Ads as Ideology: Unveiling Consumer Culture and Commodity Signs

Nowadays, people take ads for granted and decipher them in a 'state of distraction' because there are a considerable number of commercials in television and it is difficult to distinguish their images. Nonetheless, advertisements still can give people a lot of information about the market forces, logical of capital and contemporary culture, but they also disguise inequalities and contradictions.

In this passage, the authors, Goldman and Papson, argue that most corporations pay more attention to advertisements in order to enhance the brand and images of their products, rather than improving product qualities.

I agree with this opinion because advertisements bring a lot of benefits. Ads not only narrative commodities, but also boost the commodity brand-names' values by attaching images or fictitious meanings that possess social and cultural value. Additionally, they encouraged individuals to mindlessly consume dispensable products by changing and stimulating consumers' thoughts or desires. It is a consumerism phenomenon that arises in the 20th century which is characterized by the massive demand for these products.

Get quality help now

Bella Hamilton

Verified writer

Proficient in: Advertising

5 (234)

“ Very organized ,I enjoyed and Loved every bit of our professional interaction ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Advertising routinely unhinging signifiers from signifieds and attached them into another signifieds at ever increasing rates so that it contributes to a post-modern condition. People began to adopt foreign cultures because of the globalization so that they have much more consumerism choice in post-modern society. Nevertheless, fashions always trend for a limited period of time and they will be replaced by new trends. And corporations appropriate and abandon varied cultural elements at an accelerating pace in order to be competitive and garner large market shares.

These situations cause the discarding of purchased materials and accumulating garbage. Also, the consumption of resources is greatly increased due to the individuals' need in ever-increasing amounts, that influences the environment through the production processes.

Besides, in this article, I learned that the meaning system summarised in an image combined with a brand-name commodity construct the commodity sign, such as the Coco Chanel's two interlocked letters 'C'. And commodity signs add values to the products in contemporary consumer-markets. For instance, Nike efficiently used the power of Michael Jordan's image so that it occupied more market shares than Reebok from 1986 to 1993. According to this instance, I realized that it is necessary for everything in the advertising industry to have a potent, competitive and differentiated image.

Furthermore, people prefer to choose particular brands that have some relationship with them. Cite me as an instance, provided that there are two brands, A and B, that are comparable in quality. However, the spokesperson of brand A is my idol. So I preferred to consume products of brand A, rather than brand. At this time, the price-performance ratio and qualities between the products of these two brands do not play important roles in my decisions.

Last but not least, I solve the question from myself that why some complementary or luxury commodities in the past now become necessities. Customers nowadays use signs as an indicator of personal identity to distinguish them from others in society because of the consume culture. The culture emphasis on the happiness that can be gained through consuming or owning personal property and wearing signs, rather than the power of money. In other words, when individuals acquire assets that project their reputation and social status, that will cause consumerism.

Generally speaking, В ads are ideological not only because they construct a word socially and culturally, but also promote a normative vision of individuals' world and relationships. I have a deeper understand to consume culture, consumerism, advertisement and commodity signs after reading this article. I believe that people should not only critically think about the production and consumption of commodities, but also have an awareness of their meanings appropriated by advertising.