Sociology

Kilbourne, in his article argues that advertisements are geared toward promoting a culture of excessive buying within the society. He further goes to argue that advertising has made a major impact in terms of the influence it has on the audience it targets. He argues that this is due to the fact that companies are willing to spend millions of dollars to produce advertisements that would target a large audience, and even more money to make sure the advert is aired to ensure that the target audience gets to see the advert itself. He writes that these companies even spend millions of dollars to ensure that the best researchers are hired to research on the specific target areas that are to be zeroed on. On the issue of the influence of advertisements on the audience, he further argues that advertisements have an influence, and I agree with his sentiments considering that advertisements have a way of setting itself deep in the subconscious part of the brain, such that one will find himself or herself buying a product based on an advert that one saw, even through he  she cannot remember seeing that particular advertisement (Kilbourne, 1999).

Kilbourne also talks of the influence of advertising, and if it can be compared to peer pressure. He categorically states that advertisements try to veer from the accusations that they provide, some sort of peer pressure to the audience, especially teenage kids. He says that advertisement companies despite their denial to the peer pressure aspect of their advertisements campaigns are in fact influencing the teenage generation by peer pressure. I tend to agree with him, considering that these advertisements are normally splashed with colorful pictures, and portray coolness that comes with the use of the products being advertised. For instance tobacco and beer advertisers, who as much as they might claim that their adverts does not influence anyone into drinking or smoking, do in fact influence a certain individual, who to others is a role model, a leader or someone that other people look up to. In this way, they do not influence the teenagers directly, but via other people, and hence it is peer pressure tactics in a sense (Kilbourne, 1999).

Kilbourne also talks of the role of the World Wide Web in the advertising industry. He further states that the internet has revolutionized advertising, since products such as tobacco and alcohol whose commercials are banned in most countries can be advertised through this medium. I also agree with his concept that the internet has played a major role in giving the advertising companies more power to influence, especially the younger generation. The manner, in which every website must contain an ad commercial, is proof that the net is a major advertising tool, and there are no restrictions to the content being advertised (Kilbourne, 1999). Consider a 7 year old boy going through his e-mail, and a pop-up, or an e-mail advertising a certain brand of cigarettes pops up. There is no restriction to the products that can be advertised on the internet and this is the power that the advertising companies have over parents. Kilbourne also focuses on the fact that these advertising companies try to capture these youngsters at a very tender age to ensure that they are victims of brand loyalty by ensuring that these kids are addicted to the consumption of a certain brand, and thus cannot use any other brand apart from the one they are used to.

Kilbourne also talks of the extent that these advertising companies are willing to go, to capture their audience. He talks of adverts running on buses, cars, including personal vehicles and the most shocking n schools video systems. He talks of advertising companies wiling to offer free video equipment to school, on condition that they air a certain percentage of the time allocated to their commercials. Kilbourne thinks that this could be hazardous, and I could not agree more. Consider a child who is subjected to 12 minutes a day of religious or political persuasion of a certain orientation, 5 days a week. This will definitely influence the child mind set and probably even alter the childs view of certain religions or political affiliations (Kilbourne, 1999).

Kilbourne finally talks of advertising as being part of our lives, seeing that it is always present everywhere. He says that we cannot shut ourselves or our children from the advertising world, no matter how hard we try. His sentiments are can be proved in the manner in which advertising firms utilize any large, or even small space available to advertise on. He talks of the manner in which advertisement has now crossed the border differentiating advertising from the rest of our culture (Kilbourne, 1999). In fact, I agree with him and attest to the fact that advertising is part and parcel of our life. Even us as human beings advertise ourselves in the manner that we dress, walk and talk to our employers, potential spouses and friends.

In essence, this article that Kilbourne is writing about, speaks solely on the ills of the advertisement agencies, and how it has influenced the consumer behavior in the equal similar manner. Kilbournes arguments can be proved scientifically, considering the tactics that the advertising companies are using. It is evident that these companies are out to please their clients, as they are willing to use any measure legal to reach, and ensure that the target audience is reached. The use of researchers to do research on kids further explains the scientific angle that these agencies are now employing (Kilbourne, 1999).

The companies hiring these agencies are also partly to blame for the buy, buy, buy culture that the advertising agencies are creating. These companies with a desperate bid to ensure that they have a young customer base, lead them to disregard advertising across all ages, for example Kilbourne talks about a company selling bras that advertises on a website designed for kids, with an aim of getting the girls child, to be loyal to their brands at an early age, with an aim of retaining them in future as customers. I also believe that this is a tactic that is cheap and policies should be set up by majority of the countries, and take an example from the European Union, who already in most of their countries, have banned some forms of advertisements (Kilbourne, 1999).

In a nutshell, I can safely conclude that Kilbournes findings, are accurate, and that advertisement regulation is important in a sane society, so as to prevent the corporate world from taking over the lives of the upcoming generation. He even talks of a fiction novel where corporations sponsor a whole year and use it as a form as advertisement, for example, instead of the year 2010, they say The year of the Bud or the year of the Chevron. As much as most, would disagree, advert regulation is necessary, for the sake of the sanity of the society and culture as a whole.