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March 16, 2007
Crap, it worked
I really should be finishing my project right now (the one I took the survey for), but I'm irritated and I want to blog about it.
Okay, my project is about the Little Prince, and some of the lessons learned from it. Specifically the thoughts on Materialism. Right now, I'm doing research about tweens and marketing/advertising. It's pretty depressing. I found this site, http://360youth.com, which essentialy informs companies how to trick kids to buy stuff they don't need (and join the military. ha! or wait...:( :( DOUBLE SADFACE) It's sad because I realized I was a victim.
In Middle School, and High School, we were forced to put book covers on all our books. Book covers could be found for free in the office, and they were covered with sweet illustrations and logos of our favorite companies, Nike, Gatorade, etc... This is one of the ways 360youth offers to reach kids, because as they show:
-75% of schools require or actively recommend the use of book covers by students. Another 16% make sure to have book covers available for their students.
WE WERE TRICKED! I didn't even think of that as a kid, and why would I! We're not educated about it! These were brands we all wanted! I wanted a pair of Nike's so bad. But, my mom said it was stupid for my growing foot to rest in a $110 dollar shoe all day in classs. She was right, but I didn't understand. As far as book covers go, I always turned them inside out. Not because I was cool, and understood anything, but because I liked to draw on them...which led me to like being creative, which then lead me to school for art, which lead me to hating art classes, which lead me to thinking, "hey, in advertising I can be creative." And that's where I am. I'm majoring in something I don't agree with, or really like that much.
I don't really know what my view of Children's advertising was before this project. I had said I was against it. I have said I'm against a lot of things (which usually doesn't get friendly responses in ad classes). I really wonder what's going to happen after I graduate. I'm either going to be really picky about an agency (because I don't think advertising is all bad, just the crap that deceives everyone), or maybe I can work for an ad awareness program. Then again, I could just wash windows, and work towards my ultimate life goal (which I'll work towards no matter what). I have also thought about going to Grad school and becoming a librarian. Shoot.
Maybe Ad Busters will be hiring.
Posted by cory at March 16, 2007 5:59 PM
Comments
I had a teacher in middle school who handed us the book covers and then said something to the effect of, "See this? This is an advertisement. These awful people want you to spend money on their awful products. Don't. You are smarter than this. Ignore the ads, make your own!" And encouraged us to turn them inside out and draw on them. I was still deceived into wanting Nikes I didn't need. Then one day I turned to Airwalks to my mom's happy surprise.
Posted by: kevin at March 16, 2007 9:07 PM
I always turned those book covers inside out....so that only the white was facing outward. Maybe it's because I knew corporate advertising was evil.....Or maybe that was because all the office had left was the "girly" book covers.
Posted by: John at March 16, 2007 11:42 PM
I always turned those book covers inside out....so that only the white was facing outward. Maybe it's because I knew corporate advertising was evil.....Or maybe that was because all the office had left was the "girly" book covers.
Posted by: John at March 16, 2007 11:42 PM