Gotta Have It!

Have you ever seen a commercial for a product, and felt like you needed it right then? You felt like if you didn’t get that product that the world would inevitably end. Well, that is exactly what the marketer wants you to feel.

Commercialism wasn’t always a bad thing. It originally dealt with commerce, which was a word for trade or how people interacted. That then turned into Commercial, this dealt with specific aspects that involved trade that were apart from other activities. The word Commercialism itself didn’t develop until the middle of the 19th century.

Commercialism has a negative connotation. It deals with a system doing anything it can to make a financial profit. A lot of times the customer is not even considered, except for the fact of how to get them to buy the product.

Today if you watch TV, walk through the mall, or get on the internet, you will be cornered by any number of advertisements. There are so many companies that have advertising campaigns to get you to buy their products. The problem is, is that when commercialism comes into play the companies lose track of making the best product they can, but turn to the product that is most marketable.

H.G. Wells said, “Advertising is legalized lying.” Companies can change how their products look or the slogan of the product, but make little or no actual improvement to their product. If they can make us want the product enough, we will ultimately buy the product whether we need it or not.

Marketing can create a need in our lives. Be careful what you buy. Did you really need that new product, or was that just a really good advertisement?

Joel Heslop
Comm 203