advertising manipulation

How Advertising Manipulates Your Choices and Spending Habits (and What to Do About It) 5/15/12 11:13 PM

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How AdvertisingManipulates YourChoices and SpendingHabits (and What to DoAbout It)

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Tie a Tic in 5 Seconds Flat£Advertisements aren't inherently bad, butmany use manipulative tactics that influencein ways we don't even realize. Despite how much you think you ignore them, and how little youmay believe they affect you, that's not necessarily the case. Here's a look at how manipulative adswork, the problems they cause, and what you can do to avoid these negative consequences.

You see ads every day, whether it's on a web page, before a movie, or in the middle of a TV show,and it's easy to say "they're just ads" because, at worst, they feel like a nuisance or interruption.A lot of people have difficulty accepting the idea that ads are manipulative because we want tobelieve we're in complete control of our choices. While the concept of advertising isn't inherentlyproblematic, we've moved on from the "Eat at Joe's" sign to far more complex and sometimeseven moving, cinematic messages that are designed to create significant memories of a product.These memories are created because an ad succeeds at making us feel something—whether it'sgood or bad—and that emotional response can have a profound effect on how we think and thechoices we make. Not all advertising is bad, but we're going to take a look at what's problematic,what isn't, and ways you can avoid the negative effects associated with so much of what youpassively experience.

The Problem: Advertising Is for the Rich, Not YouPhoto by Advertising exists because there's a product a

company wants to sell and they want peopleto know about it so they can buy it. Thismuch is obvious. Sometime" ,,,■,, "••"'><">» S* 1cleaning spray or a microw; more stories.

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