Advertisements and their Advertiser

When talking about consumer privacy and the fact that internet tracking is so sophisticated now that there are actual algorithms used to track purchases is a scary involvement to some consumers. The fact that a store can track your purchases, use these purchases to catalog you, and use this information to send you benefits to help you save money on their products is also somewhat ingenious. Technology, as I said before, is an evolving creature that has no boundaries. It does not take in account privacy or laws. It does not abide by any rules. It’s just there. As consumers we need to set lines and borders on what’s right and what is wrong. You wouldn’t let a rabid dog go running around the neighborhood without a leach on would you? Technology is kind of like that. It doesn’t mean to hurt people or harm them; it doesn’t know better. But if you teach it and set some ground rules you’ll get a better behaved dog- same goes with technology and its uses.

On the matter of technology, let’s dive into advertisements. We are presented with them every day, bombard after bombard of “buy my product and make my company happy” commercials and ad’s. But advertisers are becoming smarter and efficient with their tactics. Advertisers target the products that will appeal to a certain age group or gender by using their loss of privacy as a key method. Now this could have a negative and positive outcome. Let’s start with the positive. Our loss of privacy when dealing with companies and stores can be put to use by showing us ads that will appeal individually to the consumer. This could be less time consuming and helpful towards this targeted audience. Companies waste less money and we get to see ads that could be potentially used. But the negative outcome is what concerns me as the consumer.

 I’m too young to buy beer. So when I see a hot chick in a bar serving a guy a “refreshing” beer it makes me uncomfortable. Even though I can’t buy the product yet, (not saying that I want to but the example sake) I still don’t see why a hot guy couldn’t be handing a girl a beer. When you walk into a bar you see both groups of guys and girls. You may not always see the hot bartender but that shouldn’t be an expectation when you go out.

Leaning on this example, stereotypes enforced by advertisers is another negative outcome. We shouldn’t trust this. I mean come on! Guys aren’t the only people on the planet to drink beer! Ever hear girls can do the same thing guys can and vice versa? Pushing this stereotype and gender class is useless. Advertisers need to stop pushing these ideas into viewer.  It’s as if we still have advertisers from the 1950’s creating commercials for this day and age. Times have change advertisers, get on board.