and much print media)… exists primarily to deliver a specific commodity (us) to paying advertisers" [Hague, Barth (1986).].6 "If you marry the right product to the right script… they won't even notice what's going on" [Harkness, Dave (2005). VP for VNU, an ad-consulting group.].7 "You can fool some of the people all of the time..." You know the quote (P.T. Barnum, or Lincoln, or Lincoln's chamber pot attendant - the source is disputed). But he left out an option. You can fool MOST of the people, MOST of the time - if you have a slick ad agency. |
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Does the advertising industry have too much power? Does a large brown furry mammal belonging to the family Ursidae (of the order Carnivora) defecate in a woodland area supporting an understory of shrubs, herbs, or grasses? Unequivocally, YES! Here is a sampling of the abundant amount of articles on the subject: What Are You Worth? Audience For Sale [Hague, Barth (1986). Media & Values.] Product Placement Turns TV Programs Into Commercials [Gillin, Beth (2005). Knight-Ridder.] Sex, Lies, And Advertising [Steinem, Gloria (1990). Ms.] Ad Execs Take Over UN, New Illuminati Start Taking "New World Orders" For Naming Rights To 7 Wonders (it could happen!) I can see it now: The Leaning Tower of Domino's Pisa; The Jeep Grand Cherokee Canyon; The Great Wall (Drug) Of China; The Chrysler Stonehenge (…"this new model really stands the test of time"). And, of course, the Brooklyn Bridge is always for sale. Seriously, where will it all end? At some point, society will be crushed under the weight of advertising. And critical thought will be the primary casualty. The articles listed above abound with examples of content manipulation by sponsors. According to Shawn Rafuse, the author of Advertising And The Rise Of The Consumer Culture [(n.d.). Critical Mass.], the development of mass production in 1920s America inevitably had to lead to mass consumption for it to survive.4 And mass consumption inevitably leads to a stomach ache - or more aptly, a headache |
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...digging for the truth |
