Introduction
The modern world is occupied by ads. People see advertisements everywhere: in the streets, in the press, on TV, on cars, in the supermarkets. The advertising is made in such a way that person could not refuse from buying the product which is advertised. Every company has its style according to which ads are created. The advertising for the company became not just the marketing step to promote the product to the market and sell it, but it seems that advertising became the sort of cult.
Advertising is the cult
Advertising in America is the cult, which James B. Twitchell called the Adcult, moreover, he states that “American culture awash in a sea of advertising” (Twitchell 1). What does it mean? It means that American culture is the start of the advertisement in general. The American ads were the first to become world known and so they proudly take up the highest position, awash, in the sea of the world advertising. Watching TV in different countries it is easy to recognize the American ads which are translated into the language of another country. The American culture occupies the world in the meaning of ads. Twitchell gives examples of Coca-Cola and McDonalds which are known all over the world thanks to the ads (Twitchell).
It is difficult to say whether it is good or bad for the country when the Adcult is spread all over the world, but it is impossible to disagree with Twitchell’s words that “much of what we share, and what we know, and even what we treasure is carried to us each second in a plasma of electrons, pixels, and ink created by multinational agencies dedicated to attracting our attention” (Twitchell 1). The entire nation possesses and shows to the society returns distorted, and there is nothing good that the American culture is distorted and spoiled.
Twitchell offers the idea that advertising “creates an artificial desire that rests on a profound ignorance of human nature” (Twitchell 12) and that materialism is not the part of advertising as culture (and it was noted that advertising is the part of the culture) is hostile to the materialism, what means that materialism is hostile to ads.
Considering the notions of materialism and human nature I can’t point that materialism is part of human nature as in this situation advertising would not have any sense as people would need the proofs, which are not given by ads.
Several characteristics of adcult are represented by Twitchell, they are ubiquitous, anonymous, symbiotic, profane, and magical. Ubiquitous means that advertising is everywhere, that it is impossible to avoid it even sitting at home. Anonymous ads mean that it is impossible to find out who was the first to pronounce the phrases publically, such as “Just do it”, “Try it, you will like it” and others. The other ad characteristic is symbiotic, which means that Adcult uses the knowledge from other spheres of people’s lives to create a more powerful advertisement. Twitchell understands the profane characteristic of the ads as the main feature as ads are repeated and make people buy. The magic characteristic of the Adcult is the main as the advertizing makes us think that the products which are advertised are the best and we can’t live without them (Twitchell 16-30).
Conclusion
So, people made out of the ads the Adcult which continues to influence people’s minds. Advertizing is not only the way to promote the product on the market but to show the image of the company, its style. Advertizing became a cult and America is on the top of the mountain of advertising business.
Works Cited
Twitchell, James B. Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 1997.