EMAC class video response #2

Wow! It has only been two weeks, but I feel like I have been at MICA for an exceptionally long time. This past school week went very smoothly and I am starting to feel more comfortable in this new setting. During the week I had another EMAC class where we looked at another video. This film looked at the worlds of advertising and marketing. It focused on how companies try to sell their product to maximize profits. These companies try to force their ways into the public mind and convince them they need whatever product the company is selling. They turn a boring item into a must-have object. They go through extensive (as well as expensive) research programs and focus groups in order to find the basic, primal feeling of a consumer. It was a interesting science, yet I feel like its based around greed. These companies go through all of this in order to gain the most profit, which is a good goal for a company, yet I feel it cheats the public. Many products out there are not necessities. A person does not need a Hummer to go buy groceries, yet they will buy one anyway. This film made me look at what I spend my money on and why. There are plenty of products that I buy, yet never really need, but this is so normal in our society that I never really notice this personally. I purchase items that make my life easier or more entertaining. Luxury items are expensive, but fun to have. I just hope that some of these companies will cool off, and limit their advertisements. In the video one thing that stuck out was the amount of clutter these companies create. There are ads everywhere, and I get tired of it sometimes. Commercials are boring and repetitive, ad signs litter the roads and cities, will it ever stop or will we slowly fill every nook and cranny with some ad for some product? It would be interesting if the video went more in-depth with Internet advertising, because that form of media is always changing. Overall this was an interesting video that made me look at how i use my money.