Advertising

          I first want to start off with a few facts about advertising, given to us by Silverblatt ch. 14 "Overview of Advertising".
U.S. ad spending in 2006 reached a record $285 billion-the equivalent of $950,000 for every person in the United States.
An hour of prime-time network programming contains 18 minutes of advertising, down from 16 minutes in 2003 and 12 minutes in the 1980s.
By the age of 65, the average American has seen two million TV commercials.
American children are exposed to 40,000 ads per year.
When dateline NBC recently asked children to choose between a banana and a rock with a Scooby-Doo sticker on it for breakfast, nearly all chose the rock.
          Just by reading the few facts listed above you can make many statements about the effect of advertising on Americans. By looking at the 3rd fact "An hour of prime-time network programming contains 18 minutes of advertising, down from 16 minutes in 2003 and 12 minutes in the 1980s" we can say that overtime, the shows that we watch are becoming shorter and shorter due to advertising. These are the same one-hour shows but the commercial time is growing, which means that more commercials are being shown and less actual television.
          I will be honest, advertising isn't all bad because sometimes that commercial catches your eye and the item they are showing is highly attractive. For instance, I like cell phone commercials because of the new technology that is being built with the phones. My phone is half broken and I've been looking for the perfect phone to fit me for weeks now. This commercial came on the other day for a Blackberry Torch. I have always been the one that says "I will never buy a blackberry" but the advertisement for the phone fit my specifications so well that I am currently doing everything possible to get one.
          Overall advertising has come a long way over the days and will continue to thrive. Little do many know, but advertising is still an important part of communication.