Blog Post #3

1. According to Berger, advertising influences consumers by giving them a dream of a glamorous life. The reason why this is significant is that consumers believe that in order to live a glamorous life they have to purchase the advertised product. Advertisements feed a dream to consumers that “you are what you have”, as Berger had stated and it makes people consumerists. This is pivotal because those who cannot buy the advertised product don’t feel as if they are worthy or have “made it in life”.
2. The difference between oil paintings and advertisements is important because of the purpose behind them. For example, oil paintings are used for art and to celebrate what has already been possessed. However, when producing advertisements, the intent is to create envy and convince us that if we purchase something our life will be just as glamorous.
3. One of the dreams Berger mentions is the skin dream. Advertisements on TV, social media, magazines, etc. make us believe if we purchase a product, our skin will be just as clear and beautiful as the model in the photos and we’ll have a glamorous life. In reality, when producing these advertisements they use enhancement features such as photoshop and editing, and it’s a very great chance the model has never even used the product. Just like the saying, “the grass is always greener on social media” it is the same with advertisements.