I was just on holiday in France. Fantastic time, very relaxing and it led me to miss some deadlines. Shame on me, however I think that it is positive that I can still lose myself and let things go. One of very interesting experiences during my trip was staying in a village with no advertising at all (and no internet connection). At first, I didn’t noticed this, after a while I was wondering what’s wrong here. There was something missing in the landscape. And finally I realized â€" there was no advertising around me! I wandered through streets searching for some commercial message. There was none! I was pretty impressed by it and it made to think about the impact advertising has on people and its role in our culture.
Advertising has become part of our culture; there is nothing new in it. It is almost triviality to say it.  It has its opponents and advocates. It is interesting, it is exciting and it is hard to imagine the world without it. We have faced lately the discussion about Heinz commercial that focused on stereotypes, homophobia, etc., not to mention Bob Garfield’s Open Letter to Omnicom President-CEO John Wren about his advertising agencies being politically incorrect. You could believe that are more serious problems bugging our world, not just silly advertising. How can two kissing men become such an issue that it kicks fierce debate off and takes a lot of prime time on TV? Because we take commercials seriously, as the part of culture that shapes people’s minds and attitudes. Advertising doesn’t just carry ideology, advertising is ideology itself. Advertising is contemporary ideology and myth.  You are worth it.Myths are built of symbolic expressions, emotions and ideals that are specific for the culture. Advertising is myth itself as it is claims to dictate who the ideal beauty is, how to take care for your home and what the best nutrition is for you and your family. Advertising creates role models that fit into every day life situations from nutrition, through sex, work and education. People tend to follow those role models and replay them in their life in order to live in keeping with social and cultural norms, make their life easier and more fulfilling. Advertising is a myth that pictures the appropriate lifestyle and proper values. Further on, advertising creates a new myth â€" myth of human obsessed with consumption that secures happiness â€" clothes that symbolize success, hair coloring shampoo that makes you look younger, cereals that make you healthy and perfume that makes you more desirable and give you control. B. Malinowski said that culture is the mechanism that satisfies human needs and desires. We all crave for health, love and safety and here comes advertising to save us with its ready-to-use solutions how to satisfy those needs. (Did advertising become important cultural tool for survival?) Persons from advertising embody our needs and desires and make them easy to satisfy. The fulfillment is a few blocks away, on the shelf of the local store. The road to our salvation goes through flicking screens and it isn’t demanding. It is convenient, the way we want it and like it.   From Chaos to Order
Advertising rules the world being the guide to successful lifestyle for some and art for others. It is the modern parable, showing us the role models and how to live. Its goal is to bring us round to that it tells the truth. Advertising myth tells about moving from chaos to order - from being overweight to being fit and hot.  Myth is timeless and sacralizes everyday. Every day can be sacred thanks to the advertised products. We need and crave more and more. Products and services become essential. Advertising becomes the guide through life. Advertising teaches us what reality is. The line between media and reality is vague. They melt and we can no longer tell what affects our behavior. We can’t any longer tell where media ends and reality begins. We can’t, because the passage is seamless. Media and advertising enforces the vision of world where we lose the ability to distinguish the natural needs form the artificial ones driven by advertising. I’ve once heard that without advertising we would feel as being on the desert island. I’ve not felt like being on the desert island during my vacation but I felt awkward because I am used to advertising. What’s my point? We can’t fight against advertising; it is the part of the culture. We need to accept it and understand it. We can laugh at it, we can condemn it or we can love it but it is the background of our life and the picture of who we are (rather then whom we want to be).  Happy summer to you all.
I'm a 33-year-old Sociologist, was born in Poland and moved to Denmark six years ago because of love. I've worked for different media agencies throughout the last 8 years, focusing on strategic planning, social media and social networking dynamics in advertising and media planning. I am currently with Vizeum in Denmark, and in my free time I am a passionate photographer and blogger. You may also find articles by Daria at the TalentZoo.com website under Ads Without Borders.
(Source:http://www.earticlesbase.com/2010/07/02/advertising-is-a-myth/)