The Powerful Reach of Advertising.

The rather incessant, intrusive nature of modern day commercials has made them a most unwelcome addition to our lives. When does the noise end? They are seen on the big screen, small screen and in print format in magazines, in such totality, that it seems that the ads are the foundation of the magazines themselves. ... The snippets of articles, 'sight bites' and recipes on a page, seem like a distraction to the real intent of this form of print media: to sell products being displayed within the magazine format.

Do commercials form an integral part of our television viewing today or are the shows we watch simply the vehicle for these fast-paced product promoting vignettes?... Is television even television today? ... It seems it is more a medium to showcase goods and services whose companies can afford the premium rates charged for the time slots chosen. Then we have the darlings of the product industry that seem to bully other similar products vying for space in the retail market for the all-important consumer dollar.


These mini messages - T.V. commercials - appear in an undulating strip of 15-second time slots or less, trying to influence our seemingly endless buying frenetic lifestyle - one after another. ... This marketing ploy is relentless. ... Once upon a time, commercials were simple little breaks in the show or movie we were watching. They occupied less than the 15 minutes per hour. Now, it seems, commercials are the ruling class of television or movie theaters. ... In the lower right/left hand corners of the television screen, we now have tiny reminders of what we are watching and what is coming next - a continual bombardment on our senses that never ends. Why is this really necessary? Does this 'marking' serve to ruin the show/movie we are watching/taping by this intrusive act? It would seem that our lives are being dumbed down by these unwelcome fast paced 'happy' interruptions of the soft sell. Thank goodness, we have the mute button. ...


When drugs are being advertised it is a much more serious affront to our senses. They tell us a tale of untold happiness in solving our most serious health malaise. As the commercial unfolds, and if we have not left the room, seconds later, the contraindications of this drug's use are now mentioned in rapid-fire fashion, so as to confuse us and maybe mask its true intentions not readily known by us in considering the drug as an option for our health ill. We trust the commercial, so it follows, we must trust the drug. This type of commercial and others like it makes a mockery of other drugs which have withstood the test of time and have helped millions of people stay healthy and alive. I was a guinea pig for a drug that promised bone strength in a simple little pill. I was fearful of its efficacy for my osteoporosis. Nevertheless, I used the drug for two months and realized its contraindications in short order. Years later, this drug was taken off the market.

Clinical trials 'don't impress me much'. I stopped taking my so-called 'miracle' drug and struggled with chronic pain while walking, sitting, lifting and sleeping, for well over a year. My middle son's health background and simple advice of eating simply and walking, returned theMomsey to her former glory but in better shape, pain-free and more aware of the parameters of the pharmaceutical reach! What are the parameters of clinical studies, I wonder, the length of time taken to study the drug's effects on the human body? What are the credentials of the individuals doing these clinical studies? On whom are these sacrosanct drugs being tested? Was the study begun or were its conclusions reached on a Monday, after a long weekend?... The questions are endless for theMomsey. 

Commercials are quick picks. They gloss over the many aspects of a newly derived drug as they promote its promised happy, long life, playing in the lush forest, or on the playground lifestyle. ...
Millions of dollars are at stake in the advertising world. We know it. We trust implicitly. We listen as the commercial tells us a truth that might belie another. ...Then we have the mighty billion-dollar beauty industry aimed at women of whom I am a member, most of the time! Magazines have different titles but the contents look the same. We need to dress a certain way, moisturize this, colour that, and do what the latest 'trends' tell us to do in order to feel our best and look it. In a 15-second T.V. time-slot or space on a page, we see the possibilities of the advertised product. We must eat it, taste it, wear it, use it or simply own it to be thought as being healthy, happy, beautiful, and sometimes just fine.

Print media, be totally reasonable, please. Put the print ad at the back of the magazine. I will read it there. Stop splitting up recipes with ads on back. Use both sides of the printed page for the article or recipe to be worthy of my purchase of the magazine. I do not want to be reminded of your  unending intention for me to buy your product. Inform me. Do not pound it into my brain.... Stop treating me and others like me with disdain. I will decide - not you - how I spend my time and money.  If you truly want my attention, then respect me and make me laugh.

Commercials pay for programming; advertisements, for the print media. I get that. But please be ever so humble and realize that it is the consumer that makes all of it work. The consumer is king. Without our attention and our consumer dollar, you got nothing, absolutely nothing!