Advertising needs to be reigned in

Karlin

Council Member
Jun 27, 2004
1,275
2
38
Its time to acknowledge the ability of ads to manipulate our habits and thinking. It IS powerfull stuff, the ads are effective or they wouldn't do them. We are being manipulated into doing things we would not normally, rationally, do.

Showing FOOD will stimulate hunger in people. There is not doubt of that. Obesity is the number ONE problem in health these days, as it leads to any number of illnesses.... worse than smoking now.Sure, this is a problem of the quality of the food supply, but that actual act of buying and eating them is where the rubber hits the road. This is where ADS play a bigger role than they should - after all , its manipulative and really does have the power to get us to do things we would otherwise not do - like eating twinkies or fast foods. We are ARTIFICIALLY convinced to eat when we do not need to, and this is a basic bio-logical function that they are toying with, at our expense and discomfort, for their profits.

Showing big HORSEPOWER in vehicles is not responsible. The earth is in a catastrophic state due to emissions, and vehicle makers share the blame for that. Yet, they continue to create effective ads for large horsepower vehicles. We are convinced that the greatest thrill, and our god-given right, is to drive really fast. How silly - driving fast is just a vicarious thrill with no real input from the participants, just push the pedal and go... its dangerous and damages the atmosphere. We don't have room for that small and meaningless thrill ride anymore - this is the 21st C. and there are 8 billion people speeding around.

Advertising of Drugs... pharmacy drugs are being used in a wreckless and dangerous manner. Its not about HEALTH anymore, its erections and energy levels and relaxing - isn't that the pervue of street drugs? Why do the pharmacy people get to peddle this stuff when others are jailed for it?
Also,for pills for treating medical conditions - are none of them safe to use? Reduce the symptoms of one problem only end up with a damaged heart or liver?? Starting taking any of these pharmacy drugs is a risky thing to do, and ads that get people to go to their doctor to actually REQUEST one of these dangerous pills are off the scale of ir-responsibility.
And those ads are full of LIES! Real medical lies, actually lying about the pills, how the disease works, and what you can expect from taking them!! Omissions of dangers is also a big part of the pill ads - that blurb at the end telling of side effects is more designed to relax our fears than to warn us of anything.

I could go on
- kids toys, and even junk food marketed directly to them;
- household cleaners and products that are shown to have great qualities and abililtes that rarely live up to the ads hype; they are often toxic and that is not mentioned.

Lies and manipulation are not moral behaviors. Advertising is not moral. It is not right to have it on pubic television broadcasts when it does not meet a code of morality and honesty and safety.

Karlin
 

bogie

Electoral Member
Jun 21, 2002
681
0
16
75
Barrie, ON Canada
maltesefalcon.bogart.com
Such is a free-speech society. If "truth" was mandatory, then we wouldn't have any political campaigns :)

Removing that right, and you are implementing "thought police".

Freedom of choice also stands true here. "The people" are the society and its rules. If "the people" cannot restrain themselves from purchasing gas-guzzlers and restrain their eating habits, then no amount of advertising, or lack of, is going to change that.

You are talking about complete control over everything "visual and verbal". As "advertising" is not just TV, radio, and Internet, but also anything in print, labels, signs, and "word of mouth".

Our economy is driven by "purchasing power", and "advertising" powers the engine for that power.
 

missile

House Member
Dec 1, 2004
4,846
17
38
Saint John N.B.
No matter how hard a product is advertised,I only buy what I need. Otherwise,I and all the other men in the world,would be out shopping for shampoos and feminine napkins-90 percent of all the ads I see are for this crap.
 

Bozono

New Member
Mar 6, 2005
8
0
1
416er
RE: Advertising needs to

Bogie hit it. In Democracy, you got to take some crap for the better good. What I can't stand about advertising is the fact that many forget who's paying for all these annoying billboards. Consumers. Don't shop at the Gap unless you enjoy seeing those things on every second bus. You buy a Coke and probably 10% of profit is allocated to adverts. And still you have to pay for cable tv and such. Always seemed strange to me.
 

HOCK

Nominee Member
Feb 18, 2005
71
0
6
Kingston, Ontario
I would still like to see us (Canada/US) take on Europe's way with TV advertising. You watch a show/movie without interuption and then they play 10 minutes of commericals and go to the next show. Great idea....
 

Gonzo

Electoral Member
Dec 5, 2004
997
1
18
Was Victoria, now Ottawa
When I would drive from Sidney to Victoria alot of the side of the highway has billboards. Vancouver island is suppose to be beautiful, but I wonder how long it will be until the whole drive is covered with advertisement and the scenery is blocked.
 

Reverend Blair

Council Member
Apr 3, 2004
1,238
1
38
Winnipeg
RE: Advertising needs to

It's like the George Carlin version of America the beautiful, Gonz..."And hide the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea."
 

CanadaLoyalty

New Member
Jun 24, 2005
7
0
1
www.canadaloyalty.com
Ads are effective at influencing behavour, otherwise thre would not be so many profitable enterprises in this area.
You do have the freedom to avoid all advertising.
Advertising supports sports, newpapers, movies, TV, etc. that many people find valuable. Without advertising, these industries would not exist in their current form.
 

