Tilt of the advertisement

Author: Wei Junying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: This is a book written for those who are interested in advertising. Similarly, people who dislike advertising can also find supporting arguments in it, because our discussion about advertising is not limited to its praise and affirmation. Any individual may not pay attention to advertising, but they cannot refuse to come into contact with it. As the genius McLuhan once said, "Advertising is not designed for people to consume consciously. It is designed as a pill for the unconscious, with the purpose of creating a hypnotic magic, especially for sociologists." Indeed, this is the case. If advertising is considered a form of mass education, many people might scoff at it. However, when the expenses of various advertisements are almost on par with the entire national education budget, and when they use mass media as the main channel to relentlessly promote their messages, we no longer have a reason to ignore this intrusive force that affects our lives. Perhaps Toynbee's assertion is a bit alarmist: the future of human civilization depends on our struggle against Madison Avenue (Madison Avenue is the hub of advertising in New York). However, the wisdom he expresses has a prophetic insight. We are facing an undeniable fact: whether you acknowledge it or not, advertising has become a fundamental form of expression in modern society. It permeates our lives in every aspect, not only directly affecting the market and economic activities but also influencing people's ideas and behaviors, even becoming an interpretation of human lifestyles. On one hand, advertising, as a form of forced participation, makes it impossible for us to avoid; on the other hand, we cannot live without advertising in our daily lives. While we are helpless in the face of advertising, we are also filled with appreciation for it. As a result, advertising is becoming increasingly prevalent, and its fully socialized characteristics and diverse expressions not only have a significant impact on economic life but also play a guiding role in people's cultural trends and aesthetic tastes.
Logos is a timeless topic. Interestingly, while philosophers and cultural scholars are endlessly interpreting Logos, advertisers have already straightforwardly used it to simplify their identity systems and symbolic creations. In fact, in Greek, Logos means discourse, which later expanded to include knowledge, learning, essence, structure, substance, God, reason, and more. Philosophers believe that humans not only live in the physical world but also in the symbolic world, so Aristotle had a classic definition: "Man is a logos animal." Put simply, humans are animals of symbols and culture. Without a doubt, advertising is a cultural symbol with an emotional hue that represents humanity in the commercial society. In this book series, we shift our focus from advertising to society and individuals, attempting to uncover certain universally meaningful issues in human attitudes and behavioral transformations through the exploration of advertising phenomena. Therefore, as an understanding of the current state of advertising, our perspective strives to transcend the limitations of traditional advertising, such as the spiritual dimension of advertising, the integration of advertising information, the pursuit of entertainment in advertising, the cultural transcendent values expressed by advertising, and even the confusion and awkwardness of advertising, all of which are within the scope of our research.
To fully convey the unique symbolic system and characteristics of advertising, we consciously combine textual descriptions with image explanations in the layout. This approach is driven by two main considerations: First, because advertising, as an independent symbolic system, integrates the symbolic characteristics of its basic elements—such as text, images, and sound. Understanding advertising goes beyond logical and rational analysis; it also requires more sensory descriptions and visual demonstrations. Second, we attempt to use this method to describe advertising concepts and symbolic characteristics while also presenting a colorful tapestry of advertising, blending engaging reading with delightful viewing. Perhaps this is an attempt at a new reading style as traditional textual communication transitions into contemporary visual communication.
From the perspective of advertising itself, this choice is inevitable. Observing advertising through a new lens means accepting a challenge that transcends tradition. Although, in essence, we still regard advertising as a means of marketing communication and do not deny the pursuit of advertising's driving forces and the admiration for creative planning, which primarily stem from economic motivations, we also believe that this pursuit enriches human spiritual and cultural progress. In this regard, we strive to move beyond a narrow understanding of advertising, neither avoiding its allure to humanity norly viewing it as a source of materialistic sin. We must admit, this is the world we inhabit—a diverse yet unified tapestry of colors.
Broadening our perspective also means examining advertising with an expansive and open-minded gaze. Its marginal effects and influences far exceed our imagination, and there are so many propositions that demand our attention that we are often overwhelmed by the realization that the scope of our vision is so limited. Fortunately, in this completely open era, tolerance and understanding are a self-reflective shield bestowed upon us by civilization. Therefore, although the authors of this book series are mostly young and emerging talents in the advertising industry, and their narrative style and theoretical interpretations may have shortcomings, we still gather the courage to present our own insights. Perhaps this is an attempt to flourish advertising research and expand the horizons of advertising, though it may be rough, yet it is more in line with the needs of the present to cast a stone to draw forth pearls.
We extend our gratitude to the leaders of Xiamen University Press, a well-known publisher of advertising books, and to Mr. Wang Yimin, a man of rigorous and meticulous scholarship, whose support and guidance made the publication of this "New Perspectives in Advertising Series" possible. We look forward to even broader horizons in advertising.