Reverend Blair

Council Member
Apr 3, 2004
1,238
1
38
Winnipeg
RE: Advertising needs to

We should demand truth in advertising though. For instance SUV ads could have a little scrolling thing at the bottom detailing the effects of pollution on health, the effects of global warming, and the fact that 93% of SUV driver observed by Reverend Blair were to damned to stupid to use their mirrors.
 

missile

House Member
Dec 1, 2004
4,846
17
38
Saint John N.B.
Re: RE: Advertising needs to be reigned in

HOCK said:
I would still like to see us (Canada/US) take on Europe's way with TV advertising. You watch a show/movie without interuption and then they play 10 minutes of commericals and go to the next show. Great idea....
Right! that would be just fine with me,too. :)
 

Jo Canadian

Council Member
Mar 15, 2005
2,488
1
38
PEI...for now
You do have the freedom to avoid all advertising.

Yes we do, but as time goes on there seem to be more ways for advertising to get more in your face, no matter where you're looking. At least in urban areas anyways.

Ads are necessary for our society here to function. But since anything in this life can be abused, rather than reigning in ads, it may be best to somehow have responsibility* used with advertising methods.





*I know, I know advertising/responsibility is somehow like an oxymoron nowadays.
 

TenPenny

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 9, 2004
17,466
138
63
Location, Location
I like your comment about drugs:"Advertising of Drugs... pharmacy drugs are being used in a wreckless and dangerous manner."

Interesting take; did you know it's illegal to advertise prescription drugs in Canada, other than in professional journals?

Ever notice the only ads for prescription drugs are on US tv channels, and US magazines?
 

Karlin

Council Member
Jun 27, 2004
1,275
2
38
Well that sure put me in the back seat. Good replies...

Freedom of speach means freedom to dominate the media with lies, okay, good point. Even if there are MORE lies than truth its okay, I see that. I just wished I had the opportunity to say stuff on national TV - oh , you say I do, its a free world and if I can get into the upper echelons of corporate culture and make lots of money I too can run TV ads.... [that cynisicm is about the wealth-driven right to have more free speach than most people do]

Other thoughts posted include these gems:

Rev quote: "We should demand truth in advertising though. For instance SUV ads could have a little scrolling thing at the bottom detailing the effects of pollution on health, the effects of global warming"

and CanadaLoyalty quote: "Ads are effective at influencing behavour, otherwise there would not be so many profitable enterprises in this area."

THATS the one I was waiting for. THEY ARE EFFECTIVE. And being effective, and yet NOT THE TRUTH, deliberately designed to manipulate. Is that still a RIGHT under free speach? Not to me...not to lie.


one more from CL "You do have the freedom to avoid all advertising" [shows the balanced apporach to see both sides, good on ya!]

K-
what kind of "rights" do we have if we have to go out of our way to avoid something disgusting? That sounds all wrong somehow... A free society where we have to miss out on the main media/entertainment culture if we "choose" to not view manipulative and lying ads? C'mon, thats not the free Canada I desire... are your sights set so low?

You would sacrifice a lot to avoid all advertising.

Having a right to avoid "whats being plastered everywhere we choose to look" seems a lot like having the right to go to jail if you don't kill the jews in 1930s germany, or having the right to go to jail if you don't want to fight in the Iraq invasion...

But obviously I am wrong to demand this, the majority here wants to allow advertising to be whatever it wants no matter what harm and manipulation and lying it contains. Can I get in in that too?

Maybe I am just miffed that not everybody agrees with me, but I can take some pride in knowing that as this world goes down, it wasn't ME at the helm championing the "rights" of industry to do whatever it wants.

Its satisfying to be a heritic in these times,
Karlin
 

TenPenny

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 9, 2004
17,466
138
63
Location, Location
Some interesting thoughts, but I beg to disagree with Rev.

Rev quote: "We should demand truth in advertising though. For instance SUV ads could have a little scrolling thing at the bottom detailing the effects of pollution on health, the effects of global warming"

That isn't truth in advertising, it's adding an editorial discussion about the consequences of using the product in a certain way. By the same token, any ad for a computer would have to have a scrolling message that viewing of pornography is related to abuse of women. It just doesn't fly. You can't make an editorial comment on every conceivable use or misuse of a product, so the comments could not possibly be unbiased.

The solution is to ignore the ads. And people are doing that, which is why you see so many "imbedded" products in movies and tv shows. You as a consumer have the ability to ignore or stop watching ads, or turn off the tv. It's just that simple.

You just can't make yourself out to be a victim because you feel bombarded by ads. So you'll miss out on popular culture? Popular culture IS ads....99% of it. And clothing, with "designer" labels....it's advertising. Don't forget, the sole purpose of tv is to deliver advertising to consumers. Any educational or entertainment derived from that is purely secondary, and is the way the networks attract the viewers to see the ads.

You don't have to open yourself up to the advertising.